Lady Trojans convert on timely free throws, defeat Sturgeon 41-31

The Community R-6 girls didn’t always hit their free throws on Dec. 17 but hit them when they were needed most.

After shooting 7-for-21 from the free throw line in regulation, the Lady Trojans went 5-for-6 in the overtime period to win 41-31 at Central Activities Conference foe Sturgeon. The game was the second time in three meetings Community (8-2, 3-0 CAC) and Sturgeon (3-3, 1-1 CAC) needed overtime.

Head coach Bob Curtis said the contest was typical for his team this season on the defensive end, limiting Sturgeon at 13 points in the first half. The free throws were a struggle this time but is happy they eventually went down at vital moments.

“We have had some better nights at the stripe the last few weeks but tonight was not one of them,” Curtis said. “ We were phenomenal at the line (in overtime) going 5-for-6 from the stripe. Peyton Beamer went 4-for-4 from the line, Jocelyn Curtis 2-for-2, and Chloe Johnson 1-for-2 when Sturgeon had to foul to try and get the ball back.”

Curtis said Aaliyah Welch set the tone in overtime by scoring two buckets in the first two possessions of the period. Welch finished with a team-high 12 points, Beamer had 11 points and five assists, and Jocelyn Curtis finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The last overtime meeting between the Lady Trojans and the Lady Bulldogs happened at Community when Brooklynn Glasgow hit a 3-pointer to tie that game at 42 and send it to overtime. Community eventually lost that one 54-52 in double overtime, but the script was flipped this time when Allie Heath was the hero whose 3-pointer tied the game for Sturgeon at 30 only for the Lady Trojans to eventually be victorious.

“We knew with a 30-27 lead with seconds to go the ball would wind up in Heath's hand to try and tie the game and she hit one at the buzzer to send it to overtime,” Curtis said about Heath, who led Sturgeon with 16 points in the previous overtime meeting. 

Community stayed undefeated in conference and prepares to face Sturgeon again in the first round of the New Franklin Basketball Tournament at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 6 in New Franklin’s new gym.

Trojans hoping to “restart” after break

The Community R-6 boys want to hit the “restart button” after Christmas break.

The Trojans lost 70-24 at Central Activities Conference foe Sturgeon (4-2, 2-0 CAC) on Tuesday, losing back-to-back conference games before the break. They are 2-8 overall and 1-2 in conference.

“We are struggling finding a way to get the ball to fall into the basket,” head coach Kody Asquith said. “Over break, we are going to try and hit the restart button and work on some fundamentals on both sides of the ball just so we can fine-tune some things and try to get back on the right track. Our season may have not started off the way that we have wanted it to, but there is still a lot of ball to be played and a lot of time to get things turned around to where we want it to be. I have a great group of guys that are talented and know the game of basketball, but as I have said before, we are very young this year and are still trying to figure out who we are and what we can do to improve our game.”