Lady Bulldogs Rattle Off Back To Back Wins Over Top 10 Teams
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports December 23, 2021
It’s been a pretty good couple of days to be a Lady Bulldog.
5 days ago, Murphy was staring down a stretch of 3 straight games against conference opponents, 2 of which were ranked in the top 10 in 1A in North Carolina.
The Dogs were able to come out unscathed and now sit alone atop the Smoky Mountain Conference.
After a win last Friday against Hayesville, Murphy played host to rival Robbinsville on Tuesday. Robbinsville had Murphy’s number last year during the regular season, sweeping the Lady Bulldogs for the first time in recent memory.
Not this time.
Seniors Torin Rogers and Amber Martin made sure the Dogs would defend home court, leading their team to a 54-48 victory. Rogers was one block away from a triple double, posting a line of 34 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 blocks. It was a back and forth contest between the two teams for much of the night, but Rogers poured in 24 points in the second half to help put the Black Knights away. Take a look at some highlights from that matchup below:
24 hours after the emotional victory over Robbinsville, the Lady Bulldogs traveled to Cherokee to take on the #6 ranked Lady Braves.
Acter a very closely contested first half, Murphy ended the second quarter on an 11-2 run and took a 22-20 lead into the break.
A good third quarter for the Lady Bulldogs gave them a 40-33 lead heading into the third, but the Lady Braves didn’t go away quietly, cutting the lead to one with a minute left to go in the game. Murphy stayed cool under pressure however, and after a technical foul was called on the Lady Braves, Torin Rogers went 3 for 4 at the charity stripe and gave her team a 51-47 lead with 25 seconds left. The Dogs would go on to win, 57-52, and Torin Rogers would have her second straight 30+ point game in as many days.
Up next for the Lady Bulldogs is the Battle of The States Christmas Tournament at Towns County High School on December 28th, 29th, and 30th. The Lady Bulldogs will face some stout competition and the tournament always makes for a fun time, so come out and support these young athletes!
RING US- Lady Bulldogs Get Their State Championship Rings
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports May 28, 2021
Unforgettable year.
Unmistakable Rings.
The Murphy Lady Bulldogs State Championship Rings were unveiled during a special ceremony on Thursday night at David Gentry Field. The ladies eyes lit up and you could hear “oooo’s” and “ahhhh’s” from players and coaches alike, as they opened up the box that contained the ring they’d worked so hard for all season. It’s easy to see why they were so enamored when they had their first look.
The rings featured some key elements from their historic season: The number of miles traveled in the playoffs. The years of the previous State Titles. The score of the State game. The scores of all of this years playoff games. The numbers of all the players and the initials of all of the coaches. The team motto. And perhaps most importantly, the word “Redemption” was etched on the side of the ring, paying homage to the fact that last years State Championship game was canceled, and the Dogs were crowned “co” state champs.
This year, they left no doubt.
Bulldogs chew up Knights, Advance to 4th straight Final Four
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 1, 2021
Robbinsville, NC- This past Saturday we were lucky enough to experience Murphy vs Robbinsville part 3; Only this time it was in the Elite Eight of the NCHSAA Playoffs.
The stars were aligned for the Black Knights more so than ever this time around, with more fans allowed than there had been all year, the fact that they had beaten Murphy pretty handily twice already this year, and they came in carrying the momentum from a dominant win over Easy Surry in their previous game.
Yet no matter how high the odds were stacked, this time around it was different. The Lady Bulldogs of old showed up and put the Lady Knights in their place, dominating the game from start to finish and winning 49-37 while advancing the their fourth straight Final Four.
Murphy came in with their head down and went to work early, building a 32-15 halftime lead and never looked back, making sure the Knights would remember that the road to the Western Regional Championship runs through Murphy.
Torin Rogers was a force to be reckoned with, dropping 19 points and collecting 21 rebounds on the night.
Kaiya Pickens and Sarah Pullium also notched 10 points a piece, while Pullium added 11 boards also.
Tuesday the Bulldogs will travel to undefeated Mitchell to compete in their 4th straight Final Four. Mitchell is coming off of a 55-54 win over Bishop McGuinness in their previous game.
If I was a Mitchell Mountaineer fan, I’d be a little worried. Ever since the start of the NCHSAA Playoffs, these Lady Bulldogs have flipped the switch. Head Coach Ray Gutierrez has his girls playing a dominant style of basketball right now and I would not want to be the team standing between them and the State Championship.
These Playoff Bulldogs are different.