It was hard not to stare at Jaheem Webber’s offensive performance on Monday night against the Downers Grove North Trojans, but the Iron’s defense was really the showstopper. Photo Courtesy: Jeff Christopherson

The Ironmen faced the Downers Grove North Trojans twice this school year, in Super-Sectionals contests, with the victor going on to the IHSA State Finals.

The first encounter came on the gridiron when the undefeated Ironmen reached the State Semis for the first time since 2007.

Downers dashed Community’s State dreams on Nov. 18, decimating Community 42-0 in a contest that was never really close.

It was the Trojans’ turn to taste defeat as the two teams met on the hardwood of CEFCU Arena on March 4.

The season’s second Super-Sectional showdown of the year was a reversal of fortunes, with the Ironmen posting a dominating 53-29 victory in front of the hometown crowd.

The Ironmen never relinquished control in Monday’s game, asserting their dominance from start to finish just a few steps shy of the state’s grandest stage.

The standout performance was underscored by the Trojans’ 40-35 win over Community on Martin Luther King weekend just two months earlier.

While we’ve broken down that contest, Monday’s 24-point victory offers some key takeaways as Normal Community edges ever closer to bringing a State Banner home to hang in the East Gym.

Do the Iron show defensive prowess? No, the team is a defensive powerhouse!

The Ironmen entered the season highly touted, garnering attention for their star-studded lineup. One boasting formidable height advantages, as the starting five featured no one under 6-foot-4.

While offensive prowess was expected of the Iron, Commnuity’s defensive prowess has emerged as a defining strength as they progressed through the postseason.

Community displayed strong defensive capabilities throughout the regular season, conceding an average of 44 points per game, a stat even more impressive considering the Iron’s gauntlet of a schedule.

Powerhouses like the 3A’s Thornton, Metamora and State-title contender Peoria Richwoods were the caliber of teams the Ironmen faced this season, taking on Illinois’s top talent Morrez Johnson, Cooper Koch and Lathan Sommerville.

Against these offensive juggernauts, the Ironmen’s defense held firm, limiting scoring opportunities and disrupting opponents’ rhythm.

The Ironmen held each phenom to 16 points or under, far below the trio’s season averages. Sommerville, for example, tallied 15 against Community despite averaging 24.6 points a game this season.

In Community’s last four matchups, they’ve faced teams with a combined record of 111-25. While Community’s competition has just grown tougher, so has its defense.

Against the top teams in Class 4A, the Iron have allowed just over 40 points per game, fewer than they have all season.

You’re thinking: “Doesn’t Downers’ 29 points skew the average?”

No. Community allowed just 46 points against Rock Island, 44 against Moline and held Quincy to 43.

Maybe offenses slow as competition becomes more challenging? Do teams, in general, put up fewer points?

Community has averaged 58 points a game this season.

In the last four games? 55.

That doesn’t seem to be the case.

The Iron defense is peaking. Monday’s game against Downers Grove North was perhaps the season’s best defensive showcase.

Community held North, a team averaging 56 a game, to just 29, good for the team’s third-fewest points allowed in a game.

The only two teams to score less against the Iron this season were the 0-27 Bloomington Raiders, who tallied 28, and the 12-17 Peoria Notre Dame Irish, who posted 24.

This isn’t a question of lineup either, as Downers’ best quarter was the fourth, where they posted 11 as Community’s starters left the floor.

The Iron’s height advantage translated into dominant defense: Community recorded 32 defensive boards and seven blocks in the game. Add in Noah Cleveland’s two steals, and that’s one heck of a defensive performance.

Community’s size forced the Trojans outside the paint. And outside the arc, Downers found little success–shooting 2/35 from three.

Again, Community displayed the ability to stifle top-tier players.

The Trojans Princeton commit Jack Stanton, coming off a 23-point performance against Bolingbrook, went scoreless in the first half, shadowed by Niko Newsome.

Stanton finished the night 7/33 in the contest, good for 12 points.

Community’s defense demonstrated against the future Ivy Leaguer that their defense is in a league of its own.

The Ironmen have it all.

A lockdown defender in Newsome.

A defensive anchor capable of denying the inside and protecting the paint: Jaheem Webber.

And do-it-all defenders, Swiss Army knife players, capable of covering anyone from anywhere. That’s the trio of Dexter Niekamp, Braylon Roman and Cleveland.

A pesky spark plug, annoying the offense, able to make a momentum-shifting play? Enter Connor Smith and junior Marcus Russell.

To be a great defense, the five on the floor must play as a unit, focusing on one possession at a time, able to trust one another to do their assignment.

The Ironmen aren’t just playing like a team on defense; they’re playing like the best defense in the state.

They can rise to the occasion

The pressure was palpable as the Ironmen faced DGN; Community entered the night ranked lower than the Trojans in the most recent AP 4A basketball polling and had already fallen to the team.

Community embraced the challenge, determined to prove their mettle on the court.

The Ironmen demonstrated they were built for the moment in the Semis, showcasing their ability to be playmakers and game-breakers when it matters most.

Community’s intensity erased any doubt that a moment might be too big, the pressure too much, for the Iron to handle.

With a starting lineup composed entirely of seniors, the Ironmen exhibited composure and resilience, refusing to falter under pressure. Established stars like Jaheem Webber elevated their game, delivering standout performances that propelled Community to victory.

In Monday night’s game, Webber made a case for his best performance of the season, perhaps his career, as he scored a team-high 22 points.

That double-digit demonstration included four statement slam dunks and was punctuated with five blocks on the defensive end.

And the Wright State commit did so against a backdrop of hostile chants from the visiting crowd.

Webber had just four points against the Trojans in their previous matchup, going 2/2 on his only shot attempts that night.

In this meeting, Webber didn’t just find ways to score; he created them.

Webber averages 10 points per game on the season and one block. In the five games before taking on DGN, Webber averaged 9.2 and had five total denials.

In the biggest game of the year, the senior standout displayed the ability to take his game to new heights, more than doubling his offensive output while quintupling his blocks.

Webber is playing his best basketball right now, and it’s a sight to see. The 6-foot-10 star put on a posterizing performance against the Trojans.

Webber went 6/7 from the line, indicating he is locked in. The center entered the night, shooting just a shade over 60% from the line.

The big man wasn’t alone in his big night; Braylon Roman, Noah Cleveland and Connor Smith also displayed their excellence.

The Trojans’ full-court press wasn’t able to slow Roman down. The guard’s ball handling was a key to the Ironmen’s success, as Roman could weave through the Trojans’ defenders on his way to 12 points.

And draw contact. Roman found himself at the line eight times, tallying five points and forcing the Trojans into foul trouble.

When he wasn’t scoring, he was sharing, as Roman recorded three assists, good for second on the team.

Leading the team in assists was Cleveland, setting up scoring chances four times on the night.

The senior posted a significant contribution in the win, racking up a team-high 12 defensive boards and two steals.

Cleveland went 2/2 from the line, perfect for his only points on the night.

Cleveland didn’t need to put up big offensive numbers in the contest as Smith shouldered some of the offensive load off the bench.

Smith scored 10 in 23 minutes of action, going 3/4 from the field and making two of his three three-point tries.

The Iron improved in almost every statistical category Monday night: they shot 43% from the three-point line against a 27% season average and 70% from the free throw line compared to a usual 64%; They racked up 39 rebounds versus 33/game.

Insignificant alone, taking together the small improvements made a big difference and resulted in one giant lopsided victory.

In the most meaningful game of the 2023-24 campaign, the Ironmen didn’t suffer from the pressure. Instead, Community applied its own to the Trojans, forcing Downers Grove North to crumble.

Its all about ball control and efficiency

Community barely found themselves playing Monday night after a near loss to Quincy.

That 44-43 outcome resulted from Community’s inability to control the ball and the tempo.

Against the Blue Devils, the Iron turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers. On the season, Community averages just under 13 turnovers a game.

Against DGN, the Iron committed just 10, with the Trojans scoring three points from the change of possession.

With a more disciplined approach and improved decision-making, Community capitalized on their scoring opportunities.

Smart passes, efficient ball movement and strategic shot selection allowed Community to maintain control of the game, preventing the Trojans from establishing momentum despite a pestering defensive pressure.

Community’s dominance on the boards and defensive hustle limited the Trojans’ second-chance tries in the contest, allowing Downer just eight second attempts.

Community controlled the rock, and they controlled the game. Downers began to play in desperation. Desperation became frustration, as the Trojans would rack up 19 fouls before the buzzer sounded, including a technical foul from Owen Thulin on a shooting foul, resulting in four straight Braylon Roman free throws.

Downers’ defensive breakdowns would see Thulin exiting the game in the third quarter with five fouls. Three other Trojan players ended the night with three or more fouls.

The longer the ball is in the Iron’s hands, the more they can control the tempo, the more they can force their opponents to make mistakes and the more they can capitalize.

The Ironmen aren’t just built for Friday’s moment and the State Farm Center; they eagerly await it.

The team is at their best when they are about to face the best.

Community entered the season as one of the team’s most elite teams, in the State’s largest class. They played a schedule packed with the best-of-the-best and now they are one of the last four teams standing. And they are standing tall.

When they take the court on Friday, they have all the tools to extend one more day to Saturday’s State Finale.

Because I said it once, and I’ll repeat it: The Ironmen are rolling.