Hayesville – The Murphy girls basketball team lost a close game to Hayesville 51-47 on Friday.
The first half of the game saw multiple lead changes and was close throughout. In the final minutes of the first half, both teams made multiple 3-point shots. A few missed shots from Murphy let Hayesville take the 20-14 lead into halftime.
Hayesville started hot in the third quarter to take a big lead. Murphy fought back to cut Hayesville’s lead to four points heading into the fourth quarter.
Murphy regained the lead with 3:22 remaining in the game, but Hayesville took the lead back in the final two minutes. Making 2-point shots and tough shots in the paint helped Murphy cut down on Hayesville’s lead.
Murphy fought to the end of the game, but Hayesville made a couple of late 3-pointers to give them the win.
Murphy girls basketball coach Gary Thompson said in the last two games, they have played more team basketball and at a higher effort. He mentioned Emma Laney as a standout player in Friday’s game.
“Emma has been struggling a little after getting back this season after ACL surgery, the last two games she has looked more like her old self. And along with Cayla Geer, Julia Dockery and Breeze Hinton played well Friday night,” Thompson said.
To prepare for the final six games of the regular season, Thompson said, “We will continue to push effort and intensity to prepare for the remainder of the season.”
After this loss, Murphy’s record is 2-7 in the Smoky Mountain Conference and 2-12 overall. On Friday, Murphy will head to Bryson City to take on Swain County at 6:30 p.m.