It was a tough week for Murphy’s varsity basketball teams.
In the three-game week for both the boys and girls, they combined for two wins.
Both wins came from the boys defeating Hayesville and Cherokee. The girls fell to Hayesville and Cherokee, while both teams lost to Robbinsville.
Dogs defeat Jackets
The Murphy boys varsity basketball team opened their week with their fourth straight win with a running clock in the second half.
In the Dogs’ only home game of the week, they defeated Hayesville 82-48 on Jan. 20.
Murphy took a big lead early, but then Hayesville battled back. Thanks to early points, the Dogs led 19-15 after the first quarter.
The Dogs began to pull away in the second quarter with 24 points to lead 43-25 at halftime.
They posted 20 more points in the third quarter to take a 20-point lead to the fourth quarter.
With just under two minutes left, Tyler Payne hit a layup to trigger the running clock for the remainder of the game.
The Dogs won 82-48.
Murphy was led by Cale Harger with 22 points, including four 3-pointers in the first half.
Abram Twiggs was also in double digits with 17 points and his brother Elijah Twiggs had 11 points.
Ryan Payne had 15 points with 13 of those coming in the second half.
Girls fall to Hayesville
It was a tough night for the Lady Dogs as they hosted Hayesville on Jan. 20.
The Lady Dogs got off to a slow start in the first half, then lost to the Yellow Jackets 37-25.
It was a back-and-forth opening quarter, but Hayesville scored points late to lead 8-5 through the first quarter.
Hayesville then pulled away in the second quarter to lead 23-8 at halftime.
The Lady Jackets outscored Murphy 9-8 in the third quarter to lead 32-16 heading into the fourth quarter.
Despite a late push from the Lady Dogs, Hayesville won 37-25.
Ellie McClure led the Lady Dogs with seven points
Boys fall to Robbinsville
In a highly anticipated matchup, the Bulldogs fell to the Black Knights 60-57 on Thursday.
Murphy’s loss was its first Smoky Mountain Conference loss of the season and snapped an eight-game win streak.
The Dogs took an early lead with 19 points in the first quarter, but a five-point second quarter hurt them.
Robbinsville followed up its 15-point first quarter with 14 more in the second to lead 29-24 at halftime.
The Dogs outscored the Knights 19-14 in the third quarter for the game to be tied at 43 through three quarters.
It was a battle in the fourth quarter, but the Knights outscored the Dogs 17-14 to win the game 60-57.
Harger led the Dogs with 19 points in the loss. Also in double digits were Abram Twiggs with 15 points and Tyler Payne with 10.
Girls lose to Knights
Despite a battle in the first half, the Lady Dogs lost to Robbinsville 53-31 on Thursday.
The Lady Knights took the lead with 11 points in the opening quarter. The Dogs outscored the Knights 10-9 in the second quarter, but still trailed 20-15 at halftime.
Robbinsville extended its lead to 35-25 through the third quarter. They then closed out the game, outscoring Murphy 18-6 in the fourth quarter to win 53-31.
Kennedy White and Emma Laney led the Lady Dogs with seven points each.
Dogs beat Braves
In their second meeting of the season, the Dogs got their second win over Cherokee on Friday night. The Dogs got back in the win column with their 73-62 win over the Braves.
Murphy opened the game with 22 points in the first quarter, then followed it up with 20 more points in the second quarter to lead 42-34 at halftime.
Despite being outscored in the third quarter, the Dogs still led 54-48 heading into the fourth period.
With 19 points in the fourth quarter, the Dogs closed out the game with a 73-62 win over Cherokee.
Abram Twiggs led the Dogs with 21 points Friday night. The Payne’s were also in double digits with Tyler scoring 14 points and Ryan scoring 13.
Girls lose to Cherokee
The Lady Braves did Lady Brave things Friday night as Murphy traveled to Cherokee. The Lady Dogs fell 70-13 in their third loss of the week.
Cherokee got out to an early lead with 28 points in the opening frame. They followed it up with 16 more in the second quarter to lead 44-7 at halftime.
The Lady Braves added 11 more in the third quarter before closing it out in the fourth to win 70-13.
McClure, Ilie Smith, Valorie Jordan, Ella Howard, Ansley Roper and Emma Hensley all had two points each. Only Smith, Jordan and Roper’s two points came from field goals, as the rest came from the free throw line.