BILLINGS — When Glendive’s boys broke a 15-year state tournament drought in 2022 it felt like a benchmark moment for the program the Red Devils finally placed themselves back among Class A’s top tier But Glendive has since become a state-tourney staple having qualified in each of the past three seasons And this season is providing the team — which is out to a 9-2 overall record and entered this week riding a six-game winning streak — with perhaps its highest hopes since the Derek Selvig era nearly 20 years ago “We’re focused,” senior Levi Eaton told MTN Sports “We came into the season knowing what we could do and the expectations we had We know that there's going to be people coming after us and giving us their best shot.” This year’s version of the Red Devils, who are now ranked No. 2 in MTN Sports' Class A power rankings is an eclectic mix of veteran leadership and youthful talent 260-pound Eaton is one of several seniors playing vital roles a group that also includes Carter Amsler and Shann McPherson Dylan Jolliffe and Kason Berry have provided support off the bench has come from a high-scoring freshman named Ethan Rivas who has on his résumé an overtime game-winner to beat Class A contender Lockwood earlier in the season — a game in which he poured in 30 points Sophomore Cy Eaton is also among the team’s top-five scorers It’s a squad that has taken other teams’ best shots and proven to be up to the task “Our goal is just like every other team in the state and that's by getting better each week,” Levi Eaton said “Our biggest strength right now is that we’re an older ball club that just kind of understands that it’s a long season and we’ve got a lot of improving to do,” 18th-year coach Wade Murphy said But it has to do with being a little older and just kind of understanding how to win games Murphy credits assistant coach Gavin McPherson for the work he’s put in with Glendive’s younger players a group McPherson has shepherded since grade school Rivas’ impact has been significant beyond his exploits in the OT win over Lockwood “He plays older than he is,” Murphy said of Rivas who also got varsity playing time last year as an eighth grader “We just kind of turn him loose and let him play and our older kids understand what he can bring to the team.” the Red Devils beat Sidney and Havre by 19 and 14 points They also have a road victory over traditional power Billings Central They split two games against Lockwood but haven’t lost since an eight-point defeat to Frenchtown at the East-West Tipoff in East Helena on Dec Glendive saw a 15-point lead evaporate in the first half but later went on a 26-3 run to secure an 18-point win Glendive feels it still has a lot to prove And that’s before the always-tough Eastern A tournament convenes at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark at the end of February The Red Devils’ aim is to continue peaking toward that moment to overcome the Billings Centrals and Lockwoods of the world when it matters most “I still feel like we’re chasing them to a certain extent,” Murphy said “I know that sounds crazy because we’ve beaten them But I look at where we’re at and what we have and I still feel like we haven’t played as well as we could play consistently.” Murphy added: “Winning in December and January is fun It gets you attention and your community gets excited And what’s nice is that I think our kids understand that.” the Red Devils can reclaim a spot at the state tournament — what is now a very familiar place BILLINGS — Lockwood and Billings Central have set up a championship showdown Saturday night at the Eastern A boys divisional basketball tournament inside First Interstate Arena in Billings Both the Lions and Rams won semifinal games Friday night Lockwood led Glendive by as many as 14 but had to hold off the Red Devils for an eventual 64-51win in Friday's semifinals of the Eastern A boys divisional basketball tournament The win also clinches Lockwood's first appearance in the Class A state boys basketball tournament in program history "It's about time," Lockwood head coach Bobby Anderson said leading 29-15 midway through the second quarter before carrying a 29-22 lead into halftime but Lockwood's bucket on the opening possession of the fourth quarter pushed the lead back to 13 points Following a technical foul on Lockwood's Kobe Blake with the lead at 13 Glendive seized momentum and cut the lead to two on an Ethan Rivas 3-pointer with 3:02 to play to push the lead to 64-49 with 37.6 seconds to play 'Adversity visits the tough but stays with the weak,'" Anderson said We're going to embrace chaos and smile through adversity Lockwood was at a distinct size disadvantage with Glendive's Levi and Cy Eaton patrolling the paint but the Lions were able to take the front-court duo out of the game offensively and force perimeter shots Make it tough to get it to them was our objective I have a lot of respect for Wade Murphy," Anderson said "The objective was to pressure the heck out of the ball Then we were going to double the post when it go within six feet Lockwood put four players in double figures Zicciah Callison-Blake scored 13 and Nate Davis finished with 10 Lockwood and Central split their two regular-season meetings Glendive will play Lewistown in loser-out action Jim Stergar had one message for his Billings Central boys at halftime of their Eastern A semifinal against East Helena — just keep grinding The Rams out-scored the Vigilantes 37-28 in the second half to run away with a 62-50 win and advance to Saturday night’s championship game Teams give us their best shot every time we play," Central head coach Jim Stergar said "In the second half you could tell attrition kicked in Their shots weren't falling as well as they did in the first half I'm glad our guys are fresh for (Saturday) night I'm just proud of our guys for hanging around They could have easily rolled over and let the twilight zone kick in and have some team beat you that shouldn't I'm proud of what he's done at East Helena They're a good ball club and they can make some noise Central trailed East Helena by one in the closing moments of the first half but went on a 17-5 run spanning the final minute of the first half and the first six minutes of the third quarter The Rams were able to put the game to bed in the fourth quarter as the lead ballooned to 21 just three minutes into the period Central turned the tide with its defensive effort over the final 16 minutes forcing numerous turnovers and contested shots from East Helena “We're spoiled with these student-athletes They just know how to get it done and how to step it up They're winners and we have the luxury of coaching winners Central's Darcy Merchant led the Rams with 16 points including an emphatic two-handed jam in the final minute to punctuate the victory East Helena's DeonDray Ellis led all scorers with 27 points Central and Lockwood are slated for a 7 p.m The Rams and Lions split their two regular-season meetings East Helena will play Havre in Saturday morning loser-out action BILLINGS — Blue-collar is the best way to describe the Glendive boys basketball team “On the weekends our guys are out hunting varmints and moving cows because we're a lot different than a lot of these teams around the Billings area," Glendive head coach Wade Murphy said Throwing hay bales around," Glendive senior Levi Eaton said Headlined by the 6-foot-6 Eaton and his 6-4 brother Cy the Red Devils earned a trip to the Class A boys state tournament after a third-place finish at the Eastern A divisional tournament along with the timely scoring of Carter Amsler “Bobby Anderson at Lockwood told me we play 1950s basketball," Murphy said but we make shots because we have big kids It's really hard sometimes for our guys to turn down 3s to know that we might get a better one in the possession." “It makes it hard for teams to man us," Eaton said If they zone us it opens up the game for the guards The Glendive boys are making their fourth consecutive appearance at the State A tournament and have all the makings of leaving First Interstate Arena with more hardware for the case “We have little basketball camps where kids come in just showing them what we're about and how fun it is to play basketball," Eaton said “They see — more importantly — not just a good work ethic but how well we share the ball with each other Those are the intangibles that are important," Murphy said but if kids don't like playing together and they don't genuinely care for each other and love each other they genuinely like to see their teammates do well The Red Devils open the state tournament against the Western A’s No Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here From her work as a speech paraprofessional in Glendive public schools following her son’s many sporting activities she has just enough time to make sure she is caring for her own health.  Her normal routine took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.  her medical provider insisted that she undergo a screening mammogram.  'I don't have time for this,' but my doctor didn't give me a choice," Smith joked.  and further tests confirmed it was cancer.  Smith had undergone surgery to remove the lump and was advised to start chemotherapy Smith faced the prospect of traveling long distances for her treatments.  If she chose to travel more than 200 miles to Billings the daily radiation treatments would require her to potentially spend weeks away from her family Smith’s provider informed her about the new Intermountain Health Holy Rosary Cancer Center in Miles City that was now providing radiation oncology treatments.   "From the very moment I spoke with my radiation doctor in Miles City The facility was brand new and very comfortable but this place made it a really good experience," Smith shared.  The convenience of the cancer center was “a game changer" for Smith she was able to work her radiation treatments into her work and family schedules.  I was able to leave my last student at 3 o'clock and be back home by dinner time," she said.  “We are incredibly proud of the strides we've made in expanding our cancer services,” said Katie Donnelly,” director of oncology care at Intermountain Health Holy Rosary Hospital “Being able to offer comprehensive cancer care at Holy Rosary means patients like Marcy no longer have to travel hours for these treatments in the lives of our patients and their families is what inspires us every day.”                                                                                                                                     ### It was harder on my family than it was on me They didn’t have any control over what happened; they just sort of watched it go on When they knew I was going to Miles City for radiation made possible with a $6-million grant from Leona M Helmsley Charitable Trust.  The new state-of-the-art facility now provides radiation oncology care in addition to the medical oncology and support services that Holy Rosary has provided for several decades It is the only comprehensive cancer center in a 125-mile radius Holy Rosary provides more than 1,500 infusion treatments and has more than 500 provider visits with patients.  “With the opening of the new cancer center and now offering radiation oncology services at Holy Rosary we will be able to serve even more patients creating equitable cancer care for the region and our rural communities.” shared Ben Uhlich president and chief nursing officer of Holy Rosary Hospital.  Smith’s commitment to her family was evident throughout her treatment journey she made sure to be there for her children and grandchildren often accompanied her to the cancer center providing company and support.   The support from her community also played a crucial role and provided words of encouragement," Smith says combined with the accessible care at the Holy Rosary cancer center made a significant difference in her journey.  Smith's story highlights the importance of having access to critical cancer care in rural areas Care close to home eases the economic and physical burden of travel and stress for patients like Smith and very knowledgeable doctors from a great group," she said.  Smith acknowledges the profound impact her cancer has had on her family "It was harder on my family than it was on me they felt much better," she said.   As Smith looks forward to the future with determination she remains committed to her family and community "I'm going to watch my foster son graduate and all the big things my family will do," she said.    Smith starts a new year with gratitude and cautious optimism caring for her family and students.  She also wants women to understand and prioritize the importance of accessing preventative care even during the busyness and commitments of daily life Intermountain Health welcomes the opportunity to work with local and international journalists and news media outlets We are always available to respond to your questions and help support your newsgathering efforts Interview requests with Intermountain Health medical experts should be directed to our media relations team FOR NEWS MEDIA ONLY: To contact a member of the Intermountain Health Media Relations team for assistance:  > Email: IntermountainNews@imail.org  > Phone: On-Call Media Relations Representative: 385-275-8245  BILLINGS — The defending Class A girls basketball state champion looks to be in midseason form Billings Central dominated visiting Glendive in its season opener on Saturday night The Rams put three players in double figures Kamryn Reinker had 14 and Ryen Hadley added 13 Central will visit defending State AA champion Billings Skyview on Tuesday Blue Pony softball hosted its second home game of the season on Thursday night facing Dawson County at Sixth Avenue Memorial Field It wasn’t all fun and games early on as the Red Devils struck for an RBI single in the top of the first inning followed by a Rachel Jette RBI double to score Olson and Camille Keeley who clobbered a two-run homer to extend the edge Glendive got a run back in the fourth inning putting up seven runs in the bottom of the inning After Bree Hanson got on the board with an RBI single Brenna Hanson went yard again for her second four-bagger of the game tossing a complete game with seven strikeouts and just one walk The undefeated Ponies (3-0) have to turn right around and play in Lewistown at the Fergus Tournament on Friday New Media Broadcasters will have a write-up for evening sports Sign up to receive our free daily recap of local news we announce the passing of Shadd Taylor Kauffman on February 12 Shadd was born to Roland Eugene and Mary Deean (Taylor) Kauffman on November 16 His family later moved to the family farm in Bloomfield He attended school in Glendive and later enlisted with the US Air Force in 1992 where he graduated top of his class as a Ballistic Missile System Specialist Shadd was very proud of this accomplishment and although the marriage dissolved 2 years later they remained good friends throughout the years Shadd returned to Glendive where he went to work at The Jordan as a maintenance worker Shadd quickly became a bartender where he eventually was running the bar He was also the architect for the 2000’s music scene helping to bring many famous bands to Glendive for concerts It was at this time that he established a brotherhood with his lifelong friend One of Shadd’s biggest delights was the birth of his son After starting work with US Minerals in 2014 Although he lived his life as a free spirit who never stayed in one place for too long Shadd could light up any room he entered with his smile People were drawn to his charismatic charm and bubbly personality He was a kind and sweet soul with a heart of gold Everyone knew when Shadd was around that there would be some kind of shenanigan about to happen Shadd was preceded in death by his parents whose loss left a huge hole in Shadd’s heart at 11:00am at the Gateway Christian Fellowship Church Please visit the sidebar to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Shadd.  Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home is privileged to care for Shadd and his family BILLINGS — Second-ranked Billings Central scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and opened its season with a 45-13 win over Glendive Friday night at Herb Klindt Field Jack DeBourg scored on touchdown runs of 3 and 8 yards on the Rams’ first two possessions and Ayden Salter added a 14-yard scamper for a 21-0 lead Glendive got on the board late in the first half by covering 65 yards on two pass plays The Red Devils converted on fourth down on a long pass from Carter Amsler to Shann McPherson before Amsler hit Jaden Silha over the middle for a 25-yard score The Rams answered on the ensuing kick when Salter received the ball near the left hash and then pitched the ball to William Snell coming from the other side of the field Snell rambled 90 yards down the left sideline for a 28-6 Billings Central lead Personalized news alerts with our mobile app Hardin boys at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Glendive's Cy Eaton takes possession during a game against Hardin at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Hardin's Micah Falls Down embraces teammates during the starting line up at a game against Glendive at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Glendive basketball fans stand and cheer on the boys team during the starting line up at a game against Hardin at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Glendive's Carter Amsler makes a pass to teammate opposite Hardin's Vance Takes Enemy Jr during a game at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday The Glendive boys baksetball team stand and cheer as they secure the lead during a game against Hardin at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Hardin's Micah Falls Down guards Glendive's Kason Berry during a game at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Hardin's Ezekiel Wallace guards Glendive's Shann McPherson during a game at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Glendive's Shann McPherson and Carter Amsler guard Hardin's Vance Takes Enemy Jr Hardin boys basketball head coach Justin Hugs signals to a player on the court during a game against Glendive at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Glendive Cheerleaders perform to the crowd during a game against Hardin at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Glendive's Dylan Jolliffe guards Hardin's Micah Falls Down during a game at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday Hardin's Jonathon Takes Enemy holds possession opposite Glendive's Cy Eaton and Levi Eaton during a game at the MHSA Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark on Thursday The Class A No. 4-ranked Red Devils with size and experience all throughout the lineup have emerged into a legitimate Class A title threat Highlights and high scorers from high school basketball games around Montana BILLINGS — The Lockwood and Glendive boys won first-round matchups Thursday at the Eastern A divisional basketball tournament inside First Interstate Arena setting up a semifinal meeting between the two sides on Friday East Helena and Billings Central will also meet in the semifinal round Lockwood overcame a 10-point first-half deficit against Havre and defeated the Blue Ponies 64-54 to advance to the semifinals of the Eastern A divisional tournament Lockwood cut Havre’s lead to 34-29 by the time the first-half horn sounded then opened the second half on a 9-2 run to take a 38-36 lead The Lions would lead for the majority of the remainder of the game Zicciah Callison-Blake scored 17 for the Lions Lockwood advances to Friday night’s semifinals while Havre falls to loser-out play on Friday Glendive turned a four-point halftime lead against Hardin into a runaway on Thursday in the opening round of the Eastern A divisional tournament opening the second half on a 15-0 run to pull away for an 83-70 win over the Bulldogs The Red Devils scored the first 15 points of the second half in less than three minutes before Hardin answered with eight consecutive points of its own could not trim the Glendive lead inside double digits Glendive's Levi Eaton led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting while freshman teammate Ethan Rivas poured in 22 points Glendive will face Lockwood in the semifinals on Friday night while Hardin will face Havre in loser-out play East Helena out-scored Lewistown 20-9 in a decisive fourth quarter on its way to a 61-52 win over the Eagles in the opening round of the Eastern A divisional tournament Lewistown held a 43-41 lead entering the final period but East Helena quickly took the lead and put the Eagles on their heels The Vigilantes were able to finish the game off from the free throw line DeonDray Ellis led all scorers with 17 points for East Helena The Vigilantes also got 12 points and seven rebounds from Talen Thatcher Billings Central ran past Miles City in the second half for a () win in the opening round of the Eastern A divisional basketball tournament The Rams led 38-34 at halftime but stretched that to double figures just minutes into the third quarter The Central lead grew to 25 in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter Toby Stewart led all scorers with 22 points for Central The Rams will play East Helena in Friday's 8 p.m while Miles City will play Lewistown in loser-out action GLENDIVE - The Glendive police chief could face possible felony charges for alleged hunting violations on a reservation and two counts of tampering with a witness Court documents filed last Thursday allege that Jeremy Lee Swisher possessed three mule deer bucks racks from bucks that were illegally harvested on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation Wildlife and Parks showed he had not purchased any hunting licenses The Montana Attorney General's Office filed probable cause for three charges: one count of unlawful possession and two counts of tampering with witnesses According to Assistant Attorney General Michael Gee those bucks were killed by Swisher in December of 2021  A court filing states that Swisher said: Click here to read the documents The filing also states that according to Title 19 of the Fort Peck Tribes Comprehensive Code of Justice “there is no provision that allows for non-members to hunt deer by themselves or while accompanied by a member of the tribe Hunting mule deer on the reservation by a non-tribal member is entirely prohibited.” Investigators allege Swisher then illegally transported those deer to his former home in Louisiana and then to his office in Glendive The state alleges that Swisher attempted to induce or otherwise cause witnesses to provide investigators with false information and to withhold information from investigators An initial court appearance was set for July 9 Swisher has also been directed to report to the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office on that date to be fingerprinted Q2 contacted the Glendive Police Department but was told Swisher was not available Wildlife and Parks biologists are testing suspected cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) discovered in white-tailed deer along the Yellowstone River between Glendive and Sidney The agency said in a Thursday news release that the cases have not been confirmed through testing Deer infected by the disease usually die within 8 to 36 hours of showing symptoms The disease does not spread through deer and humans have no known risk but FWP is recommending people do not consume meat of animals that appear sick commonly called “no-see-ums.” Infections typically increase in late summer and fall during warm dry conditions when flies are most abundant and deer are often concentrated near water Periods of outbreak usually end after a hard frost They are often found near water sources due to high fever and may drool or foam at the mouth but some deer survive and develop immunity For hunters planning on hunting white-tailed deer around the Yellowstone River between Glendive and Sidney this opening weekend be aware deer densities may be lower than normal due to the localized impacts of EHD please report sick and dead deer to the Sidney area wildlife biologist I am pumped to get the honor to speak at the Dawson County Lincoln Reagan Dinner in Glendive this Friday What a time we are witnessing right now in America especially as we approach America's 250th Anniversary in 2026 fight" for another 250 years of our great Republic they always want to talk about "the first 100 days." Heck- we can talk about President Donald Trump's first 30 days alone we need to have some fun with what's going on in the world and all the crazy news too I'm looking forward to being at the event There is always a great group of folks from Dawson County and across Eastern Montana that show up with the Montana Legislature starting their transmittal break this weekend we may get a chance to catch up with area lawmakers like Montana's Speaker of the House Brandon Ler (R-Savage) and Rep They both told me they're planning to be there Should be some great insight from the two of them as well Here's the details and ticket info if you want to act now and join us on Friday Please join the Dawson County Republican Central Committee for their Lincoln Reagan Dinner The Glendive Ranger Review put a story together about the event and shared the details for how YOU can get tickets: (UPDATE: Tickets can be purchased at the door Friday night also!) Linda Baker: (406) 939-1199 or Beth Hinebauch: (406) 939-0124 RSVP by Wednesday And if I miss you guys in Glendive on Friday maybe I will see you Saturday in Billings for the SCI Montana Chapter Annual Banquet Gallery Credit: Aaron Flint I am pumped to get the honor to speak at the Dawson County Lincoln Reagan Dinner in Glendive this Friday. What a time we are witnessing right now in America, especially as we approach America's 250th Anniversary in 2026.\nRead More The Glendive Ranger Review put a story together about the event and shared the details for how YOU can get tickets: (UPDATE: Tickets can be purchased at the door Friday night also!) — The Dickinson State (N.D.) men's basketball team coached by Glendive native and former Montana Grizzly Derek Selvig won the outright North Star Athletic Association regular-season championship on Saturday with a 76-60 win over Dakota State (S.D.) NAIA Dickinson State is in its final season in the North Star before joining the Frontier Conference beginning in the 2025-26 academic year the Blue Hawks captured their first league title since tying for first place in 2016-17 DSU is 17-10 overall and finished 12-3 in the NSAA one game ahead of second-place Jamestown (N.D.) The Blue Hawks will host a semifinal game on March 1 Kose Egbule led with 17 points and six rebounds Scobey product Aidan Fishell added 15 points a 2007 graduate of Dawson County High School in Glendive is in his fifth season as head coach at Dickinson State — Glendive native and former University of Montana standout player Derek Selvig on Tuesday was named North Star Athletic Association men's basketball coach of the year Selvig's Blue Hawks won the North Star tournament championship with a 67-62 victory over Jamestown (N.D.) to earn an automatic berth to the upcoming NAIA men's national basketball tournament Selvig guided Dickinson State (N.D.) to the outright NSAA regular-season championship with a 17-10 overall record and 12-3 mark in the NSAA He was a standout 7-foot forward at Montana from 2008-12 helping the Grizzlies reach two NCAA tournaments BILLINGS — Karsen Murphy wanted to — needed to previously a three-sport standout at Glendive had just completed her freshman 2019-2020 season of basketball for the Montana Lady Griz Amid the turnover and turmoil in the Lady Griz basketball program following the school’s decision not to extend then-coach Shannon Schweyen’s contract in April of 2020 Murphy said her scholarship was rescinded by incoming coach Brian Holsinger Playing Division I basketball wasn’t a lifelong dream for Murphy like it is for most prospects But eventually her height and basketball skills blossomed and getting to play at a place like Montana had become a reality that she relished that's it for me,’ “ Murphy told MTN Sports recently It had always been her desire to see what was outside of her home state to have different experiences and get out of her comfort zone Murphy thought that would come later in life when she was done with school and basketball But it dawned on her that that chance was thrust upon her now She entered the transfer portal and settled on a school and a league she’d never heard of: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga of the Southern Conference Murphy had just moved into a new apartment in Missoula that month of April On the same day she was moving her belongings out of that apartment without ever seeing the campus or city (her recruitment consisted of one Zoom-call conversation “You learn a lot about yourself,” Murphy said “You learn how you handle adversity and how fast you have to adapt to situations You can't sit and dwell on the what-ifs and be sad about everything “I'm not just going to give up on my basketball dream because one thing didn't work out In the four seasons since Murphy moved south she has been in the Mocs’ starting five for the past 53 games and has made 62 career starts overall who won Class A high jump and triple jump state titles for Glendive in 2019 and still holds the Class A record in the latter event led the Mocs in blocks last season despite logging the sixth-most minutes on the team Murphy averages 8.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in helping the Mocs (10-10 5-2 SoCon) chase a third straight NCAA national tournament appearance Chattanooga is located near Tennessee’s southern border with Georgia and is within an easy drive — in Montana terms at least — of other major southern cities Atlanta Joining the Mocs has afforded Murphy the opportunity to play at places like Mississippi State She counts playing at Virginia Tech in front of 9,000 fans in the 2022-23 NCAA tournament and at North Carolina State in front of 5,000 fans at least year’s national tourney as career highlights “That NC State game will be one of my favorite gyms I've ever played in,” she said “It was one of the coolest experiences of my life and I think that's one of the benefits to coming down south You’re around a lot more of those big schools so you have the opportunity to play them more “That's honestly always been a goal of mine as a basketball player That’s not to say it’s been all highlights at Chattanooga Fluctuating minutes her first two seasons left her questioning her status within the Mocs’ program She’s played for three coaches in her four seasons while at Chattanooga in five seasons of college basketball between Montana and UTC she believes she’s maxed out her capabilities Murphy already has her degree in exercise science and is taking prerequisite courses in order to apply for an accelerated nursing program She’d like to stay in the South to do that but I think there was just wanting to prove not only others who didn't believe in me but I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it,” Murphy said I could have jumped in the portal every single year until I found a place that was going to play me right away and I knew if I kept doing the right things and kept working hard I was going to be successful here at Chattanooga.”