Orrville honors state champs with parade
Published 10:14 pm Saturday, March 14, 2015
The Keith High School Lady Bears basketball team celebrates their 1A state championship victory during a parade in Orrville Saturday. The Lady Bears won the championship on Feb. 27, when they defeated Spring Garden 38-25.
By Blake Deshazo | The Selma Times-Journal
It has been a couple of weeks since the Keith Lady Bears defeated Spring Garden 38-25 in Birmingham to bring home the 1A state championship, but the celebration continued Saturday, as the town of Orrville held a parade in the team’s honor.
Hundreds of people lined Main Street Saturday morning dressed in Keith blue and yellow, as the parade made its way from the Orrville Community Center.
“It means a lot to have the town show up to support them. One thing about this town is they have always supported this team,” said Natasha Holmes, mother of Takeia and Jakayla Pettway, players for the Lady Bears. “Whenever they go anywhere whether it is as close as Selma or as far away as Birmingham, they are here. They make a way to get there, and that makes a difference.”
Holmes couldn’t be more proud of her daughters and their teammates for finishing what they started.
“This is our third or fourth time trying to get [a title], so it really means a lot for them this year,” Holmes said with a proud smile across her face. “They really wanted it this year, and it showed. They played like they wanted it.”
Keith High School alumni showed up to support the team and thank them for bringing home the title.
“I am a graduate of Keith High School, and I am just so proud of the girls that they have made it this far,” Rosie Williams said.
Fans young and old lined the street to cheer on their champions.
“It is amazing to help celebrate your team and support them in what they did,” said Kaliyah Williams, a seventh grader at Keith Middle. “I am happy to see them bring the championship back to the school.”
As the parade of cars, trucks, motorcycles and even horses made its way to the high school, the team was welcomed with a cookout to help them continue their celebration.
“There are a lot of Bears out here that have come out to see them, so this is a very special day for Orrville and the Keith High School basketball teams,” said Eloise Jones, a 1971 graduate of Keith High School. “This team means everything to Orrville.”
