The Ironmen (7-0) will try to push their win streak to eight when they host Peoria High (5-2), a Lions team that has already gone toe-to-toe with playoff-level opponents and brings multiple double-figure scorers into Community gym.

“It’s a great start,” Community head coach Mr. Dave Witzig said. “We haven’t played the toughest competition yet. That’s yet to come, but we’ve done enough to win.”

Community has won with balance on both ends. Through seven games, the Ironmen are averaging 66.7 points and allowing 50.4, a plus-16.3 scoring margin.

Still, Witzig said the ceiling is higher.

“I don’t think we played our best basketball yet, but we found ways to win,” he said.

Why Community has stayed perfect

The Ironmen’s offense has leaned on two primary scorers and a pack of secondary options. Trey Birditt leads the team at 17.7 points per game, with Chase Kasten close behind at 16.4.

Andrew Naour (6.8), Daniel Sykes (6.7) and Carter Harris (6.6) have rounded out the scoring, giving Community multiple players capable of swinging a quarter.

Witzig said the team’s identity starts with speed and athleticism.

“One word I would use [to describe the Iron] would be athletic,” Witzig said. “We’re long, fast, quick. We’re playing at a fast pace.”

That pace shows up in the shot profile: Community is shooting 42.8% from the field, hitting 7.1 3s per game, but still looking for more consistency from deep (28.1% from 3).

What changed after Champaign Central

The Ironmen are coming off a 12-point win over Champaign Central that didn’t look pretty in stretches.

Against the Maroons, Birditt had three points on 1-for-12 shooting, but Community still scored enough to win behind Kasten’s 18 points and 11 rebounds, Harris’ 15 points (5-for-6 shooting, 5-for-5 at the line) and Sykes’ 11 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.

That game, Witzig said, underscored what the Ironmen are still building offensively after graduating their post presence.

“We just need to kind of keep working on our offensive spacing and sharing the ball,” Witzig said. “It’s kind of new for everybody what we’re doing.”

The Lions’ challenge

Peoria High’s two losses came in tight games against Bolingbrook and Richwoods, and the Lions showed their balance in their most recent win over Centennial, when all five starters scored in double figures, led by JJ Duffin (18) and Kayden Turner (14).

Witzig said Turner, a Metamora transfer, is the headliner—and the scouting report starts there.

“They have a shooter—No. 1 on their team is a great three-point shooter,” Witzig said. “He does a good job moving without the ball, and so we can’t leave him open.”

What a “successful” night looks like

For Community, Friday’s formula isn’t complicated: defend without losing Turner, finish possessions and move the ball until good shots become great ones.

“A successful performance is us continue to play the intense defense we’ve been doing,” Witzig said, “and then on offense, sharing the ball.”

Community has shown it can win even when the shots don’t fall—but if the Ironmen pair their defensive pressure with cleaner spacing and quicker decisions, Friday could be the night their best basketball shows up.

Community tips off against Peoria High at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18.