By J.R. Carroll, Staff Correspondent
Murphy – On Dec. 5, the Bulldogs went to Union County and handed the Panthers their second loss of the season, 63-49. Union returned the favor Thursday by beating Murphy, 59-50 at the “Dawghouse.”
The game had several lead changes, downright wrestling matches under the basket for rebounds and almost every shot was contested. The two big men, Dominick Rummler and Zack Scogen, were Murphy’s lead scorers with 13 points apiece. Xander Wachacha added 12 more for the Bulldogs.
The game-changer of the night was Hayden Hughes of Union, who led all scorers with 16 points – all coming in the second half – with the final blow in the fourth period, when he hit a 3-pointer and field goal. Union outscored the Dogs in every quarter except the second, but the game was close until Union pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the dogs 22-17 to hand Murphy its second loss of the season.
The Panthers took a 10-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, with both teams getting physical and the referees letting them play. Murphy outscored the Panthers in the second quarter 10-9, but Union hit a last-second shot to take a 19-18 lead into the half. Union added two more points to their lead in the third period, then put it away with a six-point advantage in the fourth.
Union turned up the heat on defense in the second half defensively. The Panthers bested the Dogs 15-1 on steals, turning many of them into points on the other end. Murphy also played tough defense, out-rebounding Union 44-27, with every shot off of an offensive rebound.
Murphy has a season average of making 57 percent of field goals, but in this game they were held to 30 percent. Union, also a good shooting team, only shot 37 percent.
Murphy’s next test will come in Hiawassee, Ga., where they will face Coosa (3-7) of Rome Ga., during the Battle of the States tournament. Game time is set for 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
Young Lady Bulldogs fall
The Lady Bulldogs have faced Union County twice this season, and the second meeting Thursday didn’t turn out any better that the first meeting, with Murphy falling 64-40 to the Lady Panthers.
Many times during the game, the Lady Bulldogs (0-5) had five freshman on the court, as head coach Gary Thompson and assistant coach Tony Williams struggled with a young roster. That roster includes one senior, three juniors and 11 underclassman, eight being freshman.
Those young Lady Dogs put up a fight, though, keeping it close in the first quarter and only trailing 12-10. Junior Cayla Geer hit two 3-pointers to account for six of the Lady Dogs’ first-quarter points.
Two familiar coaches on the Union side decided to turn up the heat in the second quarter, as the Lady Panthers went into full-court pressure offense, which resulted in many turnovers. As a result, the Lady Panthers outscored Murphy 23-6 in the frame.
The familiar coaches on the Union bench were former Bulldogs football defensive coordinator Thomas Nelson and former Murphy head girls basketball coach Penny Johnson, who were both recognized before the game. Nelson coaches basketball defense the same way he coached football defense, demanding that both sets of players get after it.
To make matter worse for the Lady Dogs, the Lady Panthers hit six field goals from three-point land in the second quarter, adding three more field goals and two free throws to extend their lead to 35-18. Murphy fought back in the second half, only getting outscored in the third quarter 9-8 before outscoring Union County 16-15 in the fourth.
The Lady Dogs had two players in double figures, Cayla Geer and Julia Dockery with 12 apiece.
The Lady Dogs will participate in the Battle of the States Tournament. They will first face Coosa (4-7) of Rome, Ga., at 10 a.m. Thursday at Towns County High School in Hiawassee.