Keith, Selma and Meadowview Christian will have teams participating in state championship basketball tournaments Thursday and all three schools are making sure students have a chance to cheer on their classmates.

While Meadowview is playing nearly three hours away in the Oxford Civic Center, Selma and Keith will play only about an hour away at Alabama State University. If everything goes as planned, the Dunn-Oliver Acadome in Montgomery will have the feel of a home gymnasium for the Saints and Bears.

“Hopefully our fans can get there and support Selma and a lot of their fans will probably stay over to do the same,” said Keith boys basketball coach Tommy Tisdale.

Students from Keith Middle/High School and Salem Elementary will be making the trip by bus to cheer on the Bears.

Selma plays John Carroll at noon, followed by the Keith girls taking on Notasulga at 3 p.m. and the Keith boys battling Jefferson Christian at 4:30 p.m.

“Our girls play at 3 o’clock, but we going to try to get to there in time to support Selma High ourselves,” Tisdale said.

Selma High School has rented two charter buses so that students can travel to Alabama State. Woodie Jackson, the school’s assistant principal, said he’s expecting a large group of students to make the trip. He said just being at Alabama State will be a rewarding experience for students.

“It might be their first time to visit a college campus and be in a college arena,” Jackson said. “It’s also a chance to communicate and see students from other parts of the state.”

Meadowview Christian will have vans available so that students can travel to Oxford to watch the Trojans battle Cornerstone Christian at 4 p.m.