Murphy Lady Bulldogs celebrate 1A state basketball co-championship
Family.
That was the universal theme Sunday, as the Murphy Lady Bulldogs gathered at Bob Hendrix Memorial Stadium to celebrate their 1A state basketball championship and perfect 30-0 season, 174 days after the team supposed to be across the state in Raleigh facing Weldon in the NCHSAA 1A Girls Basketball Championships on March 16.
“It was special,” Murphy coach Ray Gutierrez said of the Lady Bulldogs’ ring ceremony. “We really never had closure, whether it be the last game or an awards banquet, there wasn’t really anything to close out the year. So to be able to have this today, I think it was the closure we all needed. Just getting to see the kids together again was really special.”
As Gutierrez and the trio of speakers that followed him – assistant coaches Holly Gutierrez and Cody Webb along with graduated point guard Erika Sena – spoke to the assembled crowd of players and families, the value of the chemistry that Murphy had this season became apparent.
“We spent more time with one another than we did with our own families,” Gutierrez said to his players during the opening remarks of the ceremony. “And I know it wasn’t always easy, there were some bumps in the road. But at the end of the day we were family and we knew we had one another’s back. And it had to be that way for such a special season.”
Murphy forward Torin Rogers, who collected a bevy of individual accolades for her play last season – including Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year – echoed Gutierrez’s sediment, attributing a major part of the Lady Bulldogs’ successful 30-0 season to their strong connections on and off of the hardwood.
“We are a family; everyone had each other’s backs and we would do anything for one another,” Rogers said of the Lady Bulldogs’ connection. “We played together and we played for one another. So just that family feel, trusting one another – I think that’s why we were so successful last season.”
The Lady Bulldogs’ perfect 30-0 season – the first in the programs history – paired with Murphy’s first girls basketball state championship since 1997, guarantees that last season’s team will be cemented in school history as one of the best squads to take the court at Murphy High.
“I’ve had such good teams at Hiwassee Dam and here at Murphy,” Gutierrez said of last season’s team. “And the last four years have been really close, we were right there on the brink of breaking through and winning a state championship. This was a very special team and probably one of the best ones that I will ever coach.”
For Murphy assistant coach Holly Gutierrez, who was part of the Lady Bulldogs’ last championship-winning team in 1997 as a player, being able to add another ring to her collection as a coach is a very special accomplishment.
“You don’t think about it too much at the time, but now that there’s been some time to reflect, it really is such an honor,” Ms. Gutierrez said of winning state-championships both as a player and as a coach. “I saw so many similarities in this team and the team that I was able to play on in 1997 that won it. They (last season’s team) were really talented, and when you combine talented basketball players with their work ethic and willingness to be great teammates, it just all came together and ended with perfection.”
When the moment finally came for the Lady Bulldogs to unbox their championship rings, Gutierrez could not contain his smile as he watched his players’ jaws drop to the field as they saw their rings – designed with the help of assistant Murphy football coach Joseph Watson – for the first time.
“Coach said that he was going to make it (the ring) big, but I didn’t think it would be that big,” Rogers said with a laugh of her reaction when she first saw the rings. “It’s awesome; this is just a representation of our hard work andsomething that we’ll be able to keep forever.”
“It was actually overwhelming,” Murphy senior Kaiya Pickens said of the Lady Bulldogs’ championship rings. “I didn’t know they would be this big, but it feels good to be able to celebrate such a special team.”
Despite being named co-state championship, finishing the season with a perfect 30-0 record and finally receiving their championship rings, the Lady Bulldogs are not feeling complacent, but instead chomping at the bit for the chance to make it back to the state title game this upcoming season and finish the job themselves.
“Everybody that’s returning is ready to work just as hard as we did this past year and do what it takes to hopefully put ourselves in the position to get back to that state championship game and this time hopefully get a chance to play it,” Rogers said of the 2020-21 season.
Lady Bulldog senior Sarah Pullium agreed with Rogers, comparing the feeling to “an itch you can’t scratch.”
“It’s something that you want so bad because you get close but you don’t get a chance to finish it,” Pullium said of Murphy’s championship aspirations. “But you can’t control everything and it just makes you that much hungrier to actually get that title this year.”
For graduated point guard Sydni Addison, who made the trip back from Belmont Abby College – where she’ll be continuing her basketball career – for the ring ceremony, finally being able to close the Murphy High chapter of her basketball career was special.
“It feels awesome, it’s just so exciting to come back here and see everybody and finally get a chance to get the ring and share this moment,” Addison said of the ceremony. “This was just a really special team all-around. Just to know that every single person has one another’s back and that we can all go to one another for anything, that’s just something very special – we’re just one big family.”
“They’re going to have memories about this season with them for a very long time,” Gutierrez said of his team. “And I know that even though they’re all going to go their separate ways – you know life just pulls you in all sorts of directions – I think they’ll forever have a bond.”