Haines High School junior Kayley Swinton recently was named to the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches All-State Basketball Team.
Swinton, who averaged nearly a dozen points per game for the Glacier Bears last season, was a third-team honoree, ranking among the top 15 players statewide for Class 2A girls.
“That’s a pretty strong testament to her being recognized by the other coaches and people doing the voting,” said Haines coach Greg Brittenham.
Other Southeast honorees included Theresa Wellington-McGilton of Metlakatla and Marie Yates of Craig on the first team, and Aspen Hansen of Craig and Kailee Smith of Metlakatla on the second team.
“She’s definitely the leader of our team, not just in game situations, but in practice,” Brittenham said.
The 5’11” Swinton said she didn’t expect all-state recognition. “I saw my name and was pretty surprised.”
The most impressive stretch of Swinton’s season was a Cordova tournament in January. Despite the Glacier Bears’ 0-3 record at the competition, Swinton earned MVP honors, tallying 18 points per game.
“We all worked as a team and we all did the best we could,” Swinton said.
Along with her formidable scoring totals, Swinton also notched season averages of about 4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1 steal per game. Brittenham said he hopes Swinton makes improvements to her game over the summer.