Robbinsville offense falters against Murphy
Robbinsville – The second meeting of the season between Murphy and Robbinsville was surrounded by a lot of hype.
For the first quarter, it appeared the Lady Knights had things well in-hand.
For the remaining three quarters, the Lady Bulldogs proved different.
Still without freshman starting point guard Desta Trammell – who has been sidelined with a minor injury since Monday, Feb. 3 – Robbinsville (18-5, 6-5) had opened a 15-10 lead by the end of the first quarter Monday night in Graham County, but Murphy (22-0, 12-0) held the Lady Knights to just four points in the second quarter and six in the third, which paved the way for an offensive outpour that led to a 60-36 Lady Bulldogs victory.
“We have the one of the best half-court defenses in the state, but we couldn’t get our offense going for us to transition into it,” said Robbinsville head coach Lucas Ford.
Robbinsville won the inside battle during the first stanza, consistently making some easy layups to stay ahead. Murphy began to surge back quickly in the second, with the momentum seemingly shifting after Sydni Addison hit a 3-pointer, Robbinsville drove down the court and Sarah Pullium blocked a shot, which led to a turnover and another Addison trey.
After senior Cambrie Lovin drained a 3-pointer of her own, Robbinsville did not score from the field but three more times in the game, on a pair of buckets by Kensley Phillips in the third and fourth, plus a Lovin basket in the closing minutes.
Otherwise, the Knights’ offense was limited to the foul line, which saw Yeika Jimenez go 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. The Lady Bulldogs continuously applied pressure all over the court and the shots just didn’t drop for Robbinsville, despite numerous attempts from beyond-the-arc and in-the-paint.
“They started shooting outside and when they’re doing that, they’re hard-to-beat,” Ford added.
Both Lovin and Jimenez scored a team-high 10 points against Murphy. Others to score for the Lady Knights were Halee Anderson 4, Karlyn Matheson 3, Lina Pagan 2, Kennedy Cable 2, Phillips 2, Gabby Hooper 2 and Kandace Holder 1.
Hectic final week
Much like the first outing, Robbinsville had to again rally late to fend off Hiwassee Dam (9-13) in a make-up game Wednesday, Feb. 5, but the Lady Knights still prevailed 51-47.
Lovin led the scoreline with 15 points. Also contributing to the outcome was Matheson 10, Jimenez 7, Phillips 7, Hooper 6, Cable 4 and Pagan 2.
Robbinsville unleashed some pent-up frustration on Nantahala (3-18) Tuesday night, defeating the Lady Hawks 78-22 on senior night.
Lovin had a 20-point game, which led the crowded Lady Knights scoreline. Also posting points was Jimenez 15, Anderson 13, Matheson 11, Hooper 8, Phillips 6, Holder 3 and Pagan 2.
The scheduled away game at Swain County (4-16, 3-7) on Friday was postponed due to inclement weather and was made up as the season finale after Wednesday’s press deadline.
Visit grahamstar.com for updates on Robbinsville’s season finale, as well as information on Smoky Mountain Conference tournament seeding.
Junior varsity
In the final game of the year for the Lady Knights (0-10), Robbinsville fell 50-22 to Hiwassee Dam.
Scoring for the Knights was Madisyn Ellington 9, Chloe Phillips 8, Emma Birnhisel 3 and Montana Buchanan 2.