Candler – Murphy girls basketball almost got everything it wanted to from Friday night’s game against Enka.
Get production outside of Torin Rogers? Check. Continue to implement a press and its more traditional up-tempo style of basketball? Check. A complete 32 minutes? Almost.
Head coach Ray Gutierrez went to his bench a little too early, but Murphy was in control for most of the game and came away with a 71-62 victory against the Buncombe County 3A school.
“Really proud of our kids,” Gutierrez said. “Not too many people gave us a chance to be 13-2 right now. Our chemistry is really good, they’re playing together.”
With under three minutes remaining and Murphy (13-2 overall) leading 63-42, Gutierrez emptied his bench to give his reserves a chance to run some offense and milk away the rest of the clock. Instead, the Sugar Jets (7-8) went on a 11-0 run, prompting Gutierrez to put four starters back into the game.
There were some tense moments down the stretch, as the Lady Bulldogs hit
just eight of 13 free throws in the final minutes and couldn’t get stops on the other end. A three by Hailey Harwood cut Murphy’s lead to 68-62 in the final minute and, after Rogers split one of two free throws, an Enka turnover stopped the Sugar Jets’ late rally.
“We want to play all our kids,” Gutierrez said. “And I thought up 20 with (three) minutes left that we could get them in there and maybe just run some good offense. Not necessarily extend the lead, but not make it as close as it ended up being. That wasn’t the case and basketball, there’s so much momentum in basketball, and that’s what happened.”
The final three minutes were the exact opposite of the previous 29. Murphy controlled the game from the opening tip and attacked Enka all over the court. Rogers started slow in the opening quarter with just two points, but her teammates stepped up, especially from the perimeter.
The Lady Bulldogs hit five three-pointers, including four from Amber Martin in the first eight minutes and jumped out to a 21-11 lead. While Rogers eventually scored a team-high 28 points, Martin finished with a season-high 22.
“Amber Martin shot great,” Rogers said. “And that’s super helpful to our team.”
Rogers got going in the second quarter, scoring 11 of her team’s 13 points to push Murphy to a 34-19 halftime lead. After scoring more from the perimeter in the first half, the Lady Bulldogs attacked the paint in the third quarter.
Calista Adams had two quick layups to start the period, then Rogers went to work again, working hard to free herself from a face guard and attack the basket. The Lady Bulldogs led by as much as 20 in the third quarter and 21 in the final frame before Enka’s furious rally.
“I just loved the pace of play,” Gutierrez said. “We were playing fast. … We’re going to see a lot of changing defense, we’ll see a lot of junk defense, so our mindset is get the ball out quick.”
Murphy has two games against Little Smoky Mountain Conference teams in Highlands on Tuesday, which unless canceled due to inclement weather took place after this week’s edition of the Cherokee Scout went to press, then takes on Blue Ridge this Friday.
The Lady Bulldogs have grown as the season has progressed, which is exactly what Gutierrez was hoping for when practice started back in early November. While Rogers gives them an advantage in every game, Murphy has started to press and push the tempo more like past Lady Bulldogs team.
When not going fast on the offensive end, Murphy has been able to stretch defenses with its three-point shooting, hitting at least five triples in its last six games. That opens things up inside, especially if they hit from distance early. Now, it’s just about keeping progressing as the most important part of the season gets closer and closer.
“It’s been awesome and really exciting,” Martin said. “Because a lot of people doubted us on how good we were going to be because we didn’t have many returners from our previous teams.”