After graduating a senior class responsible for three straight Sectional Final appearances and a combined 89-15 record, few expected the Ironmen to replicate that success.

And they didn’t.

Instead, they redefined it.

With a 27-7 finish and a return to the IHSA 4A Sectional Semifinals, this year’s Community squad stepped out of the shadow of the past and forged a new identity.

Head coach Mr. Dave Feeney didn’t expect them to meet the standard set by the program’s recent history. 

He didn’t want them to. Instead, the challenge was to build something new—together.

Each player “a puzzle piece,” Feeney said, helping the Iron put together a picture of who they’d become.

Senior guard Kenna Malinowski became a cornerstone of that picture. 

A shooter coming off the bench last year, Malinowski set a single-season program record with 92 three-pointers. She led the team in scoring with 11 points per game and earned an All-State Special Mention from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

Marco Reynolds, a 6-foot-1 senior who could have led most teams in scoring inside, made her impact as a facilitator—embracing a role that required distributing the ball and reading the floor rather than shooting it. 

“It’s what makes Marco so special,” Feeney said. “She really bought into the idea of being a facilitator from the post.”

That commitment earned her a Big 12 All-Conference Second Team selection.

Point guard A’Meah Lester controlled the tempo, averaging 2.8 assists and 8.4 points per game. 

The Illinois Central College-commit was instrumental in Community’s success—outscoring opponents by an average of 13.1 points when she was on the floor—a plus/minus that earned Lester her first All-Conference honor, named to the second team.

Veteran starter Rayna Powers built on an already impressive résumé. A First-Team All-Conference selection last year, Powers leveled up in her final season—ranking top-two in nearly every statistical category: points (9.8), rebounds (6.3), assists (2.1) and steals (2.5).

The Kentucky soccer-commit’s most significant improvement came from beyond the arc. Powers tripled her number of made threes and doubled her shooting percentage from deep compared to her junior campaign, pushing her into an IBCA All-State Second Team placement.

Camry Fisher, a bench option as a junior, the team’s “next up” player, emerged as a starter and spark plug. After leading the team in scoring on opening night, Fisher became a dependable rebounder and lockdown defender in late-game moments.

Her rise, Feeney said, was no surprise: Despite limited playing time last season, “She didn’t complain. She kept working.”

The result? Fisher, Feeney said, “had an incredible senior year.”

Junior Hayley Michels earned her first varsity minutes this season and eventually stepped into a starting role as the postseason neared.

Michels, Feeney said, brought scoring, defense and the ability to “set the table for others,” skills that make the junior “a pretty well rounded player.”

That depth defined the Iron’s identity.

Community claimed a fourth-straight Intercity title, returned to the State Farm Holiday Classic Championship game for the third consecutive year and made it back to the Sectional Semifinals.

The team embraced uncertainty, Feeney said, not with fear, but with enthusiasm—of appreciating the process, even when the outcome was unknown.

That approach paid off in a defining Holiday Classic moment.

Trailing the eventual 3A state runner-up St. Ignatius in the semifinal, Community clawed back and pushed the game into overtime—sealing the win with clutch defense and timely threes.

“I remember some of our kids saying in the locker room, ‘I can’t believe we just won that game,’” Feeney said. That statement wasn’t from “a lack of confidence,” the head coach said.

“It was a genuine enthusiasm that we, as a group, had done this.”

Managing an 18-player roster, Feeney admitted, brought concerns initially.

“When we decided to keep 18,” he said, “we were really nervous. On a given night, there’s a majority of kids that don’t play.”

But the deep bench became one of the Iron’s greatest assets.

In film sessions, Feeney said, the team would highlight “the bench energy,” pointing to celebrations from junior contributors Brooke Niekamp, Izzy Beckler, Ella Michalak and Ryann Graham. 

“When those kids buy in and celebrate,” he said, “that’s what makes a team ridiculous.”

The team’s connection extended beyond the court—from media days and livestreams to dances in the locker room after wins. 

With this group, Feeney said, “everything was team bonding, because anytime they were together, they were connecting.”

“I’ve already gotten texts from multiple kids,” he said, “not that they miss practice or that they miss the games, but that they miss us.”

That bond was evident in the team’s final game of the season.

In the Sectional Semifinal loss to Pekin, Powers suffered an ACL injury in the third quarter and was unable to return to the bench until the closing moments.

“The team showed so much care for her,” Feeney said. “They weren’t just hung up on themselves and [their] last game… they also showed that it wasn’t about them which is a great way to go out.”

Despite the 47-39 loss, Community’s season still marked milestones.

Feeney became the program’s all-time winningest coach with 270 career victories, passing Berny Chiaro’s 30-year-old record. The Ironmen received votes in every Associated Press state poll of 2024.

Looking ahead, Community’s returning roster will be smaller and quicker. Junior contributors Zoey Wilde, Hayley Michels and Ava Turner—none taller than 5-foot-4—are expected to lead a more agile, guard-focused team.

But Feeney said he’s not looking for players to grow taller—he’s looking for them to grow as players.

Sophomores Taylor Williams, Lilly Witzig and Sophia Mack are among those Feeney believes have the potential “to do some great things” in the years ahead.

For now, the Iron return to the unknown—a place this year’s team embraced, and thrived in.