Murphy – It was the 2010-11 season. David Payne, the Hiwassee Dam girls basketball coach, was then head coach of the Murphy boys basketball team, which made the 1A Sweet 16 only to fall to North Rowan 76-55.
Thirteen years later, the Bulldogs’ boys have climbed the mountain again. Murphy (18-9) defeated Christ the King Charter (10-16) in overtime 70-61 on Friday to advance to the Sweet 16 in the 1A state playoffs.
Christ the King drew first blood as they took a 2-0 lead, but the Dogs stormed back as Zack Skogen hit a long-range 3 to give the Dogs the lead. Murphy went ahead to build an 11-5 lead, only to see the Crusaders fight back to close the lead to within two at one point in the first quarter.
Murphy was able to extend the lead to four by the end of the period. Skogen led the Bulldogs in scoring with seven points. Dominick Rummler added five more, and Murphy led 20-16 at the end of one.
Murphy held the lead until the 4:41 mark of the second quarter, when Marco Tampoya put the Crusaders up 25-24. The next trip down court, Will Joyner hit a 3-pointer to put the Dogs in front 27-25.
The lead would change hands a couple of more times in the quarter, but when the dust settled Murphy maintained its four-point lead at the half by a score of 33-29. Joyner hit another 3, and Cale Harger added another, to lead the Dogs’ scoring in the second quarter.
The Crusaders made a run in the third period, when they pulled even with the Dogs. At the 2:00 mark, Ty Gorman hit his only score of the night, a 3-pointer for the Crusaders to tie the score at 46. That’s where the score stayed going into the fourth.
Rummler scored eight of the Dogs’ 13 third-quarter points. Parker Ryan of the Crusaders kept them in the game in the second half. He accounted for nine points in the third period and five in the fourth period. The biggest goal he had came at the 18-second mark in the fourth quarter, when he hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 59 all.
Murphy had one more chance to end it in regulation, when Rummler took the inbound pass with 1.8 seconds left on the clock. However, he was unable to convert it to points, and the game went into overtime.
Murphy jumped out to a four-point lead in overtime behind two free throws by Xander Wachacha and a field goal by Rummler. The Crusaders closed the lead at the 1:29 mark left in overtime. Rummler hit a field goal inside the paint to give Murphy a 63-59 lead.
The Crusaders’ coach wanted an offensive interference call that he didn’t get and threw a fit on the officials, which cost him a technical foul. Wachacha hit four free throws to give Murphy a 67-59 lead with 50 seconds left in overtime. He was fouled two more times in the overtime and went 8-8 from the charity stripe to net the final 70-61.
The Crusaders’ coach wasn’t done with his discussion with the referees, as he continued his displeasure after the final buzzer, picking up a second technical foul.
Parker Ryan of Christ the King led all scorers with 26 points. The Dogs were led by Rummler with 23 points. Wachacha was also in double figures with 15 and Ryan Payne finished with 11, while Skogen and Joyner had nine apiece.
Skogen was massive on the boards as he grabbed 10 defensive rebounds to limit the Crusaders’ second chances. He also dished out nine assists.
Murphy will advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011. They will have to travel to Kernersville to take on Bishop McGuinness (26-3), the No. 3 ranked team in the tournament.
Bishop McGuinness knocked the Bulldogs out of the playoffs last year in the second round, but they graduated seven seniors. The team went on to loose in the semifinals last year.
First-round results
Murphy (18-9) made short work of the first-round opponent of the 1A state playoffs as the Bulldogs dispatched Sugar Creek (17-12) 80-44 to advance to the second round.
The Bulldogs didn’t take long to get started. Will Joyner went on a 3-point barrage in the first period, when he knocked down three. Dominick Rummler chimed in with a 3 of his own, giving both of those players 11 points apiece in the first quarter to help Murphy to a 24-8 lead.
Sugar Creek closed the lead a little in the second quarter, outscoring the Dogs 19-15. Xander Wachacha got into the three-point club for the night as he hit two 3’s in the second period. Ryan Payne added three free throws, while Rummler, Zach Skogen and Hunter Carson hit a field goal apiece to account for Murphy’s 15 points. The Dogs led 39-27 at the half.
Murphy extended its lead in the third period, as the Dogs outscore the Wildcats 19-10 to build a 58-37 lead. The scoring was led by Will Joyner, who hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night, added another field goal and two free throws to lead the Dogs in the third with seven of their 19 points. Rummler and Zack Skogen added four apiece.
Murphy led 59-37 at the end of three. Hunter Carson took advantage of his playing time after Rummler fouled out in the fourth, when he scored eight points. Xander Wachacha popped for seven as he hit his third 3 of the night. He added a field goal and two free throws.
Rummler led all scorers with 21 points, while Joyner was also in double figures with 18. Skogen registered a double-double as he hit for 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. He only missed a triple double by three assists, as he dished out seven to help his teammates out.