Murphy – Bulldogs boys basketball was on the opposite side of two blowouts to start the season, falling at Gilmer County, Ga., 91-62 before thrashing Highlands 71-29.
Gilmer (4-0 overall) was a tough first opponent, as the Bobcats were fast with shooters from the outside and had a 6-foot-11 sophomore in Jackson McVey, who was comfortable playing both inside and out. The Bobcats started fast, and Murphy was never able to keep up.
They led 24-11 late in the first quarter, and though the Bulldogs were able to trim the lead to 30-21 in the second quarter, they never really threatened Gilmer. The Bobcats closed the first half on an 11-4 run to lead 41-25 at halftime, and led by at least 15 points the rest of the night. That came on back-to-back threes by Cole Laney in the third quarter that cut the lead to 50-35, only for Gilmer to answer with a 9-2 run to re-establish control.
The Bobcats substituted liberally throughout the game, but were still able to do what they wanted on the offensive end. They hit 11 three-pointers in the game and attacked Murphy in transition as well as off the dribble in half-court sets, and are definitely a cut-above what the Bulldogs will see in conference play.
McVey led Gilmer with a team-high 20 points, while Kohan Davis was right behind with 18. Dominick Rummler had 25 points for Murphy to lead all scorers, while Dillian Brown joined Rummler in double figures with 12. Murphy won easily in both games against Highlands last year, and continued that trend into this season for its first win of the year. The Bulldogs continued their season yesterday across state lines at Union County, Ga., and will host county rival Hiwassee Dam in its home opener Friday. The Eagles came out on top in both meetings between the two teams last year by a combined three points.