If Murphy was feeling good fresh off their 87-62 takedown of Swain County last Monday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Murphy Bulldogs fell to the Hayesville Yellowjackets 58-53. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Yellowjackets this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 62-54 back in January.
Cale Harger
| 02/11/25 @ Hayesville | 16 |
| 02/10/25 @ Swain County | 8 |
| 02/07/25 vs Cherokee | 9 |
| 02/06/25 vs Hiwassee Dam | 11 |
| 02/04/25 @ Andrews | 11 |
When it comes to explaining why Murphy lost on Tuesday, don't look at Cale Harger. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Harger is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Ryan Payne, who posted seven points along with nine assists and six rebounds.
Even though they lost, Murphy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive matches.
Murphy's defeat dropped their record down to 12-10. As for Hayesville, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-11 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Murphy will square off against Andrews at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Murphy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 65.4 points per game this season. As for Hayesville, they will face off against Robbinsville at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hayesville is on a five-game streak of home wins, Robbinsville a five-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
