Preview: Murphy Bulldogs vs. Hayesville Yellowjackets
After two games on the road, Murphy is heading back home. They will take on the Hayesville Yellowjackets at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Murphy has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Even though Cherokee scored an imposing 69 points on Friday, Murphy still came out on top. Murphy strolled past Cherokee with points to spare, taking the game 84-69.
Murphy had a senior duo take command as Zach Skogen dropped a double-double on 22 points and 13 rebounds and Xander Wachacha scored 23 points along with six assists and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Wachacha has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Ryan Payne, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Hayesville's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight defeat. They took a 66-57 hit to the loss column at the hands of Andrews. The match was a 35-35 toss-up at halftime, but Hayesville couldn't quite close it out.
Murphy's victory bumped their record up to 14-8. As for Hayesville, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-12 record this season.
Murphy came out on top in a nail-biter against Hayesville when the teams last played back in January, sneaking past 44-41. Will Murphy repeat their success, or does Hayesville have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
