Hiawassee, Ga. – It was a busy winter break for the Murphy varsity basketball teams, with the boys and girls playing three games in four days.
The Bulldogs traveled to Hiawassee, Ga., and competed in the 31st annual Battle of the States tournament at Towns County High School.
Boys
The Dogs opened tournament play with a matchup against Polk County, Tenn. On Dec. 27, they got the first-round victory by taking down the Wildcats, 61-58.
Murphy took an early lead with 15 points in the first quarter led by Abram Twiggs with five points.
They scored 15 more points in the second quarter but were outscored by the Wildcats 19-15. Despite being outscored in the second period, the Dogs led 30-29 at halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Dogs put up 16 points and held Polk County to only nine points in the third quarter. The Dogs led 46-38 heading into the final frame, but the game was far from over.
Polk County put up big points in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs prevailed with the win. Murphy had 15 points in the fourth quarter and Polk County had 20, but the Dogs were able to hold off the Wildcats to earn the win.
The Dogs were led by Abram Twiggs with 16 points and 22 rebounds for a double double. He had eight offensive and 14 defensive rebounds. Also in double digits were Cale Harger with 13 points and Tyler Payne with 12.
With a chance to go to the championship game, the Dogs faced one of the top teams in Georgia – Rabun County. On Dec. 30, the Dogs fell to Rabun County 93-45.
Despite leading early, the Dogs fell to a Rabun County team whose only loss this season is to Gainesville, Ga. – the No. 1 ranked team
in Georgia and the No. 29 ranked team in the country, according to MaxPreps rankings at press time.
Cale Harger and Tyler Payne combined for six points to give the Dogs an early lead. Rabun County was slow to score in the opening quarter and the Dogs used that to take the lead. The Dogs also rebounded well on both ends of the floor to take a 15-10 lead to the second quarter.
For only the second time this season, Rabun County trailed heading into the second period.
Cale Harger made an early 3-pointer and turned it into a four-point play after being fouled to help extend the Dogs’ lead in the second quarter.
Rabun County then began to close the gap by making 3-pointers. Just over halfway through the second quarter, Rabun County took the lead. The lead was extended to nine points before Murphy started the close the gap.
The Wildcats maintained their lead and hit a buzzer beater to lead 39-31 at the half.
Rabun County used momentum generated late in the first half to pull away in the third quarter. After making shots and flashy play, they put up 36 points in the third quarter to lead 75-38 heading into the final period.
They added 18 more points in the fourth quarter and held the Dogs to their second straight seven-point quarter for the Wildcats to win 93-45.
Cale Harger led the Dogs with 17 points. The only other Bulldog in double digits was Abram Twiggs with 12 points. Tyler Payne had seven points with all of them in the first half and Nathan Skogen had five points all in the second half.
Rabun County headed to the tournament championship and the Dogs headed to the third place game against the host school.
After their loss to Rabun County, the Dogs faced Towns County in the third place game on Dec. 30.
It was a close first half, then the Towns County Indians took off in the second half to win 62-42.
Towns County got on the scoreboard first after the game opened with nearly two scoreless minutes. Towns extended their lead before Aaron Harger score Murphy’s first points of the game.
The Indians got out to a 11-2 lead halfway through the opening quarter. The Dogs began to close the gap late, but Towns County led 17-12 after the first quarter.
Towns County maintained its lead in the second quarter, but the Dogs were still within striking distance. Murphy remained in the game, but Towns County was in control as the Indians took a 31-21 lead to halftime.
The Indians kept rolling in early in the third quarter and used momentum to score 20 points to take a 19-point lead to the fourth quarter.
Tensions were building throughout the second half and they continued to rise with multiple fouls early in the fourth quarter.
Shots were not falling for the Dogs as Towns maintained a large lead throughout the remainder of the game. The Indians began to hold the ball to take time off the clock despite the 35-second shot clock.
The Dogs went on to fall 62-42 to end the Christmas tournament in fourth place.
None of the Dogs were in double digit points, but they were led by Cale Harger, Abram Twiggs and Nathan Skogen who had eight points each.
After the game, Abram Twiggs was named to the All-Tournament team and honored with a medal.
Girls
The Lady Bulldogs went 1-2 in their three games at the tournament. They ended with a win over Chesnee, S.C., to earn seventh place in the tournament. Over the three games, they faced three teams from three different states.
They started the tournament on Dec. 27 with a loss to Polk County, Tenn., in the first round. Murphy fell to the Lady Wildcats 56-34.
Polk County opened the game with a 20-point first quarter to take an early lead. With 13 more points in the second quarter, they led the Dogs 33-19 at halftime.
Murphy came out of the half with 12 points in the second quarter, but they were still outscored by Polk County.
Polk County closed out the game in the fourth quarter and the Dogs fell 56-34 in the tournament opener.
The Lady Dogs were led by Emma Laney with seven points. Ilie Smith and Kennedy White had six points each. White’s six points came on two first half 3-pointers. CJ Yarbro had five points, all in the second half.
After the first-round loss, they played their first game in the consolation bracket against Rabun County, Ga., on Dec. 29. The Lady Dogs played their second Wildcats team of the tournament and lost 62-42.
It was a morning game for the Lady Dogs as they kicked off the second day of tournament play.
The Lady Dogs were first on the scoreboard, but then Rabun County answered immediately. After Rabun County tied it, they took the lead and began to pull away.
Heading into the second quarter, Rabun County led 19-4.
The Lady Wildcats continued to pull away in the second quarter, taking a 34-17 lead to halftime.
The Lady Dogs fought in the third quarter to stay in the contest. Murphy was putting up points, but so was Rabun County to keep the Dogs at a distance. Rabun County led 43-30 heading to the final frame.
Rabun County put up six points in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to extend their lead. Throughout the final quarter, both teams put points on the board. The Lady Wildcats hit a buzzer beater to end the game with a 20-point margin. Thanks to a large lead in the first half, Rabun County won the game 62-42.
Emma Henley and CJ Yarbro led the Lady Dogs against Rabun County with nine points each. Hensley scored five of her nine points from the free throw line. Six of Yarbro’s nine points came in the second quarter.
Smith had seven points, with five of them coming in the third quarter.
To wrap up the tournament the next day, they faced Chesnee, S.C., in the seventh place game. In the Lady Dogs’ last game of 2025, they earned the win to secure seventh place in the tournament on Dec. 30.
With a 60-52 win, the Lady Dogs defeated the Chesnee High School Lady Eagles.
Murphy got things rolling early in the high-scoring opening quarter. The Lady Dogs scored five points in the opening minutes while shutting out the Lady Eagles.
Chesnee then fought back to tie the game at five after a timeout. The Lady Eagles took a 9-8 lead, but it was the last time they would see that lead.
The Lady Dogs put up big points to pull ahead late and take a 21-12 lead to the second quarter. Emma Laney was automatic all over the floor in the first quarter with 11 points.
Murphy maintained their lead early, but the Lady Dogs took their foot off the gas late and Chesnee closed the gap. After taking a big lead, Chesnee closed the gap to four points by halftime.
After taking a 32-28 lead to halftime, the Lady Dogs continued to lead throughout the second quarter.
Chesnee remained in striking distance in the third quarter, but the Dogs picked up rebounds and took advantage of opportunities to maintain their lead. They didn’t let Chesnee get too close as the Dogs led 47-36 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Lady Dogs continued to lead, but midway through the fourth quarter Chesnee threatened to close the gap. The Lady Eagles got their deficit down to four points, but the Dogs weren’t going down easily.
The Dogs maintained a two-possession lead heading into the final minutes of the game. They then began to pull away late and Smith hit a 3-pointer to give the Dogs some extra cushion and a 57-49 lead with just over one minute left to play.
Chesnee began to foul in the final 30 seconds of the game in a last-ditch effort to stop the clock. The Dogs went to the free throw line multiple times late and just extended their lead to help them secure the win.
Four Lady Dogs were in double digits, led by Smith and White with 14 points each.
Laney and Hensley both had 13 points each. Charlie Stalcup and Ellie McClure had two points each.
10 of the Lady Dogs’ points came from the free throw line.
After the game, it was announced that Laney was named to the All-Tournament team for her performance in the three games.