Hiawassee, Ga. – After a tough start to the season, Murphy boys basketball may be turning the corner. The Bulldogs picked up their first Big Smoky Mountain Conference win at Swain County before Christmas, then finished third in the 28th annual Battle of the States Tournament at Towns County High School.
The Bulldogs opened the tournament with a 65-63 win over Franklin, before falling to Union County 69-66 in overtime in the semifinals, then beat host Towns County 61-54 in the third-place game.
“We needed a boost, and we got it from Swain,” senior guard Dillian Brown said. “I think we’re on a roll right now. I think we’re finding ourselves a little bit, and we’ll find ourselves more the next couple games.”
Against Franklin, Murphy battled with the defending Mountain 7 conference champions in the first half before the Panthers opened up a 54-39 lead at the end of the third quarter. The lead was 61-47 with 5:07 left when Murphy started its improbable comeback. A 3-pointer by Zach Skogen cut the lead to 61-55 with 3:11 left, and
Franklin called timeout.
After a layup by Dillian Brown cut the Panthers’ lead to four, Cal Drake scored to push the lead back out to six. Murphy would end the game on an 8-0 run, which ended with a go-ahead three-point play by Skogen with 19.9 seconds left.
Murphy had already fallen to Union County twice this season, and came out with a different intensity against the Panthers in the semifinals. Despite having all four of its post players on the bench with foul trouble in the first half, Murphy led 35-28 at halftime. The Panthers had foul trouble of its own, with its sole post player, senior Eli Underwood, missing most of the second quarter with two fouls.
Union County was able to tie the game in the third quarter, but three triples from Brown allowed Murphy to lead 47-40 heading into the final frame. The Panthers tied the game at 50 in the fourth quarter, setting up a frantic final minutes.
Underwood started to dominate down low, and his layup gave Union County a 54-51 lead with 3:40 to go. Brown would eventually tie the game at 58 with a three from the left corner as part of his game-high 29, only for Dominick Rummler to foul Houston Henry under the basket at the same time.
Henry nailed two free throws, and after a Murphy turnover with 10.7 seconds left, Dozer Mashburn stole the ensuing inbounds pass and found Skogen, who was fouled shooting and hit two free throws to send the game into overtime. The Bulldogs led 64-62, only for Union County to answer with a 7-0 run. After a Skogen layup cut the lead to 69-66 with three seconds left, Will Carringer stole the ensuing inbounds pass and missed a three off the backboard as time expired.
Murphy led from start to finish against the Indians in the third-place game, though never led by more than 10 points. The Bulldogs had an answer every time Zane Floyd would help Towns County creep back into the game, as he finished with a game-high 30 points.
The Indians came within one-possession multiple times, the last being at 47-45 with about five minutes to go. Murphy answered with buckets from Brown and freshman Cale Harger, and Cole Laney banked in a three to extend the lead to 54-46 with 1:44 to go. From there, Murphy got enough stops and hit enough free throws to seal the win. Brown was named to the All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the game.
The three wins came in games similar to ones Murphy had earlier this year and last year with many of the same players, games that at times the Bulldogs couldn’t quite finish. They have a chance to carry that into 2023 with a stretch of four games in five days, which continues today at Hiwassee Dam.
“We just got to continue to work together,” Brown said.