Murphy – After not having a girls basketball junior varsity team last year, Murphy returned to the court in a big way for the 2021-22 season.
The Lady Bulldogs finished with a 5-1 record in the Big Smoky Mountain Conference, winning both the conference regular season and tournament championships. After losing to Cherokee during conference play for its only loss, the Lady Bulldogs beat Robbinsville and then Swain County to win the conference tournament.
“It was just so fun to watch,” junior varsity coach Jordan Lovingood said. “A lot of them, that was their first championship game they’d gotten to play in. And to see them play in it and celebrate at the end, it just means the world to us.”
This year’s team was composed of seven freshman and one sophomore. With a small roster, every player saw time on the court.
Freshman Julia Dockery was the team’s top scorer, while Saige Kent provided good rebounding and leadership as the team’s only sophomore. The team would practice with the varsity players most of the time, but sometimes had 6
a.m. practice sessions to get in some individual work.
“As JV players, or any time, I don’t know many that are willing to come in at 6 a.m.,” Lovingood said. “And we had to do that a lot just to get them separate in the gym from our varsity players. Not only are they great to come in and work hard at that hour, but we have great parents who come in and bring them that early.”
Though Murphy graduates three seniors who as a whole may be nearly impossible to replace, the JV coach thinks this group can help the varsity team continue to have success.
“We have a good thing going here,” Lovingood said. “Our younger players get to learn from our older players especially since we practice together, and so I think that had a lot to do with our improvement throughout the year.”