Girls’ bball wins 3 behind Murphy’s dominant week
By Jay Turner
Senior Olivia Murphy has been nearly unstoppable all season for the Bulldogs. (Mike Barucci photo)
It’s been a season of highs and lows for the CHS girls’ basketball team, but last week marked a new high point as the Bulldogs picked up three wins in a span of four days, led by their undisputed MVP, senior forward Olivia Murphy.
One of the league’s most dominant players, Murphy exceeded even her own lofty standards last week, pouring in 91 points and collecting 44 rebounds in consecutive victories over Sharon, Norwood, and Foxboro.
Murphy’s best game came on Tuesday at Sharon, where she went off to the tune of 33 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to a 57-53 win.
“Olivia had a phenomenal week,” said head coach Caitlin Jamiel. “We put a lot of pressure on her to perform at a high level and she rises to that pressure game in and game out.”
With her team trailing by nine at the end of the first quarter, Murphy helped fuel an 18-7 run that gave Canton the lead by two at the half. Sharon would keep it close in the second half, but the Bulldogs played smart down the stretch and held on for the win.
The team was also aided by the return of senior point guard Alana Pitts-Anaya, who had an excellent performance in her second game back from an injury and then followed it up with another strong outing versus Norwood on Wednesday.
Pitts-Anaya finished with 14 points — all from free throws — and Murphy finished with a team-high 27 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Kyshani Dumott added 16 points and four rebounds in what Jamiel called her best performance of the season.
“I don’t think she even realizes how important she is to this team,” Jamiel said of Dumott, whose energy on offense and defense helped fuel the 11-point victory.
Dumott had yet another strong outing on Friday against Foxboro, although once again it was Murphy who stole the show, as she finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds in a hard-fought, 56-53 win at home.
With the three victories last week, the Bulldogs are now 7-8 and could still make the postseason with three more wins over their final five games. The team will next travel to Oliver Ames on Friday and will then host Stoughton on Tuesday, February 14.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=11464
Posted by Jay Turner
on Feb 8 2012. Filed under High School, Sports.
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