Chasing two-time defending state champion Hartselle, Alexandria slipped while the Lady Tigers surged to their third straight title in the Class 1A-5A state golf tournament at the Crossings course at Robert Trent Jones’ Magnolia Grove.
Hartselle improved by one stroke while Alexandria dropped 12, but the Lady Valley Cubs were still able to hold on to the runner-up spot.
Hartselle’s Heather Nail also surged to individuals honors following her first-round 80 with an even-par 72.
After her first-round lead, Williams, a junior, found trouble on the back nine and slipped to fourth overall. The difference was a seven-shot swing coming home from the first-round back nine. After matching her first-round 39 on the front, Williams made five bogeys and a double before finishing on the 344-yard, Par 4 with a birdie, her first of the day.
She finished 11-over-par for the tournament.
Alexandria’s Caitlyn Cooper and Jordan Gregoria finished 29 and 30 over, respectively, after both carded 88s in the second round.
The Lady Cubs’ finish is their best since they won the state title back in 2008 one year before Hartselle’s run, which is now the longest of any team since the state broke girls’ play into two classifications, 6A and 1A-5A.
Piedmont’s Erin Gunnels, playing as an individual, was third after Monday’s round, when she shot a 79. She slipped to fifth in the final standings despite bettering that mark with a 77 to finish 12-over.
Gunnels made a push on the front side to set up her strong day, carding three birdies — one more than her entire first-round total — making the turn at 1-under.
In the boys Class 6A, Oxford’s Adam Sanders made a two-shot improvement over the first round avoiding the double bogeys that plagued him in the first round. The senior shot a 76 to leave him in a tie for 18th.
