Ferriday — ShaKeria Kelly is living her dream in 2014.

Kelly graduated from Ferriday High School this spring, and received a $42,000 basketball scholarship to William Penn University.

“It’s everybody’s dream if you really love basketball, then you want to play in college, so it’s been a dream for me,” Kelly said.

Kelly and the Lady Trojans just finished one of their better seasons in the past three years, and head coach Lisa Abron believes Kelly played a big role in their achievements.

“We set a goal to do better than last year, and (Kelly) was a huge part of that success,” Abron said. “We made it into the playoffs and I feel like she led us in that direction.

“For four years she has always been a leader and it’s going to be hard to replace her.”

Kelly’s ball handling and sharp shooting skills didn’t go unnoticed either.

William Penn saw some of her game film an invited her up to Iowa for a visit and to showcase her talent in person.

Soon after, the college offered Kelly the scholarship.

Kelly said she must report to Iowa on August 23, but until then, she’ll be training in preparation for the collegiate level.

“(The coach) sent me a workout so I could get in shape and be ready in a couple of months,” Kelly said.

Abron said Kelly’s stamina is one key flaw she must work on.

“She’s a great shooter and I feel like she can help their team right away, but she will have to work on conditioning because that was the problem with her here,” Abron said. “She never got in shape until midway into the season, and she has to be in shape before she gets there.”

Abron said she would work extensively with Kelly this summer to get her ready to go into college and prove that she belongs there.

Kelly said she would major in pharmacy.

She is the daughter of Keishla Barber and Demarco Kelly.