Adrian Hill sat in his room at Grace Care Center in Nocona on Wednesday morning and recalled memories from the Indians’ 1944 state championship team.
Reportedly, along with Hill, there are three members of that title team still surviving to this day.
One of those men is James Eastup, who nailed the game-winning shot.
When Hill saw the ball in the air he said, “I thought we were going to lose.” Then Eastup’s shot drained through the hoop, and Nocona defeated Mt. Vernon 33-32 in overtime.
Even 70 years later, Hill said he couldn’t believe what he saw. He said people in Nocona even turned off their radios before Eastup’s shot, thinking the Indians had lost.
But, that certainly wasn’t the case. Last year, Hill and Eastup caught up on old times at Yesteryear, an assisted living facility in Nocona. Eastup lives these days in Odessa.
Bill Teague, another member from the squad, lives in Abilene.
Pam Walker, Bowie, and Paula Tompkins of Spanish Fort were also present for the interview. The women reported Teague has suffered strokes, and that took away Bill’s ability to speak. Read more from sports editor Eric Viccaro’s column in the weekend edition of The Bowie News.

Nocona resident Adrian Hill, one of three surviving members of the Indians Conference A state boys basketball championship team. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)