Marion County girls basketball coach Scott Veal likes it when his team plays early in the day.

“I love it,” he said. “I wish we played every game at 9 a.m. The older I get, the sicker I get before games.”

Veal’s team played the opener of the AHSAA state tournament at 9 a.m. on Monday, pulling away from Keith for a 65-37 victory at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. The win sends the Red Raiders to their fourth straight Class 1A championship game.

“It’s just an honor to be here for the fourth straight year,” Veal said. “That’s never happened in Marion County. The girls have bought into the system. This year, there have been some rough days, some questionable days, but we’ve peaked at the right time.”

Marion County improved to 18-14 overall and will play No. 1 Spring Garden or Elba in the championship at 4 p.m., on Thursday. Veal’s team won the title in 2022 and finished as runner-up in 2021 and 2023.

“I’ll be sick all day,” Veal joked.

Keith finished 18-10.

The Red Raiders held a slim 24-20 lead at halftie Monday before outscoring the Bears 23-8 in the third quarter to take control.

“We started rebounding, making our free throws, making those easy shots, or bunnies as they call them,” Veal said. “Those are crucial on a stage like this. You can’t take those rebounds or those early looks for granted. You have to have them all. At this point, all the teams are pretty good when you are in the final four.”

Jasmine Wilson led four Marion County players in double figures with 16 points. She also had 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

“We fed Jasmine a little more in the second half,” Veal said. “We did some backdoor cuts and hit a few 3s to open things up. We are always trying to find Jasmine first and let things open up from there.”

Marion County held Keith to 12-of-38 from the field. The Bears made just 2-of-13 free throws. The Red Raiders also forced 21 turnovers.

“Honestly, we were thankful for the opportunity to be here,” Keith coach Cecil Williams said. “I know you see a lot of tears from our girls right now, but with me it’s more of excitement. I’m coaching girls that had never won a playoff game so for them to make it to the state semifinals … I’m so proud.”

Star of the game: Wilson was 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

Stat sheet: Marion County – Alecia Donaldson had 14 points and 10 steals. Bekah Junkin contributed 11 points, 4 steals, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Jolie Kate Cox had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Lily Robinson scored 8. Keith – Adasia Atkins and Shania Moore each finished with 8 points. Ja’Kayla Moore had 7 points.

By the numbers: Marion County was 26-of-59 from the field (44 percent), 7-of-26 from the 3-point line (26.9 percent) and 6-of-8 from the foul line. Keith was 6-of-16 from the 3-point line. Marion County had a 24-9 edge in points off turnovers.

Coachspeak: “It definitely helps the nerves to know what to expect.” – Veal on playing in the title game for the fourth straight year.

They said it:

“We knew it was on the line. It’s now or never. That mentality hit us after halftime.” – Jasmine Wilson on Marion County’s big third quarter

“The first half we were really nervous. The second half, we opened up a little bit. Everyone started hitting shots, getting steals.” – Richardson

“We only have one senior (Richardson). The majority of our players are in 9-11 grades. The foundation is pretty solid. We have a good middle school group coming up and the majority of the teams we played to get here had a lot of seniors, so I have no doubt we’ll be back. The girls are motivated already.” – Williams

“We worked hard, put in extra work. We came together as a team and bonded. We went through everything together, and it showed.” – Moore

Next up: Marion County will play Spring Garden or Elba in the state title game Thursday at 4 p.m.