Hiwassee Dam – After two losses to start the season, the Murphy boys varsity basketball team is in the win column after they defeated Hiwassee Dam 68-39.
In a loud, packed Hiwassee Dam gym, the Bulldogs got it done for their first win of the season.
Cale Harger scored the first points of the game for the Dogs and Aidan Bennett for the first points for the Eagles to keep the game tight. The dogs then jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Abram Twiggs of Murphy had a huge block as Luke Harbin drove to the rim. After the block, the Murphy side of the gym erupted with excitement. The Dogs continued to score and took a 14-6 lead to the second quarter.
The Dogs extended their lead to 10 points in the opening two minutes, which prompted a timeout for the Eagles. Things began to get chippy as Murphy students and fans tried to distract the Eagles by yelling at them.
Twiggs had another big block in the second quarter that the Dogs converted for points to extend their lead. The Dogs took a 32-16 lead into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Dogs continued to score and had a 20-point third quarter. They were making points from the paint to the three-point line to outscore the Eagles for a third straight quarter.
The Eagles came into the fourth quarter down by 22 points. The Dogs continued to score and put up 16 more points and held the Eagles to just nine in the final quarter to win the game 68-39.
Three Bulldogs were in double digit points as Twiggs led the team with 14. Brady Grant and Cale Harger both had 10 points each.
For the Eagles, Bennett and Braiden Ledford had double digit points. Bennett had 12 and Ledford had 11.
After the game, Dogs head coach Heath Curtis said, “I’m proud of our team, and I’m proud of our coaches. It’s a tough environment to play in at [Hiwassee Dam] and I think the guys had the right mindset coming off a couple of tough losses to start the year. We’re growing, we’re learning, but, most importantly, we are getting buy-in from the boys.”