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.