Lady Trojans finish fourth at New Franklin tournament

The Community R-6 girls comeback fell short on Saturday in New Franklin. 

The Lady Trojans lost 46-43 to Class 1 No. 9 Jamestown in the third-place game of the New Franklin tournament after losing 50-24 to Central Activities Conference foe New Franklin and beating Brunswick 45-37.

Curtis said Jocelyn Curtis was able to “cancel out” Joslyn Brown’s contributions for Brunswick (7-4) by responding with points to her points. Jocelyn Curtis finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, and Peyton Beamer passed “beautifully” against pressure to finish with 12 points and nine assists. 

The Lady Trojans (8-4) fell to No. 1 seed New Franklin (10-2), who received votes in the latest Class 1 state poll, and struggled shooting in the first half. Curtis said senior guard Lily Chitwood gave Community trouble because “she doesn't turn the ball over, takes quality shots night in and night out, and has been a vocal positive leader the past four years for New Franklin” while the Lady Trojans were “being rushed into tough shots” in a scoreless first quarter. Jocelyn Curtis led with 12 points and eight rebounds. 

Community struggled shooting in the first half again against Jamestown (12-1), trailing 28-13 at halftime. The Lady Trojans outscored Jamestown 20-6 in the fourth quarter after starting to heat up near the end of the third quarter. 

Trojans go 0-3 in New Franklin tournament

The Community R-6 boys are coming close to being “on the same wavelength.”

After losing three games last week at the New Franklin tournament, head coach Chris Ellersieck said he is proud of the effort the team put in over the holiday. Community lost 62-37 to Westran (12-1), who is ranked ninth in the latest Class 2 state poll, lost 51-39 to Fayette (1-8) and then lost 56-38 to Jamestown (3-8).

Ellersieck said the Trojans (3-9) had trouble with turnovers against the No. 1 seed Westran, who won the championship, but played “fairly well” in the second half. Community outscored Westran 19-16 in the second half. Clayton Eikel led with 10 points.

Fayette made free throws down the stretch after Community cut its deficit to seven points after being down by 16 points in the first half. Ellersieck said Fayette has had a “juggernaut” of a schedule and has gone “toe to toe” with some of the best teams in the state. KaTavyn Wheeler led with 12 points and three 3-pointers. 

Community led Jamestown 27-23 at halftime, but Ellersieck said the Trojans struggled guarding 3-pointers and couldn’t score down the stretch. Eikel and Brett Beamer each led with nine points, and Beamer hit three 3-pointers.