Basketball Recap: Make It Five in a Row for Murphy

Murphy extended their winning streak to five games thanks to a huge performance from Jayden Mangram. The Murphy Panthers enjoyed a cozy 73-59 win over the Hillcrest Jaguars on Friday thanks in part to Mangram, who went 7 for 13 on his way to 20 points and seven rebounds. His evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points.

The team also got some help courtesy of Cordairus Dixon, who went 6 of 15 on his way to 15 points and three steals. He is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in the last six games he's played.

Despite the loss, Hillcrest still got an impressive performance from J.T. Barlow, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and ten boards. That was a full 49.2% of Hillcrest's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamir Sharpe, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten boards.

Murphy pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 80.8 points per game. As for Hillcrest, the loss was their first on the road , dropping their record down to 5-3.

Murphy didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 60-46 win against Mobile Christian on the 10th. As for Hillcrest, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 60-52 victory against Greenville on the 7th.