The Panhandle Powerhouse
The Nazareth Swiftettes won their 25th UIL State Title in less than 50 years on March 4, 2023. The Swiftettes have made the state semifinals 31 times. The tiny powerhouse of Nazareth ISD has a total enrollment (K-12) of 250…
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Continue ReadingThe Nazareth Swiftettes won their 25th UIL State Title in less than 50 years on March 4, 2023. The Swiftettes have made the state semifinals 31 times. The tiny powerhouse of Nazareth ISD has a total enrollment (K-12) of 250 students. That’s roughly 20 students in each classification.
In the 2023 season, Nazareth was ranked in the top 10 for the majority of the year but was not #1 going into the playoffs. Stepping on the floor against Nazareth is intimidating for every team, no matter the ranking. This is because of the rich history that the ladies before have paved. During warmups, the Swiftettes wear a shooting shirt that has a star on the back for every state title the school has won. This is intimidating for every opponent.
Going into the state tournament, Nazareth was not a favorite to come home victorious, but as they usually do, they proved themselves to be relentless and fought their way back from a 10-0 deficit against #1 Huckabay in the state title game. The final score was 30-20 as Nazareth finishes the game on a 30-10 run to win their 25th State Championship.
Notable performers:
Nazareth
Presley Wheeler (5’6 G 2024) was named the 1A state title game MVP. She finished with 9 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and had the momentum-swinging 3-pointer to tie the game in the third quarter. She will be a player to watch this summer.
Brooklyn Dyer (5’7 G 2024) finished with a game high of 10 points. Dyer was given a big task when the starting point guard tore her ACL. She stepped into the point guard spot for Nazareth and made a huge impact at the end of the year.
Brooklyn Birkenfield (5’11 F 2025) always makes an impact on the game. She does not start for Nazareth, but she is a force when she is subbed in. I believe that Nazareth gets better when she goes in, which is very unusual for a reserve. She and her teammate, Wheeler, will play for Hoop 10 (Amarillo, Tx) this summer. They will definitely be players to watch.
Huckabay
Rion Baccus (5’10 SG 2023) finished the game with a Huckabay high of 7 points. Not bad for as low of a scoring game as it was. The SOSU commit will be an asset in college.
Gracie McDowell (5’8 2023) finished with 6 points. She came out on fire as she led her team in the first quarter to a 10-0 run.