Sometimes, a team is just on, and the Community R-6 girls’ sectional opponent St. Elizabeth was playing well on Tuesday night.

Community R-6 vs St. Elizabeth Photo Gallery

The Lady Trojans’ season ended after losing 61-41 in Salisbury, finalizing their record at 22-6. Community locked down its sixth straight 20-win season and eighth district title in 10 years going into its sectional game but couldn’t always lock down the Lady Hornets, allowing eight 3-pointers.

After Community’s district championship victory on Saturday against Wellsville-Middletown, head coach Bob Curtis watched St. Elizabeth (22-6) knock out Pilot Grove later in the day in Wardsville in that district title game. Curtis said the Lady Hornets certainly played to their potential on Tuesday.

“You always talk about ‘A’ game. We didn’t have it, and they did,” Curtis said. “They shot the ball extremely well, really didn’t miss any free throws and was just the kind of night a coach wants them to play up to their potential.

“It makes them really hard to guard when they shoot it that well from 3. When you have to go out and guard the 3-point line like that, it’s really hard to guard the ball screens.”

Curtis said it was difficult to focus on one player as shots fell from all around, especially from Tori Kemna. She finished with a game-high 20 points, hitting three 3-pointers and going 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Ella Lucas followed with 13 points and four 3-pointers, Reagan Wobbe had 11 points and five rebounds, and Sidney Engelmeyer had six points and nine rebounds.

Olivia Kuda led the team with 11 points and 12 rebounds in her final game as a Lady Trojan. Fellow senior Kayla Jett, who was coming off her first all-Central Activities Conference selection, followed with nine points on three 3-pointers. Kuda, Jett and Community’s other senior Sarah Angel — six points and five steals — each made the all-conference team along with junior Kylie Brooks, who added 12 rebounds and two blocks.

The Lady Trojans matched the Lady Hornets from beyond the arc in the first quarter, with one 3-pointer each from Jett and Glasgow, to trail 12-10 after one. Both teams went about five minutes without a field goal before the drought was ended by a steal and score from Glasgow. St. Elizabeth figured out its offense for the rest of the game while Community struggled, leading to the Lady Trojans trailing 30-21 at halftime and then 44-30 after the third quarter.

“A little bit of it is they didn’t give us a second shot,” Curtis said. “They made us take a tough shot, it didn’t go in and then they didn’t give us an offensive rebound. We usually get a pretty high-percentage shot on that second shot hitting the offensive glass, and that wasn’t there for us.”

When it was apparent in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter that a comeback wasn’t coming, Curtis substituted for each of his three seniors one at a time so they could individually receive a hand from the Community crowd and embrace their teammates on the bench.

First, it was Angel, who capped yet another all-conference season that included her becoming the latest member of the 1,000-point club.

“Sarah Angel is a 1,000-point scorer, and in my opinion, one of the best players in Class 1,” Curtis said. “She just had a monumental career.”

Next, it was Kuda, who emerged as Community’s primary post presence to garner another all-conference nod this season.

“Olivia Kuda, an all-conference and all-district player, really hits the boards hard,” Curtis said. “Over the last two years, she has been our second- or third-leading scorer.”

Finally, it was Jett’s turn as she made her way down the line of outstretched hands before gathering with Angel and Kuda for a group hug. Jett was one the Lady Trojans’ most dangerous perimeter threats this season.

“Kayla Jett really came on as a 3-point shooter and made the all-conference team this year,” Curtis said. “She really became — her and (junior) Alyssa Beamer — that go-to 3-point shooter for us.”

All three seniors have brought several trophies and accomplishments to the program, starting with a state Final Four appearance in 2020 and also including three district titles. Curtis said the team will miss each of them a lot as they were the core of a Lady Trojan team this season that accomplished much.

“A New Franklin tournament championship, a district championship, and two or three buckets away from a conference championship (finished 8-2 in CAC after a narrow 52-47 loss to champion Cairo),” Curtis said. “Tonight, we didn’t have it, and it happens.

“We’ve been battling some sickness. Olivia had the flu last week and got through it and played with it. Sarah wasn’t feeling great today, but she wouldn’t tell anybody that. None of these kids will make excuses. They’ll go play. I am proud of them just because if they can go, they’ll go.”