Girls basketball

Community R-6 girls conditioned in 39-29 win vs Sturgeon, advance to title game

The Community R-6 girls are in good shape heading into the Sturgeon Tournament’s championship Saturday.

Community R-6 vs Sturgeon Photo Gallery

The top seed Lady Trojans defeated the host Lady Bulldogs 39-29 on Wednesday night to notch their 10th straight win and advance to their second straight tournament championship game. They will face Salisbury (12-6) at 5 p.m. Saturday in the high school gym after holding Central Activities Conference foe Sturgeon (6-12) to five field goals in the final three quarters in the semifinals — their second win against the Lady Bulldogs after a 40-34 victory earlier this season.

Community (17-2) allowed five field goals in the first quarter, which ended up knotted at 11. The Lady Trojans tallied 18 steals to stay ahead 19-16 at halftime and 30-25 after three quarters. Head coach Bob Curtis said his team was able to adjust to the Lady Bulldogs, who scored most of their points early in transition.

“We’ve really finished games well this year — the last three quarters,” Curtis said. “That last 24 minutes, we have really outscored our opponent and probably have gotten stickier defensively. I think our conditioning is good and is where it needs to be.”

Curtis said defeating the host team during its previous two tournaments — Sturgeon on Wednesday and New Franklin for a championship — prepares a team for playoff games because it feels like a road game in a more hostile environment rather than on a neutral court. 

Sarah Angel led the Lady Trojans with 10 points and five steals, Kylie Brooks followed with seven points, 11 rebounds and three steals, Aaliyah Welch had seven points and seven rebounds, Olivia Kuda finished with six points, and Alyssa Beamer had four steals along with a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Curtis said each of these girls made up Community’s defense that piled on deflections and steals throughout the night.

“I think our angles were good and our zone — we played a lot of zone in this game,” Curtis said. “We really got some tips and some easy layups out of our half-court zone. In the first game (against Sturgeon), we probably played 28 minutes of man, so when you’re going to see somebody at least three times, you’ve got to throw some different stuff at them and see what sticks and what you do a good job with.”

Look for the full story in the Saturday, January 28, 2023, edition of the Mexico Ledger.

Mexico 50 Fayette 45 in Harrisburg Tournament. Mexico faces Linn at noon Saturday in the consolation final.

Elsberry 48 North Callaway 39 in Bowling Green Tournament. North Callaway faces Winfield at 5:50 p.m. Friday for third place.

Clopton 67 Van-Far 44 in Bowling Green Tournament. Van-Far eliminated from tournament.

Centralia 47 Blair Oaks 44 in Harrisburg Tournament. Centralia plays Hallsville at 6 p.m. Saturday for the championship.

Paris 36 Westran 31 in Sturgeon Tournament. Paris plays New Bloomfield at 11 a.m. Saturday in the consolation final.