BIRMINGHAM — Although the clock hadn’t quite yet struck midnight on Good Hope’s storybook ending, that didn’t stop an emotional Ivey Maddox from taking one long look around Legacy Arena and soaking in a blissful moment — one of her last as a Raider — more than four years in the making.

Bailey and Heather Tetro did what all twin sisters would surely do in a similar situation — embrace and tell each other with a smile just how much they love one another.

Raeven Aby, meanwhile, couldn’t help but try and slow the tears escaping from her eyes, a proud coach’s wife who — like many Good Hope fans — had longed for this day to come to fruition.

That prolonged wait is finally over for the Red and White.

Maddox totaled a game-high 20 points, Bailey Tetro added 17 and Good Hope’s varsity girls basketball team punctuated a season to remember on Friday night, beating T.R. Miller 63-35 to win the program’s first-ever state title and accomplish a long-ago set goal in dominant fashion.

“It’s special to go out with a state championship,” Maddox said. “But what really got me was just seeing all the people in our community, our fans, our students, my teammates — this is more than just basketball for me. The bonds we share … we treat each other like family. I’m so grateful to have spent all the time I have with these girls and these coaches.”

For Justin Aby, the breakthrough victory is something he’ll look back on the rest of his life.

“We were finally able to get the job done,” the reserved coach said. “These girls have had this goal in mind since their eighth-grade year — and they did everything to achieve it. It’s a wonderful experience getting to watch them enjoy it. The whole community and Cullman County was behind us. They wanted us to win it just as bad as the girls on the court it seemed. To have that kind of atmosphere … it’s just really awesome for a small school in our county.”

Class 4A No. 1 Good Hope got off to a slow start against T.R. Miller, trailing 15-9 early in the second quarter.

But that unexpected beginning quickly gave way to what the Raiders typically do to overmatched teams — force turnovers and take control.

The Red and While used an 18-4 run to grab an eight-point lead heading into halftime before outscoring the Tigers (26-4) by 15 points in the third period (21-6) to build a comfortable cushion.

“We faced some adversity at the start,” MVP Bailey Tetro said, “but we were able to overcome it.”

They did so by turning 25 T.R. Miller miscues into 31 points and shooting 43 percent from the field.

Ava McSwain joined her teammates in double digits with 12. Charly Johnson (eight), Lucie Adams (three) and Lillie McCluskey (three) rounded out the scoring for the Raiders (33-2). Bailey Tetro, Maddox and McSwain were selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Although Friday’s victory will likely go down as one of the best moments in Raider hoops history, it also marks the end of an era for Good Hope — specifically, Maddox and the Tetros.

The trio has been instrumental in transforming the program over the past five seasons, helping the Red and White to a 134-31 record during their tremendous varsity tenure, including a 94-10 mark since the 2021-22 campaign.

And while crossing the finish line is bittersweet, the way they closed out their careers is far from it. And that’s not even mentioning how special it’ll be to reflect down the road on some of the best days of their lives.

“I wouldn’t want it to end any other way,” Bailey Tetro said. “There were a lot of tears in the locker room, but you eventually go from being sad that it’s over to being happy how it went.”

Added Heather: “I won’t always be at Good Hope and I won’t always play basketball, but I’ll remember these girls and coaches forever.”

So, too, will Maddox, whose journey — like it does for all high school athletes — has come to a close.

The senior could hardly talk about what the win meant to her at the postgame press conference without getting choked up but did go out of her way later to thank all those who believed in her and the rest of team — even when they came up short for three consecutive years before Friday’s triumph.

“The community didn’t give up on us, our teammates didn’t give up on us, our coaches didn’t give up on us and we didn’t give up on each other,” Maddox said of the long and winding road. “Everybody who has supported us and made us into the team we are today … I can’t put it into words. Yes, there are feelings of sadness with all of this ending, but the memories and winning state conquer it all.

“And at the end of the day, it’s about more than basketball for me and these girls.”