DALTON, Ga. – Greg Linder has heard all the doubts about the legitimacy of his basketball team’s credentials. Following Thursday night’s blowout win in the Region 7-AAA quarterfinals, the criticism might soon start to die down.
Linder’s third-ranked Murray County Indians hit eight of their first 10 shots and went on to rout Cedartown, 70-51, to clinch a berth in the state tournament. They will play Pickens County in a semifinal today.
Pickens rallied late to eliminate host Dalton, 63-55. The other boys’ semifinal will pit Allatoona, which defeated LaFayette 50-45, against Heritage, which eliminated Ringgold 52-49 in a Catoosa County matchup.
Murray County (23-2) displayed the kind of confident play it has all season. With the Bulldogs sagging inside to try to control 6-foot-5 post Taylor Patterson, the Indians hit three consecutive 3-pointers. Then when the Cedartown defenders started running to the wings, Patterson took control.
All five Indians starters scored within the game’s first four minutes, and they led 21-2 with 3:02 remaining in the period.