With another year of the Central Regional Tournament in Montgomery wrapped up for area teams, Dallas County schools continued to make their presence felt in the state capital.

Local squads continued to make strides and grow on the court against tough odds.

As is always the case with sports, there were highs and there were lows, with some teams finishing off their opponents early, such as the Keith High boys in their blowout win to open the tournament.

While other teams saw their title hopes slip away at the last possible second, such as Dallas County’s defeat by a buzzer-beating shot against Dora.

But just as teams can see their title hopes evaporate and their season end in an instant, a team can also see its season saved at the last moment.

After a wild week of games in Montgomery that often mirrored March Madness, one local team fit that very category.

As Stephanie Carson’s mid-range shot went in as time expired in the Keith Lady Bears’ 45-44 comeback win over Loachapoka, she assured that her team would continue to chase its goal of being state champions.

The one characteristic that stood out, that defined the Lady Bears in a game where they hadn’t led since the first quarter and had trailed by as much as 13 points, was that they persevered throughout.

There were many opportunities for the Lady Bears to just give up, but there was no quit in them.

When Keith entered the fourth quarter trailing 35-24, you could tell their demeanor had changed. You could tell they were playing with their season on the line, at which point their comeback win didn’t just seem probable, it seemed inevitable.

The Lady Bears are a team with only one senior in starter Lyteisha Phillips, and are littered with talent such as freshman Harriet Winchester, who was named tournament MVP, and freshman Zykia Pettway, who was named to the all-tournament team.

But for all of their youth and talent, the one thing that will ensure the Lady Bears will continue to be successful, the one trait that will likely help them make many return trips to Birmingham to play for state championships for years to come, is their perseverance.