The Ironmen used a decisive third-quarter run to turn a tight game into a comfortable home win, pulling away from the Bloomington High School Raiders 80-61 on Jan. 30.

Community improved to 19-4 overall and 6-1 in the Big 12 Conference with the win, while Bloomington dropped to 8-16 overall and 2-6 in conference play.

After Community jumped out to a 22-10 first-quarter lead, Bloomington steadied the game in the second, outscoring the Ironmen 20-11 to cut the deficit to 33-30 at halftime.

Coming out of the break, Community delivered the separating stretch: a 21-7 third quarter that pushed the lead to 54-37 and forced Bloomington to play catch-up the rest of the way.

The Ironmen’s defense helped create separation, especially once the game tightened.

Community forced 20 turnovers and finished with 14 steals and 16 deflections, turning those takeaways into 20 points off turnovers.

Senior Trey Birditt, back in the lineup after missing time with an ankle injury, set the tone on the perimeter with five steals and four deflections, helping the Iron speed up Bloomington possessions without giving up easy looks in the paint.

Daniel Sykes added three steals in 11 minutes off the bench, and Andrew Naour chipped in two steals as the Ironmen kept bodies around the ball.

Bloomington scored 13 points off turnovers, but the Raiders also committed 20, compared with 13 for Community. The extra possessions became even more important in the third quarter, when the Ironmen paired stops with clean finishes to build a margin the Raiders could not erase.

The Iron also won the second-chance battle, 11-2, off a 13-7 edge in offensive rebounds.

Birditt and Sykes grabbed three offensive boards apiece, and Jarrel Brown and Chase Kasten added two each, helping Community extend possessions and wear down Bloomington’s defense during the deciding stretch.

On the offensive end, the Ironmen’s perimeter shooting created breathing room once the lead started to grow.

Community hit 10 of 24 from 3-point range (41.7%) compared with Bloomington’s 4 of 17 (23.5%), a gap that mattered in a game where both teams finished strong in the paint and on cuts to the rim.

Kasten led the Ironmen with 26 points, going 8-for-13 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range. The  sophomore also went 6-for-8 at the free throw line.

Sykes provided a quick spark, scoring 10 points in 11 minutes and going 4-for-4 at the line.

Birditt, in his return, finished with eight points and four assists, in addition to being the Ironmen’s most disruptive defender.

Bloomington was paced by Dallas Marshall’s 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Maddox Mcswain added 14 points, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Community will look to carry the momentum into tournament play today against East Peoria (19-3) at Normal West.