The Dwight boys basketball team scored the first nine points of Saturday’s Tri-County Conference game against Marquette at Marseilles Elementary School.

From there, other than one tie midway into the second quarter, the Trojans maintained the lead and held off a handful of Crusaders’ rallies to post a 70-65 victory in each team’s final regular-season contest and the hosts’ senior night.

Dwight improved to 18-12 overall and finished 6-3 in league play. Marquette - which honored seniors Alec Novotney and Matthew Graham before the tipoff - dropped to 22-8 and 7-2.

The game was played in Marseilles due to water damage a few weeks ago, making Marquette’s Bader Gym still unplayable.

“My message to my guys was simply go out and play basketball,” Dwight coach Jeremy Connor said. “I thought we did a great job offensively of moving, driving and sharing the ball. We were able to get off to a really good start and just found ways to keep Marquette from going on any really big runs.

“To be honest, when I’ve gotten too deep into Xs and Os and game plans with this group this season we’ve tended to struggle. Marquette is a very good team with excellent players that hit the boards very hard so really the only big key I had for the guys tonight was that we had to box out.”

Dwight led 12-7 after one period, 32-25 at halftime and 52-43 heading to the fourth.

Marquette twice cut the deficit to two points - on back-to-back hoops by Luke McCullough with six minutes left, and a driving hoop by Novotney with 39 seconds remaining.

Following Novotney’s hoop, the Trojans’ Collin Bachand scored a layup, and Joe Duffy hit five of six free throws to help seal the win.

Duffy finished with a game-high 23 points for Dwight, while collecting five assists and four steals, while Bachard posted 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Evan Cox and Trevor Hensen(eight rebounds) each added 12 points, with Joey Starks chipping in 10 points and six rebounds.

Dwight shot 50% from the field, won the turnover battle 14-11 but lost the rebound margin 49-29.

“I was also happy with the way, when Marquette did put together a couple of baskets in a row, we’d find a way to get a stop or put a couple of baskets in ourselves,” Connor said. “I think we were able to push the lead to maybe 11 in the third, but like good teams do, Marquette closed the gap. Then we made just enough free throws in the final 30 seconds or so to keep the lead.”

Marquette was led by McCullough’s 17-point, 14-rebound double-double. Novotney - who reached 1,500 career points on a basket at the third quarter buzzer, finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Griffin Dobberstein had 12 points on four 3-points to go with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Lucas Craig added nine points and four rebounds, and Blayden Cassel had six points and 11 rebounds.

Marquette sank 38% of their shots for the game.

“Dwight is a very good and they played really well tonight,” Marquette Todd Hopkins said. “We turned the ball over a few too many times, especially early on. Then, really throughout the game, we miss a bunch of shots that we normally make. It was a tough night all around, but now the second season starts, and we’ll be ready to go.”

Both sides start the postseason next week at the Class 1A Serena Regional. Dwight plays DePue on Monday at 6 p.m. in the quarterfinals, while Marquette plays at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the semifinals against either Midland or Serena.