Murphy – It was a winning night in Murphy as the Bulldogs started 2026 by sweeping the Summit Charter Bears.
The Lady Dogs won an overtime thriller and the boys handled the Bears with no problem on Friday night.
Girls
Four quarters wasn’t enough Friday night as the Lady Bulldogs hosted the Bears. The Lady Dogs prevailed in overtime to secure the 51-39 win.
Summit Charter came into the game with 7-3 record after starting the season with early success. Then they faced the Bulldogs and got handed a loss.
It was close in the first half as they were tied at seven after the first quarter. It remained close in the second quarter as the Bears took a 12-11 lead to halftime.
The Lady Dogs had a huge third quarter with 13 points to take the lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The script flipped in the fourth quarter as the Lady Bears battled to tie the game and force overtime. With the game tied 33-33, it was winner take all in the overtime period.
The Lady Dogs won the game from the free throw line in overtime. The Lady Dogs took 18 foul shots in overtime. They converted on 16 of them to secure the win. The only non-free throw shot made by the Lady Dogs in overtime was an Emma Laney two-point field goal.
The Lady Dogs secured the win with 18 points in overtime, holding the Bears to only six points.
The Lady Dogs had two players in double digits Friday night, as Ellie McClure had 13 points and Emma Laney had 10 points. Six of Laney’s 10 points came from the free throw line.
Laney, as well as Emma Hensley and Charlie Stalcup were perfect from the free throw line Friday night. They combined for 12 points from the free throw line. In total, the team was 20/22 on free throws.
Boys
The Dogs made light work of the Bears Friday night as they cruised to a 73-24 win.
Murphy held Summit Charter to single digit points in each quarter while scoring at least 10 in all four quarters.
The Dogs started the night off with a 27-point first quarter while holding the Bears to only five points.
They put up more points in the second quarter to take a 47-8 lead to halftime.
Out of halftime, the Dogs put up 16 more points in the third quarter and 10 more in the fourth quarter. Summit Charter had its highest scoring quarter in the fourth with nine points.
The Dogs cruised to victory and even got some dunks in during the first quarter. With the 73-24 win, the Dogs are back in the win column to start 2026.
Murphy was held by Aaron Harger with 14 points. Cale Harger and Elijah Twiggs were also in double digits with 10 points each.
Abram Twiggs led the team in rebounds with eight and Cale Harger led the team in assists with five.
Up next
The Dogs will return to action Friday night as they head to Andrews to take on the Wildcats. The girls will start at 6:30 p.m., with the boys playing directly after.
They will then face another in-county rival as they will travel to play Hiwassee Dam on Tuesday in their second meeting of the season. The girls will start at 6:40 p.m., followed by the boys right after.
The Dogs will return home on Wednesday, Jan. 14, as they host Highlands. The girls will start at 6:30 p.m., with the boys hitting the court right after.