Community's Cody Pierce attempts a reverse layup while Middle Tennessee Chistian's Jonathon Sims and teammates Josh Hull and Chrisitan Edmondson (00) look on. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

MURFREESBORO -- For any young team to get to where they want to be, they must pay attention to every step on the ladder to reaching their desired height.

Community put one foot over another on Friday night as they took down Middle Tennessee Christian 56-54 in a back-and-forth contest.

"That was one of our goals to beat somebody in our district that we didn't beat last year," Viking coach Mike Edmondson said. "That was a major stepping stone to beat somebody we haven't beaten the last two seasons."

The District 9-A win didn't come easy. The battle contained ten lead changes and three ties.

Community (12-11, 3-7) snagged the advantage for good after guard Cody Pierce sank three straight free throws to put his team ahead 49-48 with 3:15 to play.

The Cougars (9-15, 3-7) didn't go quietly. Their deficit twice reached two possessions in the final minute, with the latest coming after two more free throws via Pierce with 18.7 seconds showing.

After a questioned jump ball gave the ball back to Middle Tennessee Christian with four ticks to go, David Beckham sank a clutch trey that pulled his team back to within a point.

The hosts got the miss they needed on the other end but were unable to get off a respectable shot as the final horn sounded.

"Those young kids have come through and played a lot this year," said Edmondson of his seniorless squad. "They're playing better and have matured. They're ready to play."

The Vikes split the scoring duties amongst the offense. Dustin White made three 3-pointers and led with 16 points. Justin Stallings netted 11-of-14 points in the first two quarters before halftime adjustments by MTC brought extra defenders his way.

"We told Justin where (the defenders) were coming from," Edmondson said. "They were doubling with two people so he had two options. He went out to his options and we were able to get more shots. That was key."

Pierce finished with 10 points, with five coming off his perfect performance at the charity stripe.

Beckham went for 21 points and Jake Siler added 10 but few shots came without a Viking hand close by.

"Our goal was to try to make them earn their shots more this time and slow it down a little bit," Edmondson said. "We did a good job in the zone for the most part. We put in a new zone this week."

A Christian Edmondson 3-pointer gave the Vikes their second lead of the game late in the first quarter.

The Cougars were ahead 28-25 at the half and looked to be on their way to entering the fourth frame with the upper hand when White nonchalantly drained a 3 just three seconds before the horn.

Van Buren County visits Community on Tuesday night.

"They're a great shooting team, they're big...they're just good," Edmondson said.