Tears flowed down the cheeks of Zion Chapel head coach Chelsi Jones and every one of her players Saturday night.

But they were not tears of sadness.

Zion Chapel fell to Hale County twice on Saturday to finish the season as the 2A State Runner Up.

Jones said the second-place finish is a big milestone for the Zion Chapel program.

“We would have loved to have won, but we will take that,” Jones said. “Nobody at Zion Chapel has ever done this before, and it is huge for them. We are the No. 2 team in the state. That is awesome.”

Zion knocked of Hatton and Mobile Christian on the first day of the tournament. The Lady Rebels sandwiched a pair of losses to Hale County around another victory over Hatton on Saturday.

The Lady Rebels had never played in a state tournament prior to 2014, and the three Zion Chapel seniors, Shelby Sorrells, Whitney Rugg and Alex Ketcham, leave a legacy behind them.

“It is very nice knowing that me and my other two seniors have built this here at Zion,” Sorrells said. “They girls have some big shoes to fill, but I know they will do it. It will still go.”

Jones echoed the sentiments of her players.

“The younger girls know their time has come,” Jones said. “They have gotten their taste and we just have to get back to work.”