Keith High School won its third girls’ basketball championship Friday morning in Birmingham with a win over Spring Garden.

The Bears led from start to finish in a dominant performance that reinforced the strength of basketball in Dallas County.

There’s probably not another similarly sized county in the state that can match the basketball pedigree of Dallas County. The numbers speak for themselves.

Since 2011, teams from the Dallas County School System have made six appearances in Birmingham for the state semifinals or state championship. Only three high schools — Keith, Southside and Dallas County — make up that system.

Of course, discounting Selma High would be an injustice.

No school in the state has made more appearances in the AHSAA state tournament than the Saints, who have appeared 37 times. Plus, there are only a handful of coaches in state history with more state championship rings than Woodie Jackson.

The point is this: Whether it’s boys basketball or girls basketball, or even a pickup game at the YMCA of Selma-Dallas County, we’re betting you’d be hard pressed to find better talent elsewhere.

The coaches and student athletes from this county continue to prove again and again that they can and will beat the state’s best. The rest of the state may not have taken notice to the type of basketball being played in Dallas County and neighboring counties, but most of the teams here consistently win.  A lot.

Congratulations to the Keith Bears — the 1A state champions.

Here’s guessing it won’t be long before another team from our county wins a basketball championship.