The Community R-6 girls played their best basketball at the end of June.

Community R-6 Summer League 072823 Photo Gallery

That is what head coach Bob Curtis said following a decisive win on June 28 against Mark Twain at home in the Lady Trojans’ final shootout of the summer. 

Curtis said the team is aware of the impact players lost to graduation like Sarah Angel, Olivia Kuda and Kayla Jett. Community has been playing sophomores Peyton Beamer, Jocelyn Curtis and Chloe Johnson to help them become accustomed to bigger roles the next season.

“We’re very young at a couple positions,” Curtis said. “We’ve got about 20 points to make up between the girls and what we typically do. If we can spread that out, because it doesn’t have to be one person, offense is definitely a thing for us.”

In the Lady Trojans’ sixth straight 20-win season, as well as eighth district title in 10 years, they averaged 48.5 points per game. Curtis said the underclassmen don’t have much varsity experience, but he thinks the team is moving in the right direction as shown by Community finishing with a winning record this summer.

Beamer expects to slot in as the point guard to follow the decorated career of Angel, and Curtis said she’ll be a “crowd favorite.”

“She’s a sophomore so she’s still learning, but she’s had some really good games this summer,” Curtis said. “She’s a dynamite passer. You’ll get some ‘ooh’s’ and ‘ahh’s’ from some of the passes that she throws. When she makes a pass, at times, you may not see that open girl and she does.”

As for Jocelyn Curtis and Johnson, Bob Curtis said they add some size and toughness in the paint that Community lost from the departure of Kuda. Junior Rylee Rafferty should play more minutes, and Kylie Brooks looks to be that solid presence inside that she was a season ago along with Aaliyah Welch.

Curtis said Alyssa Beamer will return with her tenacious style of play and should be an option from 3-point territory along with Kat Meyer and Adriana Woodson, stretching out defenses like she and Jett did a year ago. He said those same girls have worked together well in Community’s defense.

“We can come at you from a lot of different directions (on offense),” Curtis said. “We’ve had some really good defensive games, playing some zone schemes. We predominantly have been a man team, but I’ve seen some good things out of just reading passing lanes and playing some zone this summer.”

Curtis said Brooklynn Glasgow will be a returning starter as well despite not being able to make it to the Lady Trojans’ final home shootout due to a scheduling conflict. He said that allowed the team to see more girls in spots to discover their strengths and weaknesses.

“I’ve got a lot to think about as far as defensive scheme and what this team is going to do,” Curtis said.