The Springville Tigers won their third consecutive county championship last weekend, while Ragland’s Lady Purple Devils claimed their first in recent memory.

“I don’t really know how long it’s been,” Ragland Coach Rush Rutledge said.  “I know it’s the first time we’ve won it in the last 10 years, and I’ve heard it’s been as long as 1989 or the early ‘90s.”

The Lady Devils overcame a nine-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter of the championship game to upset defending county champion Ashville in overtime, 55-50.

It was Class 1A Ragland’s second win against the Class 3A Lady Bulldogs this season.

“I didn’t think they would blow us out,” Rutledge said.  “We have a friendly rivalry with Ashville, and our girls hate to get beat by them. When we went down by 9, they did exactly what they should have done. They kept fighting and pushing.”

Paige Gann, Ragland’s only senior, was named tournament MVP.  She scored a total of 23 points in two games, including the field goal that sent the champsionship game into overtime.

Madison Oliver led the Lady Devils’ scoring in the final with 18 points.

Springville improved to 15-10 when the Tigers edged past Moody, 58-54, in the boys’ final. That the win was the team’s third in as many years “says a lot about the kids who’ve played,” said coach Jeff Smith.

“This is a big win for us.  Moody has so many kids who can shoot it, drive it, and pull up and shoot threes. They’re hard to match up against.”

Smith has praise for MVP Danny Moore, crediting him with “excellent ball handling and scoring” during the tournament.

The coach added that he and the team have dedicated their county championship to the memories of Angela Bender, player Frankie Bender’s mother, and Fred Lesley, Smith’s father-in-law, both of whom died in January.

Ragland’s boys’ and Ashville’s girls’ teams won this year’s JV tournaments.