Basketball Recap: Cherokee Comes Up Short

Cherokee was the 72-49 winner over Murphy when they last played one another back in February, but their luck changed this time around. The Braves might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting the Bulldogs an easy 81-61 victory.

When it comes to explaining why Cherokee lost on Friday, don't look at Samuel Hernandez. Despite the final result, he almost dropped a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Dillon Beam, who posted 11 points.

Murphy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Abram Twiggs, who dropped a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. The dominant performance also gave Twiggs a new career-high in shooting accuracy (78%). Another player making a difference was Tyler Payne, who went 6-for-13 on his way to 17 points along with six assists and four steals.

Cherokee's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 4-3. As for Murphy, they have started the season off flawlessly and has a 2-0 record to show for it.

Looking ahead, Cherokee will head out on the road to challenge Polk County at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Braves will be up against the Wolverines' rather soft defense (which has allowed 66.5 points per game), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Murphy, they will take on Polk County in a tournament on Saturday. The Bulldogs will be up against the Wildcats' rather soft defense (which has allowed 57.67 points per contest), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance.