Three local teams remained ranked Thursday in the latest basketball poll from the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

Just like it has been all season, the Keith girls’ basketball team remained atop the 1A rankings. The Bears (24-2) are searching for their second consecutive class 1A state championship and remain among the favorites to do so, at least according to the ASWA.

Keith’s only losses this season came to Selma High in each team’s opening game and against Wilcox Central.

Ironically, three of the four teams Keith beat in the playoffs on its way to the state championship last season are right behind the Bears in the poll. Loachapoka (24-3), Decatur Heritage (16-5) and Spring Garden (20-4) were the next three teams in the 1A rankings.

The Keith boys also remained in the same slot they’ve been in for the last several weeks. The Bears are still ranked No. 3, behind only Sacred Heart (20-8) and Georgiana (21-0) in 1A.

The Keith teams only have one more game remaining in the regular season — a Feb. 4 contest against Montgomery Academy in Orrville. After rolling through area play undefeated, both Keith teams will host area 5 tournaments in Orrville in February, but the date of that tournament is yet to be announced.

The only other team ranked from the Dallas County area is the Selma girls. The Saints (21-4) lost on Tuesday night to Demopolis, who is ranked No. 8 in class 5A. It was Selma’s second loss in three games, although it didn’t hurt the Saints in the rankings. They stayed in the same spot they were in last week.

Homewood (18-6), which beat Selma in the Central Regional Final last season, remained at No. 1 in 6A.

Selma has three games remaining in the regular season. The Saints play at Wilcox Central Friday, host Anniston Saturday and then host Demopolis on Feb. 5.

However, nothing on the court will decide whether or not Selma hosts the class 6A, area 6 tournament. The Saints and Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa both finished area play at 5-1 to tie for the top spot in area 6.

Since the teams split their head to head meetings, a coin flip will be used to find out who wins the area and hosts the area tournament. Selma head coach Anthony Harris said Tuesday night that he thought the coin would be flipped at some point next week.

It’ll be an important flip, as one of Selma’s four losses this year came at Hillcrest.

The top ranked team in the girls rankings are Hazel Green (7A), Homewood (6A), Wenonah (5A), Deshler (4A), Madison Academy (3A), Red Bay (2A), Keith (1A) and Edgewood Academy (AISA).

On the boys side, the No. 1 teams are Central-Phenix City (7A), Carver-Montgomery (6A), J.O. Johnson (5A), Westminster-Huntsville (4A), Westbrook Christian (3A), Lanett (2A), Sacred Heart (1A), and Restoration (AISA).