Community R-VI senior Sadie Hoyt winces as she prepares to release a shot from the right block Tuesday while being guarded by Chamois' Ariel Owens (4) and Claire Brandt (42) during a Class 1 state sectional game at Harrisburg. Hoyt scored five points to help the Lady Trojans defeat Chamois 61-39. [Chuck Embree/For The Mexico Ledger]

Sometimes there can be nothing like a team get-together the night before a big game to help players build chemistry, relax and focus on a challenge that will be facing them about 24 hours later.

For the Class 1 No. 1 Community R-VI girls basketball team, head coach Bob Curtis said this has been one of the ingredients that's helped translate success.

This recipe was certainly applied for Tuesday’s state sectional game in Harrisburg, where Community made 66% of its field goals on 21-for-32 shooting and finished off Chamois for a 61-39 victory before a large contingent of supporters.

“Our girls really like to eat, and dilly bars from Dairy Queen are a treat. We've made it a habit to get together for a team meal to hang loose, enjoy each other's company and sometimes we will sit down to watch game film after the meal. It's been a great bonding process,” Curtis said. “Things like this are a great way for the team to grow and build on their relationships, sportsmanship and become a better teammate.”

With the triumph, the Lady Trojans tie the program record for wins in a single season.

Community (27-1) is scheduled to play No. 8-ranked Green City (27-1) in a state quarterfinal at Moberly Area Community College on Friday night.

Last year, the Lady Trojans finished third at state.

Natalie Thomas got the game started 56 seconds after tip-off Tuesday with a dribble drive to the rim for the game's first score.

The senior shooting guard also supplied the final points of the first quarter when she duplicated that process with nine seconds left to extend Community's lead to 15-6. The Lady Trojans overcame uncharacteristic foul problems early and led Chamois from start to finish.

Thomas, along with classmate Dalaney Bowers, have been the dynamic duo all season long for Community as the team's scoring leaders.

Bowers led the team with 16 points, Thomas had 14 and sophomore forward Alexis Welch netted 12. Also scoring for the Lady Trojans were Sadie Hoyt, Breanna Beamer and Sarah Angel each supplying five points, while Paige Meyer chipped in two.

“We found success driving the lanes for some scores and we hit some short jump shots to get us going. Defensively, we were wanting to make sure we guarded No. 10 (Makenna Wuelling) and No. 22 (Katie Keilholz) because they were Chamois' best players and we wanted to deny them from shooting the three,” Bowers said.

“This is another good team win for us. We're all determined to get back to state and win it all this year.”

Chamois was held to 31% (8 of 22) shooting from the floor and finished the night making 13 of 17 free throws. The Lady Trojans went 10-for-16 at the stripe.

Keilholz of Chamois led all scorers with 18 points, and Wuelling finished with 15.

While Community exerted its typical defensive aggressiveness of guarding ball handlers and applying a trap defense beyond the arc, three of its starters were assessed two fouls in the first half. By game's end, two of the starters had four fouls and another pair finished with three.

Chamois (15-10) took advantage of the infractions and knocked down 8 of 9 free throws as the stripe provided the Pirates half their points before the break.

Community built a 31-17 halftime lead.

In the second half, the sound of a whistle grew more faint and Community extended its margin to 49-29 when the fourth quarter arrived.

“We have good team depth. We got into some foul trouble tonight and when we brought kids in off the bench we were still able to maintain a strong pace of play,” Curtis said. “A big part of what has made this team special is our depth and ability to adjust our starting lineup or minutes to counter what may be perceived as a strength for our opponent.”

nav-oc Naviga Writer 2020-03-06T14:32:55Z false yes SPORTS By Chuck Embree The Mexico Ledger