The Trojans found themselves in an unfamiliar situation Tuesday night against Cairo. For the first time all season, they were behind at the half.

And down 19-16, head coach Bob Curtis thought they were fortunate.

“Everything was hard – we turned it over, shot it poorly and just didn’t guard very well,” he said. “I was very glad to just be down by 3 at the half.”

But nothing has turned Community R6 back for very long this season. The Trojans reversed matters in the second half to overcome Cairo 43-30 on Senior Night.
They remain undefeated on the campaign at 12-0.

Community never allowed Cairo to pull too far away during the squad’s first half doldrums. Sarah Angel cut off angles and swiped the ball from the visitors eight times and Alexis Welch held firm in the paint.

They clamped down defensively after a difficult first quarter. Meanwhile, Angel, Welch and Brianna Beamer began to find their range. The Trojans scored as many points in the fourth quarter as they did in the entire first half.

Sarah Angel racked up 13 points and Welch added 10 to lead the way. Beamer contributed to the comeback with 9. Emma Hombs added 4, Shelby Clark 3 while Emmi Johnson and Emma Angel tacked on 2 each.

“They refuse to lose and find a way to get it done night in and night out,” Curtis said.

A first test for the Trojans

Community continued their string of double-digit victories last Saturday, but only just.

In a rematch of the district title game two years ago, the Trojans knocked off Canton on the road, 46-36. But the game was not theirs for the taking.

The Tigers took an early lead and held on until the second quarter. Until the final frame neither side was able to gain more than a two possession advantage.

“We mixed and matched zone and man to try and create some confusion on what they should be running,” head coach Bob Curtis said.

Led by Alexis Welch, the Trojans carved a 6-point gap in the third, but the Tigers clawed part of it back.

It was still a 3-point game – 33-30 in Community’s favor – heading into the fourth quarter. But Sarah Angel sprung into action, hitting 11 points after the break. And Welch was relentless on both ends of the floor.

She ended up with a double-double: 17 points and 10 crucial rebounds.

“We were able to hold onto that lead and hit some free-throws in the final two minutes to win by 10,” Curtis observed.

Community and Canton had not faced off since the district championship. The sequel lived up to the challenge of a title game.

In addition to the 28 points Welch and Angel threw up, Brianna Beamer had 9 and 3 steals, Emma Hombs had 4, Emma Angel 3 and Olivia Kuda 2.

The win put Community at 10-0.