Friday and Saturday at Cane Creek, Piedmont ran away with the Calhoun County girls' golf championship, defeating runner-up Alexandria 493 to 530.

Bulldogs coach Harley Lamey said one of the keys to the victory was the maturity his golfers showed in response to a bad shot or a difficult lie.

"This year, they're just cool, calm and collected," Lamey said. "They're just having fun. They've got a little bit of confidence to them."

Junior Erin Gunnels led the Bulldogs with a round of 77 Friday and a 78 Saturday. Gunnels' two-day total put her 11 over par for the tournament.

She was the overall individual champion. Piedmont's Paige Webb, also a junior, was third overall at 167 and senior Katie Ledbetter finished fifth at 171.

After the awards ceremony, Lamey's golfers held a ceremony of their own, dousing him with a bucket of ice water.

The county title was the second in a row for Piedmont. Gunnels also repeated as individual champion. Her 155 total was a seven-stroke improvement over the 162 she recorded in last year's county tournament. Webb also improved her two-round total by seven shots. She had a 174 last year. Ledbetter made the biggest improvement, lowering her score from 189 to 171.

In the tournament's format, four golfers play and the three best scores are counted. Lamey said Piedmont's fourth player, Caleigh Amberson, also showed improvement with a score below her average.

The Bulldogs continued their strong season Monday when they defeated Glencoe 142-156 at Briarmeade in Etowah County. Ledbetter and Gunnels each shot 46, the best scores of the day.

Friday, as the boys play in the Calhoun County boys' tournament, the Piedmont girls travel to Scottsboro for the Scottsboro Invitational. The tournament will be played at Goosepond Colony Golf Course, the site of this year's Class 1A-5A Section 4 girls' tournament on April 27.