Weeks have passed since the Community R-6 girls’ previous meeting with Wellsville-Middletown.

Community R-6 vs Wellsville New Franklin Tournament Photo Gallery

That initial loss sent the Lady Trojans on a run of three defeats in four games, but Friday night’s New Franklin Tournament third-place game between the district rivals ended in a 63-54 Community victory for the Lady Trojans’ sixth win in eight games — with the two losses being in overtime. Community outrebounded Wellsville 40-27, had four Lady Trojans record at least seven rebounds and finished with four scoring in double figures.

“Anytime we play Wellsville, it’s a rival and are a couple miles from each other,” head coach Bob Curtis said. “Even when we’re not playing for something, it’s a rivalry so it's a big game for both of us. We got beat at their place early, and we really wanted this matchup.”

Senior Kylie Brooks, who has a double-double in almost every game this season, finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five steals. Brooks said the team remembers having that first meeting with Wellsville won for about 28 and half minutes before losing, which affected the Lady Trojans.

“We knew we could handle them, but it just took confidence and the right state of mind,” Brooks said. “That really messed with our team because in the game after that, we lost to Marion County, which shouldn’t have happened. We started to work away from each other and then we went into two overtimes in the Sturgeon game, we worked together and found our bond and our commitment to each other.”

Working together as a team is much better than scoring individually, Brooks said, and that mindset is reflected in the play on the court. In the first half of the rematch, Community missed plenty of perimeter shots and went more than four minutes without scoring a field goal, allowing Wellsville to take a 29-24 halftime lead.

The Lady Trojans demonstrated an immediate difference in the second half when they outscored the Lady Tigers 21-8 in the third quarter. After a more combined effort, Brooklynn Glasgow also recorded a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, Peyton Beamer had 11 points and eight rebounds, Alyssa Beamer finished with 11 points and three 3-pointers, and Aaliyah Welch pulled down seven rebounds.

"Our patience on our offense can make a tremendous difference in our game," Brooks said. "If we hurry around, pass the ball and we immediately shoot, it does do damage. Just being patient and waiting for the ball to get to the right spot at the right time and shooting when it's time to shoot, it helps our team a lot."

Curtis said Community did much better playing to its strengths in the second half by owning the boards and forcing its way to the free-throw line. The Lady Trojans shot 6-for-9 from the line in the first half but then increased that dramatically to 18-for-26 in the second half.

Brooks accounted for 8-for-9 free throws, Glasgow was 7-for-10 at the line, and Peyton Beamer was 4-for-6. Wellsville had four players eventually reach four fouls as a result.

"Sometimes we don't outscore our opponents, but we typically outrebound our opponents," head coach Bob Curtis said. "If we don't shoot it well, it's energy and effort so go get a loose ball, get two or three shots and eventually we'll get a better shot around the rim."

Perimeter shots fell more frequently for Community in the second half, such as when the Lady Trojans took a 45-37 lead into the fourth quarter for their biggest lead in the game. Welch grabbed an offensive rebound before kicking a pass to Alyssa Beamer for an open 3-pointer and then Glasgow found Peyton Beamer wide open on the perimeter on an out-of-bounds pass.

Brooks said she doesn’t need to venture too far out as she knows the best spot she can help the team is near the rim.

“I take a couple deep shots a season but not a lot,” Brooks said while laughing. “I pretty much stay in my little area and work from there.”

Curtis said it took commitment from Community to force the ball inside and change its status in the game and the same can be said for the season. He pointed out the Lady Trojans would have an eight-game winning streak if not for a couple of losses that could have been decided by a bucket. They went to two overtimes against Central Activities Conference foe Sturgeon and forced an extra period in the New Franklin semifinals against top seed (11-2).

“Realistically, we set the bar pretty high,” Curtis said “I like where we’re at, the way we’re playing and the team that showed up in the second half.”