This is getting to be a habit for Gardendale High’s girls tennis team.

The Rockets captured their sixth straight Jefferson County Schools Girls Tennis Championship title Friday on their home courts at Moncrief Park. And unlike previous years, this title came from the bottom up —instead of being led by a strong player in the No. 1 flights of singles and doubles, it was the lower parts of the order that came through.

But the Rockets had to battle to the very last game to keep their streak intact. The last match to finish that day was the No. 2 doubles tilt with Shades Valley, who was close behind in the team standings.

Gardendale’s Maria Smith and Katie Huett were down 8-7 off serve (matches were played in a single “pro set,” first to eight games wins), but came back to break the Indians’ serve. The match went to a 12-point tiebreaker, which Smith and Huett won 7-1.

A loss would have handed Shades Valley the title by a single point.

Ema Hill at No. 4 singles, Isabel Riggs and No. 5 and Sarah James at No. 6 all won their flights for the Rockets. Riggs and James also teamed up to win the No. 3 doubles flight.

The biggest surprise of the day, however, came from Fultondale’s Kelsey Rembert, playing in the No. 1 singles flight. Seeded in the bottom six players of the bracket, she breezed through with relative ease, winning her final 8-3.

Now Rembert’s glad that her mother made her stay with tennis.

“I wanted to try it out when I was younger, and my mom said I could but that I would have to stay with it,” Rembert said. “Now I’m glad.”

Rembert is the first Wildcat tennis player ever to win the top singles flight at the county tournament.