The Murphy girls varsity basketball team kicked off the season with a 48-23 win over Greenback, Tenn.
The Lady Dogs (1-1) got their first win of the season on Nov. 25 as they took an early lead and never lost it.
They got going early against the Lady Cherokees (0-2) and built a sizable lead in the first half. In the first quarter, they scored 17 points and only allowed eight.
The Lady Bulldogs followed that up with an 11-point second quarter. They played strong defense and only allowed three points to take a 28-11 lead to halftime.
Coming out of the half, their defense was on display again as they only allowed three points for a second straight quarter. Murphy also tracked on 10 points to take a 38-14 lead into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, the Lady Dogs added 10 points for the second straight quarter. The Lady Cherokees of Greenback made a late push with nine fourth-quarter points, but were ultimately shut down.
With four double-digit quarters on offense and strong defense that didn’t allow double-digit points in any quarter, the Lady Dogs earned their first win of the season.
The following day, the Lady Dogs took on Seymour, Tenn., (4-0) and fell 67-35.
The Lady Dogs faced tough competition in the Lady Eagles, who come from class 3A in Tennessee. The Lady Eagles are undefeated so far this season, with three of their wins by 20 points or more and their other win being a four-point victory over Polk County, Tenn.
Murphy moves to 1-1 on the season following their 67-35 loss. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Lady Dogs will face in-county rivals Hiwassee Dam (2-1) for the first time this season. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, Murphy will host the Franklin Lady Panthers (1-1) in a non-conference matchup.