Murphy – Cherokee County basketball teams had a strong showing in this year’s Smoky Mountain Conference awards.
In the Big Smoky Mountain Conference, Murphy’s Torin Rogers was the girls Player of the Year, while Ray Gutierrez was the girls Coach of the Year. In the Little Smoky Mountain Conference, Hiwassee Dam’s Sam Bradford was the boys Player of the Year, while Mark Raper was the boys Coach of the Year.
This is the second conference Player of the Year award for Rogers, who won as a sophomore in 2019-20. She scored 11 points or more in every game for the Lady Bulldogs this season, had 20 points or more in 20 of the team’s 29 games and seven 30-point games. She did whatever Murphy needed her to do on both ends of the floor, hitting shots all over the court while having the versatility to guard the perimeter as well as be a shot blocker defensively.
Rogers was also named the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association District 12 Player of the Year. She averaged 23.8 points per game, nearly 15 points more than Murphy’s second-leading scorer.
Gutierrez led a Murphy team that returned only two major players from last year’s state championship team to a regular-season conference title and fifth straight conference tournament championship. The Lady Bulldogs finished the season 25-4 before losing to eventual state champion Bishop McGuinness in the Elite Eight. Murphy has reached at least the Elite Eight in all six seasons with Gutierrez as head coach.
Bradford won conference Player of the Year for the second straight season, averaging 21.9 points per game. He was a tough matchup in the post and the unquestioned team leader. Raper led the Eagles to a 13-8 record and their third straight conference regular season championship as well as their first conference tournament championship since 2018.
Andrews, Hiwassee Dam, Murphy and Nantahala all had players recognized by the conference. For the Wildcats boys team, junior Isaac Weaver was named All-Conference, while sophomore Cam Rattler was an honorable mention. Weaver averaged a team-high 15 points per game, helping lead Andrews to the state playoffs. Rattler averaged 10.6 points per game in his first year on varsity and was much improved by the end of the year. Lady Wildcats senior Emily Mealer was an honorable mention after averaging a team-best 12.1 points per game.
For the Eagles, Preston Hyde and Leo Hickson joined Bradford as All-Conference selections, while Kolby Stiles and Tate Raper were honorable mentions. Hyde was a three-point marksmen and averaged 13.8 points per game, while Hickson was Hiwassee Dam’s point guard. Stiles was a glue player for the Eagles, while Raper started every game this year.
For the Lady Eagles, Olivia McNabb and Kiera Taylor were named All-Conference, while Rylie Payne was an honorable mention. McNabb and Taylor formed a strong inside out-combo, with Taylor averaging 13.6 points per game as the point guard and McNabb averaging 12 points a game out of the post. Payne started every game for Hiwassee Dam and provided good energy on both ends of the floor.
For the Bulldogs boys team, junior Dillian Brown was All-Conference, while senior Hunter Laney and junior Cole Laney were honorable mentions. Brown, one of the team’s primary ball-handlers, put up a team-high 15.5 points per game. Hunter Laney could score both inside and out, and his 12.7 points per game were second most on the team. Cole Laney joined Brown as Murphy’s other primary ball handler and scored 7.6 points per game.
Senior Amber Martin and freshman Addie Johnson were both All-Conference selections for the Lady Bulldogs, while sophomore Lailee Holloway and junior Lochlan Rogers were honorable mentions. Martin was the steady hand at point guard all season for Murphy and a three-point threat, averaging 6.2 points per game. Johnson stepped into the starting lineup as just a freshman and emerged immediately as a scorer. She finished the year averaging 8.4 points per game. Holloway became one of the Lady Bulldogs’ top three-point shooters, while Rogers provided toughness in getting rebounds and being able to guard multiple positions.
For Nantahala, Breanna Passmore was an honorable mention. She was the team’s leading scorer this season.