Marshall County posted a solid 9-3 record in non-district play leading up to Tuesday night’s District 12-AA opener versus Community at the Dottie Kelso Memorial Gymnasium in Lewisburg where they came away with a 50-40 Homecoming win over the scrappy Viqueens.

The four-time state champions and 2018-2019 state tournament participant Tigerettes were led in the scoring column by senior Kelsey Keiler, who scored a game-high 17 points, including a 9-for-15 effort from the free throw line with six made charity shots down the stretch to seal the win.

“We started off kinda slow, but picked it up and got a win,” Keiler said. “We didn’t know if we were going to have a problem with underestimating them and play with the same tempo we have had with better teams.”

Dionna Crutcher was also in double figures with 16 points, Karlye Wiser had eight, Hannah Davis seven, and Sydney Tidwell had one bucket.

With the game tied at 2-2, Crutcher scored on a three-point play the old fashioned way and then came up with a steal and score to put Marshall County up 7-2.

Addison Brothers buried a 3-pointer for the Viqueens, but the Tigerettes came up with four points in a row on a Keiler basket and a low post bucket by Davis to pull ahead 11-5 before the Viqueens netted the final four points of the first quarter to make it an 11-9 contest.

A Breanna Whitaker basket for Community tied the game at the outset of the second period.

Wiser and Whitaker went on to trade baskets before the Tigerettes turned up the defensive pressure and shutout Community the remainder of the period, while posting a 9-0 run to end the first half with a 22-13 lead.

Keiler had four points and Crutcher had five, including a 3-pointer in the late first half scoring burst.

The Tigerettes pulled away as Wiser opened up the second half with a 3-pointer, followed by a Davis bucket in the paint, and another Wiser trey to make it a 30-13 contest.

The Viqueens fought back with a 5-1 scoring advantage for the remainder of the third quarter to trail by 13 points, entering the fourth quarter.

Crutcher threw down a long 3-pointer to begin the final period, increasing the lead to 16 points.

Community chipped away and midway through the period, Jesa Moore scored to cut the lead in half at 38-30.

“We were taking two steps forward and then we would take one step back with a turnover or something,” Keiler said.

They missed an opportunity to make it a six-point game after two missed foul shots before Keiler buried the front end of a one-and-one situation from the free throw line.

“It wasn’t really the game plan, but I knew I was going to be the go-to at the foul line in the fourth quarter,” Keiler said.

Whitaker scored and Tidwell got free and made a layup on a drive to the hoop to make it a 41-32 contest with just over two minutes to play in the game.

Community had back-to-back opportunities from the free throw line, but hit 2-of-4 to cut the lead to seven points before Marshall County put them away on a Davis bucket in the low post, followed by a swipe and score by Keiler, making it an 11-point game with 1:21 left in the contest.

The Viqueens scored six points the rest of the way, while the Tigerettes tallied five to take the 10-point win.

The Tigerettes (10-3, 1-0) will be back in action Friday night when they travel to Giles County for another District 12-AA battle with the longtime foe Lady Bobcats (7-8), who lost by 16 at tenth-ranked Nolensville (11-4, 1-0) Tuesday night.

“They call it a whole new season, it’s like we are starting all over again,” Keiler said. “We are always right there with Nolensville, we just have to finish this year.”

Community 9 4 5 22-40

Marshall County 11 11 9 19-50

Community (40): M.J. Simmons 11, Jesa Moore 9, Breanna Whitaker 9, Brianna Beech 4, Addison Brothers 3, Aleah Wilson 2, Payton Davis 2.

Three-point Goals (1): Brothers.

Free Throws (11-for-19): Simmons 5-for-8, Moore 5-for-9, Whitaker 1-for-2.

Marshall County (50): Kelsey Keiler 17, Dionna Crutcher 16, Karlye Wiser 8, Hannah Davis 7, Sydney Tidwell 2.

Three-Point Goals (4): Wiser 2, Crutcher 2.

Free Throws (14-for-23): Keiler 9-for-15, Davis 3-for-5, Crutcher 2-for-3.

Halftime Score: Marshall County 22, Community 13.