Tigerettes’ hoops duo sign with Columbia State Community College

Anthony S. Puca Sports Editor
Posted 4/28/21

Columbia State Community College head basketball coach Gwen Burton was all smiles last Friday morning at MCHS as the Tigerettes’ hoops duo of Dionna Crutcher and Karlye Wiser signed Letters of Intent to play basketball for the Lady Chargers next season.

“I’m very happy with these two, Karlye and Dionna are going to be reunited with Hannah Davis who we signed last year as well, so we have a good nucleus with those three and we think they will be sixty percent of the scoring,” Burton said. “We know what we are going to get here at Marshall County because coach Steely is one of the great coaches in the Middle-Tennessee area.”

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Tigerettes’ hoops duo sign with Columbia State Community College

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Columbia State Community College head basketball coach Gwen Burton was all smiles last Friday morning at MCHS as the Tigerettes’ hoops duo of Dionna Crutcher and Karlye Wiser signed Letters of Intent to play basketball for the Lady Chargers next season.

“I’m very happy with these two, Karlye and Dionna are going to be reunited with Hannah Davis who we signed last year as well, so we have a good nucleus with those three and we think they will be sixty percent of the scoring,” Burton said. “We know what we are going to get here at Marshall County because coach Steely is one of the great coaches in the Middle-Tennessee area.”

“We stress fundamentals and defensively and offensively we know these girls are battle tested and ready to play college basketball.”

Crutcher and Wiser were integral members of a solid four-year Tigerette run that posted a 73-42 overall record with two district tournament title game appearances, three region tournament semifinal games, two region title games (one title), three state sectional games (one win), and one state tournament appearance in the 2018-2019 season.

The four-time state champion Tigerettes won the first game 34-31 over DeKalb County before losing 46-37 to eventual state runner-up Westview.

“These two girls have been a big part of this program all four years and they are the kind of kids that make or break your program because they commit to you since they walked in the school,” MCHS coach David Steely said. “They are winners, they have been to three sub-states, been to a state semifinal appearance, have won a bunch of ballgames here, and are both three-year starters, so they are a huge part of the success we have had the last four years and we have had quite a bit of it.”

Crutcher played all five positions at one time or another for the Tigerettes, posting up for low post scores, raining down long 3-pointers, taking the rock to the rack for a baskets, hauling down rebounds, and dishing off pretty dimes to her teammates.

“I’m excited for the challenge of playing up there,” Crutcher said. “It’s always as hard as you work is how it will pay off in the end.”

Crutcher is planning on studying education at Columbia State and said about her time as being a Tigerette, “It was exciting for me, especially our sophomore year when we went to state, that was the highlight of my career, but all my years have been fun bonding with the basketball team.”

Wiser could do many things as well, but her specialty was the 3-pointer as she continued the long line of Tigerette sharpshooters over the decades.

“I’m excited, honestly I had no idea I was actually going to be playing college ball,” Wiser said. “A lot of time in the gym, a lot of extra hard work before practice, after practice, coming in at 7 a.m. on a school today before a game, it was lot and with hard work you get what you want.”

Wiser, who sports a hefty 3.86 GPA and wants to get in to the Columbia State Nursing Program said about being a Tigerette, “I loved playing here, it was a life changing experience, coach Steely has a tradition and being part of that tradition is a blessing, so I will never forget the four years I got to play here and I’m very thankful I got to do that.”

The rich Tigerette basketball tradition spans several decades with a 26-18 state tournament record and 22 state tournament appearances with the earliest coming in 1925.

“The tradition of Tigerette basketball goes back a long way, since I was little bitty and it is something I have definitely grown up trying to live up to as the coach,” Steely said. “It is something we talk about as a team all the time, living up to the standards set by the coaches and players in front of us.”

“That means a lot to these young ladies, it means a lot to me, and I think that is one of the reasons the program has success is it’s almost expected, but we do expect it and we expect to win a lot.”

Marshall County also has one runner-up finish in 2007 to go along with the four state titles and has consecutive state tournament appearances in 1966-68, 1971-74, 1976-1980, 1990-91, and 2007-2008.

There are dreams to follow that do come true.

Wiser said it well, “Just follow your dreams, if you want it you can go get it, you can make anything happen, it just takes hard work, and if you really want it, you can do anything.”