Good Hope's Tanner Malin.

HANCEVILLE — Good Hope’s varsity boys walked out of Tom Drake Coliseum a year ago with a vow to return to the top.

Mission accomplished.

Kmal Bell registered 16 points, Tyler Cone and Tanner Malin notched 13 apiece, and the Raiders held off Cold Springs for a 65-53 triumph in the title game of the Cullman County Basketball Tournament on Saturday night, netting their third county championship in the past four seasons and improving to 18-9 following their ninth straight win.

“Our entire series with Cold Springs has been déjà vu the past two seasons,” Good Hope coach Drew Adams said. “We had three wild games with them last season. And in three games this season, we’ve trailed but pulled out close wins. It’s two completely contrasting styles, but it’s always tight heading into fourth quarter. I’ve just got a tremendous amount of respect for (Cold Springs) coach (Tim) Willoughby. People say he’s one of the best coaches around here, but he’s one of the best coaches in the state.

“We’re thankful and blessed to have pulled this one out, because they’ve got a good basketball team.”

The squads went into intermission tied at 25, and the crowd remained on pins and needles throughout the second half.

Good Hope surged ahead 38-29 midway through the third quarter before Cold Springs answered with a 9-0 run to tie things up. The Raiders, however, closed the period with a 5-0 spurt — a Noah Barnette layup followed by a Tucker Malin 3-pointer — to head into the final frame leading 43-38.

“It was hectic, and my adrenaline was flowing,” Barnette said of the back-and-forth sequence. “Luckily, we have three amazing coaches and a great student section. That helps a lot.”

The Eagles, though, didn’t go away quietly, trimming their deficit to two (48-46) early in the fourth.

Bell made sure the defending champions didn’t get any closer.

The sophomore standout scored his team’s next nine points to help the Raiders extend their lead back out to seven (57-50). From there, Good Hope got a few stops and sank a few free throws — both Cone and Tanner Malin made four each late — to pull away.

“We were here last year and fell short,” Bell said. “We didn’t want to have that feeling again. They beat us three times last year, so we wanted to beat them three times this year. In the first half, I really didn’t play great. I knew I was going to have to step it up if we were going to win. I’ve worked too hard to be playing bad.”

Although Adams couldn’t help but let negative thoughts pop into his head prior to that decisive stretch, he insisted he had full confidence in his team to make the plays needed.

“As a coach, you’re thinking they (Cold Springs) are going to hit every shot when it gets close,” he said before joining his players in cutting down the nets. “But I had trust in my guys. These past few weeks … we’ve just had guys hit really big shots when it really mattered. I didn’t know how this matchup was going to end up, but I knew someone would make a big shot for us.

“And it really came down to us getting stops on defense. They were matching us until late. Preparation is important in these championship games, but sometimes — and I told the guys this — you’ve got to be a basketball player. And luckily, we made enough basketball plays tonight to win.”

Barnette joined Bell, Cone and Tanner Malin in double figures with 11 points. Colton Lindsey (seven) and Tucker Malin (five) rounded out the offensive contributions for Good Hope.

For Cold Springs, Cody Bales concluded his dazzling tournament performance with 22 points.

John Mark Smith (nine), Brody Peppers (eight), Tanner Kilgo (eight) and Seth Williams (five) also came up with buckets for the Eagles, who fell to 17-8 this season.

Cold Springs also dropped the title of most recent county champion after the valiant effort, but the Raiders couldn’t have been happier to take over the coveted role.

“We lost key players from last year, but we had a lot of young players step up,” Barnette said. “It’s a big win for us, and I’m so proud of all my teammates. It’s such a great feeling right now.”

Added Adams: “I’m just blessed. I don’t take these for granted, because I’ve been on the other end. It’s also special to be able to do this with my dad (assistant coach Scott Adams). Being able to share these titles with him means a lot to me.”

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All-County Team

Parker Martin, Fairview

Landon Tweedie, Fairview

Kobe Payne, Fairview

Kmal Bell, Good Hope

Tanner Malin, Good Hope

Colton Lindsey, Good Hope

Brody Peppers, Cold Springs

Tanner Kilgo, Cold Springs

Zach Campbell, Hanceville

Brayden Harris, Hanceville

Kollin Brown, Holly Pond

Sam Wheeler, West Point

Kolten Perry, West Point

Colby Miller, Vinemont

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All-Tournament Team

Brayden Harris, Hanceville

Tanner Malin, Good Hope

Brody Peppers, Cold Springs

Tanner Kilgo, Cold Springs

Seth Williams, Cold Springs

Cody Bales, Cold Springs

Zach Campbell, Hanceville

Ethan Frasier, Fairview

Colton Lindsey, Good Hope

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Eli Thomas Memorial Scholarship

Cody Bales, Cold Springs

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Joe Shults Award

Tanner Malin, Good Hope