The Ringgold High School girls’ basketball team used an old-fashioned defense-first game plan to earn a tasty nonregion win Saturday afternoon at Northwest Whitfield, 39-28.
The Lady Tigers (4-1) used stingy defense to make an early 11-point lead easily stand up in a battle of programs that annually contend for postseason honors in Georgia. Ringgold, which has made the playoffs in all but one of Margaret Stockburger’s seven seasons as head coach, held a 15-4 lead after one period as Caroline Hemphill scored all six of her points and Riley Nayadley had five of her game-high 11.
Nayadley, who recently joined Hemphill as Class AAA softball all-state performers, scored six points in the final quarter and finished with six rebounds, while Maggie Reed added 10 points and Rachel Lopez five assists to go with six points.
Emma Allen led Northwest (1-3) with 10 points.
Stockburger won 326 games at Northwest Whitfield before retiring from Whitfield County in 2011, having guided the Lady Bruins to nine state playoff berths. This is the second win for Ringgold over Northwest this season; the Lady Tigers won 43-32 late last month in the season opener.