Hiawassee, Ga. – The Murphy varsity basketball teams stayed busy over winter break with a trip to Towns County, Ga., to play in the annual Battle of the States tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs fell in the third-place game to finish the tournament in fourth, while the boys varsity team ended with a win over Coosa from Rome, Ga.
Lady Bulldogs
The girls started their tournament with win over host team Towns County on Dec. 27.
The Lady Dogs built an early one-point lead through the first quarter. They had a huge second quarter, when they only allowed the Lady Indians to score five points. Murphy took a 28-16 lead into halftime.
To start the second half, the Lady Indians outscored Murphy 18-15, but the Dogs still maintained the lead heading into the fourth quarter. Towns County outscored the Lady Dogs again in the fourth quarter, but a strong first half from Murphy kept them in the game.
The Lady Dogs advanced in the tournament with a 53-48 with over Towns County. Marley Blackwell led Murphy with 17 points, while Emma Laney had 15 and Emma Hensley 10.
In the second round of the tournament on Dec. 28, Murphy faced Polk County, Tenn., which beat Franklin 54-52 to earn their spot in the second round.
The Lady Dogs fell to Polk County 59-29. Polk County started the game with an 18-point first quarter and held the Lady Dogs to only five points. The Lady Dogs came back with 11 points in the second quarter to trail 30-16 at halftime.
Polk County played tough defense in the second half to hold the Lady Dogs to 13 points. Polk scored 29 second-half points to win the game 59-29 and advance to the championship game.
Laney led the Lady Dogs with seven points, while Hensley was right behind with six.
Following the loss to Polk County, the Dogs faced Rabun County on Dec. 30 in the third-place game. Rabun’s path to the third round came after they defeated Hayesville in the first round, then fell to Union County in the second.
In the final day of the tournament, the Lady Dogs fell to Rabun County 54-38 to finish in fourth place.
It was a close first half, as the Lady Dogs trailed by five after the first quarter, four at the half. The Lady Dogs kept in step with the Lady Cats, but Rabun County maintained the lead they got early in the game.
In the second quarter, the Lady Dogs trailed by eight points, then made a late push to only trail by four heading into halftime.
The Lady Cats came out of halftime leading 24-20 and grew their lead through the second half. In the third quarter, the Lady Cats scored 16 points, while the Lady Dogs scored 11 to give Rabun County the 40-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
As the final period started, Rabun County continued to extend their lead. Rabun added 14 points to their total and held the Lady Dogs to only seven points in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Dogs began to foul late in the game to stop the clock, but Rabun County’s lead was too large and Murphy lost 54-38. Emma Hensley was the only Lady Dog in double digits with 12 points, while Kennedy White scored six.
Bulldogs
The Murphy boys varsity team started their tournament with a 73-65 loss to Towns County in the first round on Dec. 27. The loss sent them to the consolation bracket for the remainder of the tournament.
Despite the loss, three Dogs scored in double-digit points. Abram Twiggs led the team with 20 points, while Cale Harger had 15 and Tyler Payne 11.
In the second round on Dec 28, the Dogs got back on track with a one-point victory over Polk County. In their 76-75 win, three Dogs were in double digits. Harger and Payne were in double digits again with 21 and 12 points, respectively, while Connor Golden had 16.
For their final game of the tournament, Murphy took on Coosa High School of Rome on Dec. 30. The Dogs ended their tournament with a 59-47 win.
The Dogs took an early lead in their third-round matchup. They led 13-9 after the first quarter, then extended their lead to 32-20 at halftime following a 19-point second.
In the second half, the Dogs continued to maintain their lead. They were outscored by one point in the third quarter, but maintained a 47-36 lead heading into the fourth period.
Murphy added on 12 points to close out their tournament with a 59-47 win. Two Dogs were in double digits, with Harger putting up 15 points and Connor Golden scoring 10.
Up next
Following their winter break tournament play, the Dogs will host Nantahala at 8 p.m. Thursday. Since Nantahala does not have a girls varsity team, the Lady Dogs will host Summit Charter at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
On Saturday, the Dogs will head to Georgia to take on Gilmer County in Ellijay, Ga. The Lady Dogs will take on Lady Bobcats at 5 p.m., while the Dogs will tipoff about 6:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, the Dogs will hit the road again to take on Highlands. The Lady Dogs tipoff at 6:30 p.m., while the boys start about 8 p.m.