Murphy – After beating Hayesville in the first round, the Andrews boys varsity basketball team faced in-county rivals and No. 1 seed Murphy.
In heartbreaking fashion, the Wildcats were eliminated by the Bulldogs.
Cats beat Jackets
The Wildcats opened their Big Smoky Mountain Conference tournament play with a 73-52 win over Hayesville on Feb. 17.
The Cats had a huge first quarter with 21 points to take a 12-point lead to the second quarter.
In the second quarter, they added 20 points to increase their lead. The Wildcats were rolling and led 41-26 at halftime.
After a 19-point third quarter capped off by a buzzer beater 3-point shot from Gabe Clark, the Cats led 60-37 heading into the fourth quarter.
Andrews took its time in the fourth quarter with the clock winding down to victory.
They added 13 points in the fourth quarter to win the game 73-52 and advance to the second round.
Clark led the Wildcats with 22 points. He had 12 points in the first half, all coming from 3-pointers.
Also in double digits were Levi Clark with 15 points and Brady McLelland with 10 points.
Tough loss to Dogs
In a hard-fought game between in-county rivals, the Wildcats lost to Murphy 71-68.
It was a tight first half with both teams battling. Murphy led 19-18 after the first quarter, then they went to halftime tied at 38.
Murphy began to pull ahead in the third quarter and took a 52-49 lead to the fourth quarter.
After multiple lead changes in the third quarter, both teams were tied at 68 in the final seconds.
With only seconds left on the clock and fans expecting overtime, Murphy’s Cale Harger got a defensive rebound then lobbed it down the court for the buzzer beater.
After Harger’s 3-pointer, Murphy won 71-68.
Logan Shuler was hot from beyond the arch, knocking down four 3-pointers in his 20-point game.
Braylen Maennle was also hot from the 3-point line as he hit five 3-pointers in his 19-point performance.
Also in double digit points were Gabe Clark with 17 points and Levi Clark with 10 points.
Up next
The Wildcats got the No. 3 seed in 1A West for the state playoffs and a first round bye.
In their second round matchup on Thursday, they will host the winner of The College Prep and Leadership Academy vs. Summit Charter.