LEWISBURG — Tigerette coach David Steely has seen improvements from his squad in practice, but it hasn’t necessarily transitioned into play on the court—until Friday night.
In the rivalry matchup, the Tigerettes successfully ran its pressure defense and turned Giles County over on several occasions in the 57-37 win over the Lady Bobcats.
“The press was definitely big for us. They made a couple of threes that were big shots for them, but we responded well and the press was big. We were able to get some turnovers and get some easy shots,” Steely said.
Giles County relied on some early perimeter shots to help build a 12-10 lead by the end of the first quarter, but when Marshall County was at its best on Friday, the Tigerettes successfully executed its full-court pressure defense and created extra possessions, which translated into points on the board.
A monster, 14-0 run to start the second quarter allowed the Tigerettes to create a 10-point lead by halftime.
As part of the run, Kayla Keiler and Mashawna Ridley combined for 17 first-half points as Marshall County led 28-18 by halftime.
After holding the Lady Bobcats to just six points in the second quarter, the Tigerette defense allowed just six more in the third, while posting 13 of their own.
“Mashawna is a perimeter player who is starting to go inside. She’s starting to do it all. Her rebounding is really improving. Kayla had a big game tonight, controlling us. The team just played well,” Steely said.
Marshall County’s last win over Giles County came back in January of 2020, which Steely said played into his team’s focus and drive on Friday night.
“It’s always great to beat them anytime. It’s been a few games since we’ve beaten them, so it feels good,” he said.
“They beat us right-handed a few times, but overall we did a good job. We did have lots of energy. Some of that was Giles County and some of that was us being hungry for a win.”
Keiler led three Tigerettes in double figures with a game-high 17 points, while Ridley added 14.
Demiyah Blackman chipped in 13 as well.
Friday night’s win was a step in the right direction for the Tigerettes, who have practiced well of late, but were able to transition into a full, four-quarter effort.
“We played a lot better tonight. Just keep getting better—that’s been the focus since Day 1. I’ve been seeing it in practice, but haven’t really seen it in a game until tonight,” Steely said.
The Tigerettes hit the road and travel to Smyrna on Monday evening.

Giles Co. 12 6 6 13 — 37
Marshall Co. 10 18 13 16 — 57

Giles Co.: Karson Brown 11, Kiyah Gibson 9, Amya Coffey 7, Eriya Garrett 5, Katiah Dudley 3, Caydee Pipkins, Kaci Stevenson.
Marshall Co.: Kayla Keiler 17, Mashawna Ridley 14, Demiyah Blackman 13, Maggie Steely 5, Caroline Hollingsworth 4, Jachelle Ridley 3, Karlie Lohr.
3-Point goals: Marshall Co. (5): M. Ridley 2, Keiler 2, Steely; Giles Co. (3): Gibson, Garrett, Coffey.
Halftime score: Marshall Co. 28, Giles Co. 18.