The reigning Cullman County Basketball Tournament varsity champions will have the chance to defend their crowns as this year’s top seeds.

Cold Springs’ boys and Holly Pond’s girls were officially dubbed dual No. 1s at a drawing session Wednesday. For the second straight year, seeds were determined by first matchups between each of the seven county schools.

The Eagles and Lady Broncos were 6-0 under that standard but suffered losses in their rematches against Holly Pond’s boys and Cold Springs’ girls — both were slapped with second seeds — adding intrigue to an annual week of basketball goodness that rarely disappoints.

The tourney will once again be hosted at Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum. It’ll start Jan. 24 and wrap up Jan. 31. Admission is $5.

Cold Springs coach Tim Willoughby certainly wasn’t disappointed to see his squad snag the top spot on the boys side. However, he didn’t exactly hang his hat on the accomplishment, either.

“It’s great, but it just goes by virtue of that first game,” Willoughby said. “We happened to play Holly Pond at home and happened to win by one.”

Holly Pond and Cold Springs are the favorites to own all four spots in the varsity championships for a second straight season, though West Point’s boys and a smattering of rising girls programs (Fairview, Good Hope, West Point and Hanceville) will surely have a say.

The Lady Broncos secured back-to-back titles with a 45-25 rout of Cold Springs last January. The Eagles clinched their first championship since 2008 with an epic 66-63 comeback against Holly Pond.

Both will kick off this year’s tourney with first-round byes.

“You do have to defend, but the thing is it’s a new season, new players, new challenges,” said Willoughby, whose team will host Tanner Friday in a quick rematch of Class 2A contenders. “It’s so far into the future I really hadn’t thought too much about it.”

Holly Pond has climbed to the top of the state’s 3A rankings but just missed out on a third consecutive top seed for the county tournament. The latter fact doesn’t have coach Mitch Morris bummed in the slightest considering the Broncos’ recent fate. The program hasn’t lifted the first-place trophy since 2002.

“Being No. 1 hasn’t really been favorable for us,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve still made it to the finals. We still can’t win it.”

If Holly Pond is fortunate enough to reach the championship again, Morris has a good idea who his players would prefer to face. Spoiler alert: It’s Cold Springs.

“Not that they’d come out and just say something like that, but they’ve mentioned a few things. They know,” he said. “They’d like to play them one more time. Maybe we can keep up our end of it, they will too and we’ll see how it goes.”

The only other business that needed sorting out at Wednesday’s drawing session was a tie for the boys fourth seed between Vinemont, Fairview and Hanceville. After a few coin flips, the Eagles grabbed the position, settling the remaining boys seeds as follows: West Point (3), Vinemont (4), Fairview (5), Hanceville (6) and Good Hope (7).

Vinemont and Fairview will open varsity boys action Jan. 26. West Point and Hanceville will take the floor Jan. 27, and Holly Pond and Good Hope will duke it out Jan. 28. All three games will be at 7:30 p.m. The final will be Jan. 31 at 7 p.m.

For the second straight year, Scott Adams’ Lady Broncos notched the top spot in the girls’ bracket after sporting a stellar 6-0 record in first meetings against county squads.

Holly Pond will seek its third consecutive title when girls play gets going Jan. 26.

“The most amazing thing is how fast this comes around,” Adams said. “The season ends, it’s summer and then it’s basketball again. You know, we’re back here at the county tournament. It’s exciting for everyone. We just hope to be playing well in the moment.”

It marks the third time in a row the Green and White have tallied a bye in the first round — despite the seeding changes beginning last season — but Adams said it doesn’t really matter one way or another.

“Whatever you are, you are,” he said. “You just go for it.”

Cold Springs will spearhead the rest of the county schools as the No. 2 squad. The rest of the seeds are as follows: Fairview (3), Good Hope (4), West Point (5), Hanceville (6) and Vinemont (7).

The Blue and Gold made it to the championship last season but haven’t won a county crown since 2010 — their last of four consecutive prior.

Coach Tammy West is “ready to go.”

“We’d like to make it back, but it’s going to be tough,” she said. “There are a lot of strong teams in the county this year. We’re ready. We’ve been one, we’ve been two. It all works out in the end, however it falls.”

Cold Springs will take on Vinemont Jan. 26. Other opening-round matchups (all are scheduled for 6:15 p.m.) are Fairview against Hanceville (Jan. 27) and Good Hope versus West Point (Jan. 28). The final will be Jan. 31 at 5:30 p.m.

See seeding and first-round matchups for the other divisions below:

Junior Varsity Boys

% Seeds: 1) Holly Pond 2) West Point 3) Cold Springs 4) Hanceville 5) Good Hope 6) Fairview 7) Vinemont

% Matchups: Hanceville vs. Good Hope, Jan. 24 at 2:15 p.m.; Cold Springs vs. Fairview, Jan. 24 at 4:45 p.m.; West Point vs. Vinemont, Jan. 24 at 7:15 p.m.; Bye: Holly Pond

% Final: Jan. 31 at 4 p.m.

% Defending champ: Holly Pond

Junior Varsity Girls

% Seeds: 1) Fairview 2) West Point 3) Cold Springs 4) Holly Pond 5) Good Hope 6) Vinemont

% Matchups: Holly Pond vs. Good Hope, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m.; Cold Springs vs. Vinemont, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m.; Byes: Fairview, West Point

% Final: Jan. 31 at 2:30 p.m.

% Defending champ: Holly Pond

Ninth-grade boys

% Seeds: 1) Holly Pond 2) West Point 3) Good Hope 4) Fairview 5) Hanceville

% Matchups: Fairview vs. Hanceville, Jan. 24 at 3:30 p.m.; Byes: Holly Pond, West Point, Good Hope

% Final: Jan. 31 at 1 p.m.

% Defending champ: West Point (3x)