Community clinched its second consecutive Big 12 Conference title Friday, Feb. 21, marking just the third time in program history the Ironmen have won back-to-back championships.

The title is Community’s eighth since joining the Big 12 in 1983—all earned since 2011. But this championship stands apart: for the first time in school history, the Ironmen have gone undefeated in conference play for two straight seasons, extending their Big 12 win streak to 22 games.

Community (25-6, 10-0) capped off its perfect conference run with a dominant 68-37 victory over Normal West (7-20, 1-9), completing a regular season sweep of its crosstown rival. The teams first met in the season opener at the Shirk Center, where Community edged out a 60-55 win.

But the rivalry isn’t settled yet.

The Ironmen and Wildcats will meet for a third time Wednesday at 6 p.m. in a regional semifinal of the Collinsville Sectional, hosted at Normal West.

This time, the stakes are higher—a win secures a spot in the regional championship, while the loser’s season ends.

The winner will face either Bradley-Bourbonnais (21-7, 12-4) or Minooka (17-13, 8-8) in Friday’s regional final.

The Boilermakers are favored in that contest, having defeated Minooka 65-44 earlier this season.

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Bella Green

6-foot-9 Kobe Walker anchors the paint for the Iron, putting up dominant numbers in his senior campaign with 19 points per game, 12.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. On Friday night, the big man tallied up another double-double, scoring a team-high 16 points and securing 10 boards.