Tournament MVP Kaylee Maddox throws her hands in the air shortly following a point near the end of the Raiders’ final triumph.

GOOD HOPE — There was an awful lot of drama Thursday at the Cullman County Volleyball Tournament.

Just none involving the home team.

Good Hope received massive contributions from Kaylee Maddox and the rest of its senior quartet, and the Raiders cruised past West Point not once, but twice to secure their latest county championship.

The Red and White’s 25-8, 25-9 triumph in the title tilt set off the 17th and final county celebration of Rosemary Brown’s storied coaching career. Brown, who notched her 1,000th win last month, will walk away from the bench after 38 seasons when the 2015 campaign wraps up in November.

For a better historical perspective, Brown secured her first county crown in 1982 and has claimed at least three in all four decades since.

Thursday’s championship was the 20th overall for Good Hope.

“It feels good, especially since it’s the last one,” Brown said of No. 17. “It’d been a shame to went out and not won the last one (laughs).”

Maddox did everything in her power to make it happen with a performance well deserving of the MVP honors she took home. The power hitter put her unmatched pop on 22 combined kills between both victories over the Warriors — the first was 25-17, 25-10 — and also corraled a pair of aces and blocks.

Ever since Maddox joined the program as a freshman, Brown has nudged her to step up and be a leader. This year, the coach said Maddox “is just shining in this role.”

It’s made a difference, too. With Maddox at the forefront, the Raiders are 36-4 and up to fourth in AL.com’s latest Class 4A rankings.

“She plays well and she’s just a good kid,” Brown said of her star. “She does everything 100-plus percent. She’s dedicated and gives it all she’s got. She’s going to do a great job at Wallace State.”

As much as Maddox surely can’t wait to join the nearby Lions, she’s not looking forward to saying so long to the only program and coach she’s known for all four years of high school.

“I feel like I’ve been with her forever,” Maddox said of Brown. “She’s just the best coach. I feel like I am who I am because of her. And she’s a good person, not just a good coach.”

All three seniors who’ve played for Brown since the ninth grade — Hannah Smith and Alyssa Harlan round out the trio — graced the All-County Team. The Raiders’ last senior, Angel Baker, was the recipient of the very first Samantha Perdue award.

Perdue was a former Good Hope coach and Cold Springs teacher who passed away shortly after the 2013 county tourney following an 18-month battle with cervical cancer.

“It feels very awesome,” a smiling Smith said amongst the giant Good Hope crowd milling around the court playing paparazzi. “Just being out here and winning Ms. Brown’s last county tournament for her, it’s a good feeling.

“We didn’t play that well on Tuesday, but we came out today and played like we knew how.”

Smith had two kills and gently guided 31 assists on the evening. Though not quite all from Smith, Harlan happily smashed 16 sets for kills to go along with four aces and four blocks. Kate Kent tacked on 15 kills and 10 blocks.

Chrissi Smith contributed five aces, and Jami Stinson added a pair of kills.

Maddox needed just three words to sum up how she was feeling shortly after the Raiders broke down with a team prayer — “really, really good.”

“I just feel like all our hard work is paying off,” she said, “right here at the end of the season when it really counts.”

Despite the loss at the end, West Point had no reason to walk out of the gym with slumped shoulders. The Warriors put a quick scare into Good Hope in Thursday’s opening match and then held off a feisty Cold Springs squad 25-23, 25-22 to earn another shot at the Raiders.

In the end, though, Good Hope was just too … well, good.

Cassie Mariano and Jeri Beasley each unloaded eight kills in the win over the Eagles. Beasley also added an ace, while Bailee Yearwood lifted 10 assists.

Mariano and Beasley represented West Point on the All-County Team.

Immediately following the defeat, Regina Jones reminded her team there were five other squads that would’ve loved to even make the title tilt.

“I’m proud of the girls for fighting and making it back to the championship game,” the coach said. “We ran into Good Hope, who was highly motivated. I know they wanted to win it, and they played unreal. I give Good Hope all the credit. They’ve got a great team.”

Cold Springs didn’t hand over its crown without a fight. The Eagles hogged all the momentum in a 25-19 first set, let it slip for a 25-20 second set in Fairview’s favor and then regained it just in the nick of time to squeak out a 16-14 tiebreaker and advance to the loser’s bracket final.

Kaleigh Merring accumulated a combined 21 kills, five blocks and seven digs, while Regan Garmon put up 33 assists, three aces, a kill and a dig.

Claire Harbison crushed 10 kills in the Fairview match. Emme Willoughby was good for six kills, two blocks and two digs. Against West Point, Braelynn Echelbarger chipped in four kills.

Merring and Willoughby made the All-County Team, as did Fairview’s Carli Ashley and Dalys Mullican, Holly Pond’s Melissa Clingman, Vinemont’s Zoe Thomas and Hanceville’s Erin Wise.

Now that 1,000 career wins and a 17th county championship are out of the way, what’s next for Brown? Perhaps another state appearance?

Not so fast.

“First, we’ve got to get to regionals,” she said. “Each one is a step up. I told them today, ‘OK girls, we got our cake. Now, we’ve got to put the icing on it.’”