Coach Rick Howard consoles injured Heritage star Carsyn Swaney (11) following the Lady Mountaineers’ 36-29 win over South Gibson in a TSSAA Class 3A state tournament semifinal at the Charles M. Murphy Athletic Center on Friday, March 14, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — Carsyn Swaney, the Heritage High senior star and Miss Basketball finalist, sat on a trainer’s table Friday afternoon in a corner of MTSU’s Murphy Center, peeking over her right shoulder often to see if her teammates were closing out the Class 3A state semifinal well in her absence.
The 5-foot-11 guard and MTSU signee went down with a left ankle injury with 6 minutes and 54 seconds left in the contest against South Gibson, and the injury proved severe enough to make Swaney both emotional and unable to step off the playing surface on her own.
Heritage led by eight to start the fourth but by just three when Swaney left.
The Lady Mountaineers finished the job, though.
They didn’t make a field goal in the fourth, but senior forward Chloe Heath and junior forward Aleyah Smyth made enough free throws for Heritage to score a 36-29 win.
Heritage (34-2) will play defending champion Dyersburg (29-4) or Northview Academy (33-4) in the state championship game, which is set for a 4 p.m. Central time tip.
The Lady Mountaineers have never played for a state title.
Veteran coach Rick Howard spoke in the postgame press conference as if Swaney would not play Saturday.
“Tremendous efforts by these young ladies to step up. They knew when (Swaney) went down, they’d have to step up,” Howard said. “They sure did. It’s been our goal all year to be in the state championship.
“But it’s devastating. Not just for our team. But for that young lady. That’s all she wanted to do was play for a state championship. … She’ll be missed so much. It’s heart-breaking to be honest.”
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Both South Gibson (28-9) and Heritage struggled offensively Friday, each shooting 25.6 percent from the floor. South Gibson went 1-for-16 from 3 and committed 24 fouls.
The game was expected to be low scoring, given what South Gibson does defensively.
“It looked to me like a 1-3-1 but I think it was more of a match-up zone,” Heath said of South Gibson’s defense. “We’ve been struggling (against that). Our two losses this year were to Sevier County, which also runs a match-up zone.
“That’s one of our weak points, the match-up zone. So Coach has been harping on us: ‘We got to pass the ball and cut to the middle and get to the hoop, because that’s what they want you to do: is shoot 3s.'”
Oddly enough, Heritage’s perimeter shooting gave them the advantage. Though it went 4 of 16 from deep, Heritage’s 17-5 run across the second quarter featured a 3 from Heath, Faith Morris and Swaney.
Heritage took a 23-13 lead into the half.
Swaney opened the third quarter with a 3.
After her exit, the Lady Mountaineers played with a deepened level of determination to win for their teammate.
Smyth made two foul shots with 5:18 remaining for a five-point lead. Then two more two minutes later for a 32-25 lead.
Heath made two free throws with 1:08 to go to push the lead to nine.
“We all love Carsyn. She’s like our best friend on the team. She’s one of the captains,” Heath said. “She’s a great leader.
“We’re going to miss Carsyn,” Heath added, “but we’re going to go out and win it for her.”
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