Andrews – Despite trailing early, the Bulldogs defeated Andrews 73-52 on Friday night hanks to a 20-point performance from Cale Harger.
Bulldogs head coach Heath Curtis praised Andrews’ basketball program and said the team played hard at both ends of the court.
Talking about the win, he said, “I’m proud of the focus and intensity we came out and played with Friday.”
The Wildcats got out to an early 8-2 lead in the opening minutes of the Smoky Mountain Conference in-county showdown. After taking the 8-2 early lead, Murphy closed the gap and tied the game on Abram Twiggs’ basket from the paint.
The momentum quickly shifted, and the Dogs pulled away to take a 18-13 lead through the first quarter. Harger led the Dogs in the first quarter with seven points, including a 3-pointer. Andrews was led by Gabe Clark with five.
Murphy maintained its lead in the second quarter. Midway through, the teams exchanged 3-pointers, but the Dogs still led. The Dogs outscored Andrews 20-13 in the second quarter to take a 38-26 lead into halftime.
Harger again led the Dogs with nine points in the second quarter, with three coming from the free-throw line. Brady McLelland led the Wildcats with six points on two 3-pointers.
The Dogs maintained their lead in the third quarter and kept the Cats at a distance. Halfway through, the Dogs took full control of the game.
The third quarter ended with a Tucker Stalcup buzzer-beater to give the Wildcats some life heading into the fourth quarter.
Abram Twiggs led the Dogs in the third quarter with 10 points.
Clark had his third straight five-point quarter to lead the Wildcats.
The Bulldogs closed out the game in the fourth quarter with 19 points. The Wildcats scored 15 points, but couldn’t close the gap. Murphy won 3-52 to remain undefeated in the conference.
The Dogs had three players with double-digit points, led by Harger with 20 points.
Twiggs had 18 points and Grayson Hall had 13 points, 10 in the fourth quarter.
Curtis said it was a good team effort for Murphy.
“Abram [Twiggs] and Cale [Harger] led us in scoring, Tyler [Payne] led us in deflection and steal, Elijah [Twiggs] and Ryan [Payne] both had good nights defensively, Grayson Hall and Aaron Harger both gave us strong efforts when they had opportunities,” he said.
“We are beginning to understand the type of basketball we want to play. For us to play the way we want to, it takes all 14 guys on the roster on a game-by-game basis.”
The Cats and Dogs are set to face each other again in Murphy at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3.