Boys basketball won its sixth straight regional title Feb. 27, escaping United Township 55-54 in front of a home crowd at East Moline.

The Ironmen didn’t win with pretty shooting, hitting 31% from the field.

“We made a total of 13 shots the whole game,” Ironmen head coach Mr. Dave Witzig said. “That’s usually not the recipe to win.”

But Community stayed composed in a physical game and made its biggest advantage count: the free-throw line.

“We shot 19 more free throws than they did,” Ironmen head coach Mr. Dave Witzig said.

Community went 22 of 31 on free throws, an edge in volume that mattered in a one-point finish.

The Ironmen, Witzig said, were “in the bonus early in most of the quarters,” and he credited his players for cashing in.

Converting at a 70% clip from the line, the veteran coach said, is a strong performance at the high school level.

Free throws aren’t “the easiest way to win,” Witzig said, but “that’s how we had to win that game.”

Witzig’s squad trailed 17-11 after the first quarter, then flipped the game with its best stretch on both ends.

The Ironmen outscored United Township 19-11 in the second quarter to take a 30-28 halftime lead.

Witzig said United Township controlled much of the first two quarters, but Community kept finding enough to stay within reach.

“They basically outplayed us in the first half, and we go in the locker room up two,” he said.

The teams played even in a low-scoring third quarter, with the Ironmen and Panthers each adding nine points, setting up a final period that stayed tight until the horn.

Chase Kasten powered Community’s scoring and pressure on the rim, finishing with 19 points on 4-of-9 shooting while getting to the line 15 times. He made 10 free throws.

Andrew Naour added 11 points and delivered Community’s most efficient perimeter production, going 3 of 6 from 3-point range.

As a team, Community hit seven 3-pointers, forcing the Panthers defense to guard the arc.

Witzig said those timely perimeter shots helped the Ironmen survive stretches where the game never felt comfortable. He pointed to big makes that kept Community steady when it struggled to find rhythm.

“We were able to make some big ones when we needed them,” the coach said.

That spacing opened up chances inside for Trey Birditt, who scored 10 points and helped steady the offense with four assists. Mitchell Potts added seven points, including a 1-for-2 mark from the field and 4-for-6 at the line.

But the Ironmen’s victory was less about clean offense than winning the margin plays when shots weren’t falling. While United Township outscored Community 24-12 in the paint, beyond the Iron’s success at the stripe, the team forced nine turnovers and won the rebound battle.

Witzig emphasized just how thin the margin was offensively.

The fourth quarter was tense as Community’s late lead evaporated as time ticked down.

Ahead 53-46, the Ironmen saw Max Colgan knock down a 3 to cut the margin to four. Community pushed it back to 54-49 at the line, but the Panthers answered to make it 54-51. After Community split a pair of free throws to go up 55-51, Colgan buried another 3 to pull the Panthers within one, 55-54, just before time expired.

The ending turned chaotic, but Witzig said his team stayed sharp in the final moment.

With seconds left, Potts held the ball near the sideline rather than inbounding it, preventing United Township from getting another possession. “

We did say in the huddle … don’t throw it in,” Witzig said. “It was a unique, crazy ending” to a one-point regional final.

Next, the No. 1-seeded Ironmen (25-7) will face No. 3 Peoria Richwoods (23-7) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Rock Island High School after the Knights advanced with a 72-66 upset of No. 2 Rock Island.

Community already owns a 60-48 win over the Knights from Feb. 6, though that matchup turned chippy late with one Richwoods player ejected and technical fouls issued to both teams.

Witzig expects another intense matchup.

“Every game we played against them is highly contentious,” he said. “We’re going to have to be composed,” adding that “the stakes are high” and Community will need “the same composure” the Ironmen displayed against United Township.

Richwoods’ top threats start with Smith-Holley, who scored 15 points on 6-of-22 shooting in the teams’ last meeting. Kaden Johnson added 11 points and hit 3 of 5 from behind the arc. Tony Bradford scored 12 points and got to the line (4 of 6).

If Community controls the glass, stays disciplined if emotions rise and continues to win the free-throw battle the way it did Friday, the Ironmen will give themselves a strong chance to move on.