The Episcopal School of Dallas couldn’t have ended the basketball season on a higher note.
Its squads combined to sweep the Southwest Preparatory Conference Class 3A state championships on Feb. 14 in Fort Worth.
The win was the fourth state title for ESD’s boys, their first since winning three consecutive championships from 2008 to 2010. ESD’s Corey Henderson has manned the bench as head coach for all four titles.
ESD’s girls, meanwhile, will be gunning for a three-peat of their own. This was the girls’ second consecutive championship season. They claimed the program’s first state title in 2025.
ESD won both state championships in thrilling fashion on the same court within three hours of each other.
The girls got the party started at Trinity Valley High School when they outlasted The Woodlands’ John Cooper School, 36-34.
ESD was able to overcome a 27-20 third-quarter deficit en route to the win, including closing the third quarter on a 5-0 spurt courtesy of Nahla Whittier and sisters Britt and Tatum Reynolds.
“That run was really huge for us,” said Devin Darnell, ESD girls head coach. “It gave us momentum.”
The Eagles then used a 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter to forge a 36-30 lead before Cooper chipped away with a pair of hoops to pull within two. A miss by Cooper at the buzzer guaranteed ESD the win.
“This one is special because of the repeat,” Darnell said. “The team has worked so hard all season. I’m so very proud of them.”
Whittier finished with a game high 14 points, while Britt and Tatum scored six points apiece.
Next up were the boys. Buoyed by a game high 23 points from Drew Guy and 21 from Khizer Salmon, the Eagles were able to outlast Fort Worth Country Day 61-55 to regain their spot atop SPC 3A.
ESD led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but needed overtime to secure its win after a layup at the buzzer by Country Day’s Reed Haven. That hoop followed what ESD had hoped was a game-winning 3-pointer by Asher Lear with 8.9 seconds remaining.
While Guy and Salmon provided much of the scoring needed, it was ESD’s defense that held Country Day scoreless in overtime.
“That was just a great game,” Henderson said. “Both teams did a tremendous job.
“Drew Guy is one of the top 150 players in the country. And Khizer is a tremendous talent and did a great job on the boards in this game, and all season long,” he continued. “They both are clutch, big-time players, who come up huge in the big games.”
The win helped avenge a loss to Austin St. Andrews for ESD in the championship game a year ago.
“After last year, we really set our goal to win it this time around,” Guy said. “Everyone put in the effort. Everyone put in the work to get it done.”
“We were not going to lose this game,” added Salmon. “Win the championship. That was our goal and we did it.”
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