Hiawassee, Ga. – The Lady Bulldogs (0-7) entered the Battle of the States Tournament last week looking for their first win on the basketball court.
Head coach Gary Thompson’s Lady Bulldogs came out on fire in their first game Thursday against Coosa (5-7) as they jumped out to a 12-0 lead with 4:07 left to play in the first quarter, but the Manley sisters doused those high expectations in the final minutes of the first quarter.
Coosa’s Riyah Manley hit a three and added a field goal for five points, while her little sister, Mekenna Manley, knocked down three 3-pointers in the final minutes in the first quarter to erase the Lady Bulldog’s early lead. The Eagles entered the second quarter with a 16-13 lead.
Coosa went on to outscore Murphy in the second quarter 17-6 to build a halftime lead of 32-19. The Lady Bulldogs were held to single-digit scoring in the middle two stanzas but staged a late fourth-quarter comeback.
During the fourth period, Kennedy White and Charlie Stalcup nailed two 3-pointers apiece. Saige Kent, the only Lady Bulldog in double figures with 13 points, got five on those points in the final frame. The comeback fell short, as Murphy fell to Coosa 53-43.
The competition wouldn’t get any easier for the Lady Dogs as they faced 3A Franklin (5-6) in the consolation game Friday. The Lady Dogs were overwhelmed by the Lady Panthers 60-35.
Franklin’s stingy defense kept any of the Lady Bulldogs from reaching double figures. Julia Dockery was Murphy’s leading scorer with eight points, while Saige Kent, the Lady Dogs’ leading scorer in the tournament, was held to only seven.
Franklin jumped out to a 34-19 halftime lead and continued to outscore the Bulldogs 26-16 in the last two quarters to net the final outcome of 60-35. Cali Queen scored 17 points.