photo by Brent Maze

We are the champions: Members of the Edward Bell basketball team, above, hold up the championship trophy in Birmingham last Thursday. Below: fans fill the BJCC arena to witness the team’s first ever title in any sport.

First-time champions

Edward Bell becomes first county school to win boys hoops state title

By Brent Maze (Contact) | Dadeville Record

Published Wednesday, March 3, 2010

There weren’t too many people at home in Camp Hill Thursday night.

That’s because almost everyone in town with a population of 1,273 made the trek up U.S. 280 to watch their Edward Bell High School Bears defeat J.F. Shields to win its first AHSAA boys basketball state championship.

That same group who rocked the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena Thursday night turned out again at Edward Bell School to welcome them home Friday afternoon.

School Superintendent Philip Baker called Thursday night an excellent night for the third smallest high school in the state.

“It was a great night for Camp Hill, Edward Bell and the boys basketball team,” Baker said. “I think the whole community was there, plus a few more. This means a lot to Camp Hill and Tallapoosa County.”

Baker’s estimation wasn’t too far off.

In fact, Edward Bell fans filled more than four sections of the 17,500-seat arena and got noticed by The Birmingham News for the best crowd of the AHSAA Final 48 so far.

Those fans who made the nearly 100-mile journey up U.S. 280 weren’t disappointed as the Bears earned the dramatic win in overtime.

What was the most impressive thing for Baker was the way the team gelled together.

“It was just impressive to see the chemistry between the players and coach Mitch Joiner this season,” Baker said. “They really came together as a team. They were also so unselfish in the way they played. They were just a fun team to watch.”

This state championship is not only the first for Edward Bell in basketball, but also the first for a basketball team in Tallapoosa County. In addition to that, it is the second state championship for the county after Reeltown won the Class 2A state championship in football.

“It’s been one of the best year’s we’ve had in a long time for Tallapoosa County sports,” Baker said. “To have two schools win state championships in major sports is pretty remarkable for us.”

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