HANCEVILLE, Ala. – We tipped off Championship Saturday the Cullman County Tournament with the JV Girls finals between Good Hope and Cold Springs and the Lady Raiders led on the scoreboard from start to finish, defeating the Lady Eagles 43-32 and capturing the county title. Good Hope led 21-6 at one point and had to withstand a rally from Cold Springs to earn this year’s county championship. Good Hope Head Coach Nina Moss was proud of the way her team fended off the push from the Lady Eagles and credits the extra work she has seen them put in all season.
“I’m just really proud of the girls. They’ve worked really hard, and this has been our goal all season,” Moss said. “They put a lot of extra work in outside of practice time and I think that’s what made the difference.”
Maddie Davis put in a basket in the paint to put Cold Springs on the scoreboard first, but a driving layup by Ella Gossett tied the game up at two. Lexi Marshall drilled a trey from the left wing, and Lucie Adams knocked down a layup to give Good Hope a 7-2 lead with 3:35 remaining in the opening period. Layups by Marshall and Cadence Watson stretched the Lady Raider lead to 11-2. Jordan Sanders banked in a floater to make it a 13-3 lead for Good Hope late in the first quarter, but a trey by Avery Gerstman from the right wing cut it to 13-6. Lucie Adams scored the final four points of the quarter for the Lady Raiders, including a three before the buzzer, to give them a 17-6 lead going into the second period.
Layups by Gossett and Adams pushed Good Hope’s lead to 21-6 early in the second, but four straight points by Baylee Perdue and a jumper off the glass by Kaydance Williams made it a 21-12 game with 3:26 remaining in the first half. A rebound and putback by Marshall gave the Lady Raiders a 23-12 lead, but Perdue drained a long jumper to cut it to 23-14. A rebound and putback by Williams made it a 24-16 game late in the first half. Good Hope would take an eight-point lead into the half.
Both teams traded a few baskets to start the third period, then a layup by Sanders and a floater by Gossett increased the Lady Raider lead to 32-20. A pair of free throws by Macie Huffstutler made it a 33-22 game with a little over two minutes to go in the third quarter. Sanders put in a layup, then later on, Gossett scored through a foul and made the free throw to give the Lady Raiders a 38-24 lead going into the final period.
Huffstutler drained a three to trim the Good Hope lead to 38-27, but a layup on the other end by Gossett made it a 40-27 game. Perdue split her free throws, and Williams made a basket in the paint to cut it to 40-30, but a trey from the left corner by Adams gave the Lady Raiders a 43-30 lead. Good Hope would go on to collect a 43-32 win over Cold Springs to take home the JV Girls county championship.
Gossett led the way for Good Hope with 13 points in the win and Adams finished with 12. Perdue posted 11 points for Cold Springs and Williams added nine points.
JV Girls All-County Tournament Team
Ella Gossett, Good Hope
Jordan Sanders, Good Hope
Lucie Adams, Good Hope
Maci Huffstutler, Cold Springs
Kaydance Williams, Cold Springs
Mary Beth Penn, West Point
Millie McBee, Holly Pond
Blakely Baggett, Holly Pond
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