The Heritage Mountaineers took on the Portland Panthers in a TSSAA Class 3A state tournament quarterfinal at the Charles M. Murphy Athletic Center on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — Carsyn Swaney, the senior standout on the Heritage girls basketball team, got the first shot of the second half in the Lady Mountaineers’ Class 3A state quarterfinal Thursday.
And as she fired in the 3-pointer for a 20-point lead at MTSU’s Murphy Center — her future college home — the entire arena felt resigned to the fact that this game fully belonged to Heritage and that tournament first-timer Portland would not be stirring up any dramatic comeback.
Swaney’s trey sparked a 12-0 run in the opening two minutes of the third quarter, and Heritage stormed to a stress-free, 60-36 win — giving the program its first win in a state tournament since 1997.
Swaney, a senior and Miss Basketball finalist, scored 22 for Heritage (33-2).
Senior forward Chloe Heath added 21 points and nine rebounds.
Heritage won its 10th consecutive game and will play South Gibson (28-8) in a state semifinal at 4 p.m. Central time Friday at MTSU.
After last year’s opening-round loss to Cocke County, Heritage came back this season looking to make amends.
“We were very disappointed. We thought we could make a run last year,” longtime Heritage coach Rick Howard said. “But these girls have done nothing but work their butts off all year to get back down here.
“Just like we said in the locker room: we were knocking on the door last year; we need to knock it down these year.”
Heritage led by as many as 29 points despite shooting 37.1 percent from the floor Thursday. It forced 23 turnovers, however.
Heath had a 3-pointer and five total points in the 12-0 run out of the half. Portland (24-12) shot just 34.1 percent in the contest.
“The first shot (of the second half), we were looking to get the ball to me or Chloe,” Swaney said. “We knew that whoever got the ball could make the shot. I was the one who was open, so I knocked it down.
“That was just our lead to success.”
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Heritage will lock horns with a defensive-minded South Gibson team in the semifinals. The Lady Hornets limited Cocke County to 39 points and only a few of their opponents have reached the 50-point mark.
South Gibson won its state sectional game, 59-6.
Yep, six.
“They run a great match-up zone, I’ve noticed. We watched the first game,” Howard said of South Gibson. “They got some athletes and got some players. But, at this time and stage in the game, everybody you play is going to be good. Our studs got to play better than theirs.
“Top to bottom, this is one of the best teams I’ve had. But I think South Gibson will give us all we want. We just got to reciprocate and give them all they want.”
5STAR PHOTOS powered by SmartBank — Heritage vs. Portland (2025 Class 3A Quarterfinal)