Ringgold head coach Katie Burrows said the experience was another step in the right direction for her basketball program.
Burrows said this was the first appearance in the state playoffs for the Ringgold girls since 1986, according to school administrators.
The excitable coach said she believed her team is finally "over the hump" just three years after a three-win season.
"I feel like we're going to be able to compete now," Burrows said. "I'm very pleased we were able to peak when we did.”
The Gainesville Lady Red Elephants got after it quick and hard by jumping to a 33-11 lead in the first half and never looking back.
Meagan Crawford was the leading scorer for Ringgold with six points.
LFO, which finished as the No. 1 seed in the region in the Class AAA state tournament, defeated rival Ringgold on Monday, Feb. 23 to advance to the tournament championships.
The Tigers lost four times to LFO during the 2009-2010 and placed fourth in the region tournament after falling to Carrollton, 52-39.
In the third-place game, Carrollton used a 20-10 fourth-quarter run to pin the loss on Ringgold, 52-39.
The Blue-and-White played well early and ended the first quarter deadlocked at 15-15 with Carrollton.
The Trojans outscored Ringgold 16-8 in the second quarter to take a, 30-22, advantage into the half.
The Tigers fought back to cut the Carrollton lead to six points in the third quarter.
Burrows said she was pleased with the way her team played against "a very athletic" group.
“We played our game and we stuck to our game plan," she said. "In the end, they just put a few more buckets in the basket than we did.”
Danielle Sisk led Ringgold with 10 points.
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