Andrews – With a complete game, two 13-point performance and double-digit points in all four quarters Friday night, the Murphy girls varsity basketball team defeated Andrews 46-27.
Murphy head coach Gary Thompson said it felt great to get the win.
“We have struggled the last couple of years, but our girls are maturing and understanding team play,” he said.
Murphy started the game with 9-0 run in the opening minutes of the contest. Drea Cutshaw scored Andrews’ first points to get them on the board and back into the game.
Andrews began to close the gap. Inside the final two minutes, Lady Wildcats Marley Blackwell, facing her former school, made it on one-point game on a 3-pointer.
The Lady Dogs made a late push to end the first quarter leading 13-11. Emma Hensley led the Dogs with a five-point first quarter. Blackwell led the Wildcats with six points on two 3-pointers.
Early in the second quarter, the Wildcats tied it at 13. Hensley broke the tie and gave Murphy the lead, which they would hold until the end of the game.
Both teams went back and forth late, then the Lady Dogs pulled away to take a 24-16 lead to halftime. Emma Laney led the Dogs in the second quarter with four points. Knox Davis led the Wildcats in the second quarter with three.
Early in the third quarter, the Lady Dogs extended their lead to 10 on a Kennedy White basket.
The Lady Dogs were pulling away in the third quarter when Charlie Stalcup hit a 3-pointer giving the Dogs a 33-18 lead, prompting an Andrews timeout with 3:08 left.
By the final minute of the third quarter, the Dogs had built a 15-point lead. Andrews scored late to bring it closer, but the Lady Dogs led 35-21 heading into the final quarter.
Stalcup led the Dogs in the third quarter with three points on a shot from beyond the arch. Drea Cutshaw led the Lady Cats with three points.
Davis hit an early 3-pointer to give some life to the Lady Wildcats squad, but the Dogs still maintained their large lead. Inside the final two minutes, both teams sat their starters as Murphy held onto the large lead.
With 11 points for the third straight quarter, Murphy defeated Andrews 46-27. The Lady Dogs were led by Emma Laney and Emma Hensley, who both had 13 points on the night.
The Lady Wildcats were led by Davis with eight points. Her only field goals were 3-pointers, and she was a perfect 2/2 from the free throw line. Cutshaw and Blackwell had six points each.
Thompson said the whole team stood out against Andrews.
“It’s amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets credit,” he said.
The Bulldogs and Wildcats are set play each other in Murphy at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 3.