Community R-6 girls basketball has more options this season.

The Lady Trojans will have 15 on the roster with the addition of six freshmen. They will still have a senior-heavy starting lineup, but those girls will not have to wear themselves out.

Head coach Bob Curtis said he has a good starting group with leading scorer Peyton Beamer at point guard, Jocelyn Curtis at post, Kat Meyer as a “rifleman” from 3-point territory, Chloe Johnson as a “defensive stopper” and Adriana Woodson is back after taking a year off. He added junior Lydia Hoyt can rotate into the starting lineup but has several options beyond that.

“We just look like we can probably play a little harder because we’re going to get a break,” Curtis said. “Honestly, if we get in foul trouble, we might be able to survive that as well.”

The freshman group features several girls who have looked good in practice like Kaytlynn Arens, Maci Poindexter, Natali Sommer and Ana McLeod, Curtis said. Hailey Schmidt and Bailey Miller round out the freshmen players.

Curtis said the new additions bring skills that can back up the veteran players. He said full-court defense can cause turnovers but also fouls that can hurt the Lady Trojans. Arens and Sommer, for example, have handled the ball a lot in their careers and can fill in for Beamer.

“Defensively, they allow us to play full court a little more,” Curtis said. “We had really become a half-court team out of necessity. If Peyton (Beamer) got into foul trouble at the top of our press and had to sit out a long period of time, we were a little limited at ball handling at that position.”

Defense has been a strong suit for Community with only one season out of its 13 straight winning seasons with an opponent’s average over 40 points per game. Last season was no different, but the Lady Trojans want the 40.5 scoring average to go up.

“When you have to eight or nine kids in your rotation, you’re just putting fresh bodies out there all the time,” Curtis said. “That’s a big key at the Class 1 level. My older kids are really efficient and know how to score. My freshmen can put some buckets in, too.”

Curtis said he has sophomores Myla Carroll and Sophia Fennewald who each can provide valuable minutes off the bench. He said they are “character kids” who provide Community the opportunity to “go to war in practice” with intrasquad scrimmages that resemble regular season games.

Competition from within is good, Curtis said, because the competition is tough in the Central Activities Conference. Cairo was a state runner-up last season, Curtis said Glasgow should be there at the top, and New Franklin, Sturgeon and Pilot Grove will have intriguing teams.

“It’s going to be a war every night,” Curtis said. “That’s exciting because it’s good basketball and we’re going to have some games in our conference that will prepare us for the playoffs.”