Highlands – It didn’t matter that the Bulldogs didn’t have a practice session before heading to Highlands on Jan. 18. Just like the first matchup in Murphy it was a decisive win, with the Bulldogs coming out on top, 65-36.
“It is always good to go to Highlands and get a win,” Murphy head coach Erik Laney said. “Our kids played hard. This team is using each day as an opportunity to get better as we reach the biggest stretch of conference play.”
After jumping all over Highlands in the teams’ first matchup, a 68-33 Murphy win on Jan. 5, the Bulldogs (7-9 overall) built the lead in more methodical fashion. The Highlanders (4-8) jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Murphy ended the first quarter on a 10-2 run and the lead only grew from there.
With post players Dominick Rummler and Zack Skogen on the bench with foul trouble, Murphy was still able to play inside out, getting looks down low for guard Ty Laney, while Dillian Brown and Will Carringer hit threes. Two free throws by Jeffrey Oliveira and a three by Nathan Keener cut the Bulldogs’ lead to four, but they closed the half on a 9-0 run and led 31-18 at halftime.
Murphy led by double digits the whole second half, with Highlands only getting as close as 10. The Bulldogs’ size and athleticism started to take over, and the Highlanders couldn’t keep up.
Murphy’s end of the bench was able to get some run in the fourth quarter, with junior varsity player Andrew Barolet scoring his first career varsity points. Laney the Bulldogs with 14 points, Skogen finished with 12 and Brown was the final Murphy player in double figures with 10.
The Bulldogs returned to conference play with a home game against Cherokee on Tuesday, which took place after this week’s edition of the Cherokee Scout went to press. They host Hiwassee Dam on Thursday, then travel to Hayesville on Friday.