Murphy – In each team’s regular-season finale, Murphy played host to Andrews on Thursday night.
The night opened with the Lady Wildcats defeating the Lady Bulldogs, then the Murphy boys varsity defeated the Wildcats in a close game. Before the games, Murphy honored seniors Bradey Golden, Connor Golden, Julia Dockery and Cayla Geer.
Boys varsity
It was a close battle between the Bulldogs and Wildcats. After grabbing an early lead, the Dogs went on the win the game 54-42 after pulling away in the fourth quarter.
The Dogs opened the game with 15 points in the first quarter led by Cale Harger with six points. In the first, the Cats scored 11 points with Kegan Ellis scoring six and Ty Clark scoring five.
Murphy followed up the opening quarter by maintaining the lead with 14 second-quarter points. Abram Twiggs had six points in the second quarter.
Senior Connor Golden, Tyler Payne and Grayson Hall also had points to help the Dogs maintain the lead. With the game still close, the Dogs took a 29-22 lead into halftime.
The Cats made a push coming out of halftime, as tension was building in the Murphy High School gymnasium. Both sides of the gym loudly cheered when each team scored.
Andrews outscored the Dogs 14-10 in the third quarter to make it a three-point game heading into the fourth quarter.
The Dogs fended off the third-quarter push by Andrews and held the Cats to only six points while scoring 15 in the fourth quarter. The game was tight heading down the stretch, but then the Dogs were able to pull away and secure the victory.
Talking about his message to the team in the final minutes of the game, Murphy head coach Heath Curtis said, “The message in the final minutes of a tight game is the same message we went into the game with, play with relentless effort and concentration defensively, execute on the offensive end. We finished well, and hopefully we take that good momentum and confidence into the tournament.”
The Dogs ended their regular season on a high note by defeating their in-county rivals 54-42. In the final minutes of the game, the Murphy student section started chanting, “Just like football,” as the Dogs grew their lead and a win was on the horizon.
The Dogs were led by Twiggs and Tyler Payne, who both had 15 points. Seniors Connor Golden and Bradey Golden had five and three points, respectively.
After the game, Curtis said he’s proud of the team’s grit and toughness against Andrews. He also said they did a good job on defense – and a better job on offense.
Curtis added that seniors Bradey and Connor Golden are a huge part of the team and played well against Andrews.
“Connor has become a solid defender, and he is always dangerous from the perimeter, while Brady coming off the ankle injury came in and gave us valuable minutes and made a big shot at a pivotal moment in the game. I’m super proud of both of them,” he said.
Girls varsity
In the matchup of Lady Cats and Lady Dogs it was a different story, with the Lady Cats getting the win and sweeping Murphy during the regular season.
After trailing early, the Lady Cats fought back and won the game 47-42. It was a big night for the seniors, as both Julia Dockery of Murphy and Andrews’ Kylie Donaldson had double-doubles.
The Lady Dogs took an early lead, but just over halfway through the first quarter the Lady Cats took the lead. Andrews led 17-12 heading into the second quarter.
After taking a five-point lead to the second quarter, the Lady Cats maintained the lead with nine more points in the second quarter. The Lady Cats led 26-20 at halftime.
Coming out of the half it stayed close, as the Lady Dogs outscored Andrews 10-9.
In the fourth quarter, Murphy regained the lead. After multiple lead changes, the Lady Cats took back the lead and hung on to win 47-42.
The Lady Cats were led by Donaldson with 17 points. She also had 10 rebounds for a double-double. Alexis Beasley was also in double digits with 10 points.
The Lady Dogs were led by senior Dockery with 11 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Kennedy White was also in double digits with 10 points. Senior Cayla Geer led the team in assists with five. Geer also had six points.