SPORTS
Looking back: 1944 Nocona boy’s basketball state title
During the next few weeks The Bowie News will be looking back at sports teams that accomplished big things for their communities.
The next team we are looking at is Nocona High School’s 1943-44 boy’s basketball team that would win the program’s and county’s first state title.
The text is from a March 1944 edition of The Nocona News.
If you have any memories of this team or time in Nocona’s history, we would love to hear from you.
The Nocona Indians completed their basketball season in a blaze of glory, by winning the Class A State Championship for the first time in the history of the school.
In three hard games, the Indians won the title and surprised everyone except the Indians themselves. Neither of the three champions–Sunset, Class AA, Nocona, Class A or Prairie Lea, Class B–were picked as championship teams before the tournament. The first game was a thriller between Nocona and Huntsville. Huntsville took an early but slight lead, and the Indians came back with the able assistance of Teague and Eastup, to catch the Hunsville five and beat them, 28-23.
The following morning, the Indians met the Dimmitt five who had previously beaten Beavides, 38-23. After a slow first half, which left the Indians with a two-point lead, the Redskins, or rather Milas Downey, pulled away from Dimmitt and beat them, 43-23. This set a temporary record for the tournament that was later beaten by Goose Creek. Milas, however, set a tournament record and a probable all-time record by making 25 points in the Dimmitt game.
The championship game with Mount Vernon was a thriller that few Nocona people will forget.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
The Nocona Lady Indians beat Saint Jo at home on Saturday morning.
The Lady Indians won 16-1 after four innings due to run-rule against the smaller school.
Nocona was coming off a competitive loss at Collinsville earlier in the week while the Lady Panthers were hoping to compete after a busy week of their athletes doing everything else besides just softball.
The Lady Indians easily won the first matchup between the teams in March, 19-2 and it was more of the same on Saturday.
Saint Jo struck first to start the game off well. Jordyn O’Neal hit a one out single. Krista Reeves followed with a walk after O’Neal had stolen second base and had advanced to third thanks to an error trying to throw her out. A wild pitch then allowed her to score to put the Lady Panthers up 1-0.
The lead did not last long. Nocona’s first two batters drew walks which set up Abby Hill to drive them both in with a single to right field.
Despite giving up a single and a walk later in the inning, Saint Jo’s defense did not allow another run. A line out and groundout to the shortstop while picking off a runner attempting to steal got the Lady Panthers out of the inning unscarred.
The Lady Indians led 2-1.
That was about as competitive as it got. In the second inning, Nocona’s bats got going. Two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases up with no outs.
Reagan Phipps drew a walk that drove in a run. Hill hit another two RBI single. Skye Kirby followed with a two RBI double.
After the first out, Allie Sutton drove in one run with a single. There was a fly out for out two, before a runner came in to score after a passed ball. Finally, an error allowed two more runs to score on the base paths.
Nocona had scored nine runs and led 11-1 to break the game open heading into the third inning.
Taylor Patrick hit a double, with O’Neal and Reeves following with singles. Unfortunately for Saint Jo, Patrick was thrown out before the hits attempting to steal a base so the Lady Panthers scored no runs from this.
The Lady Indians kept pouring on the runs. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases up with no outs. Tinley Cable then hit an RBI single. Shelby Swell was hit by a pitch that drove in another run.
After two strikeouts, Evelyn Marquez drove in two more runs on a double to put Nocona up 15-1, coming up one run short of ending the game early.
The Lady Indians scored that one run in the fourth inning. After Phipps drew a leadoff walk, Hill hit a triple that drove her in to end the game.
Nocona won 16-1.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
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