PRINCETON — After a loss in the state 1A title game, Princeton coach Paula Wooten said her Bulldogs were not expecting the talent and depth that Murphy High showed in a 76-35 win on Saturday.

“We did run into a really, really good team that we had not seen all year,” Wooten said. “We never got into our groove.”

Her Bulldogs scored the game’s first five points, but after that, the contest belonged to Murphy, which thwarted Princeton’s game plan en route to a 20-point halftime lead.

“I told them the keys to the game were composure and to keep them off the boards, and both of those we did not do a very good job of,” Wooten said.

Sophomore Anna Taylor, who fueled Princeton’s quick start, scored nine points and took home Outstanding Player of the Game honors for the Bulldogs.

“She started out and kept us in the game early,” Wooten said. “She has been a big addition to our team this year.”

Senior Le’Onna Nelson, who won the game’s Sportsmanship Award for Princeton, joined Wooten at the post-game press conference. She talked about her chemistry with fellow Princeton senior Meredith Wooten, who led the Bulldogs with 13 points.

“We’ve been playing together since rec ball, since we were little,” said Nelson, who scored four points on Saturday. “So our connection, our chemistry on and off the court is great, and that makes up great players on the court. We find each other; we help each other.”

Coach Wooten played two roles on Saturday: leader of 12 girls in a state championship game and mother of Meredith, who was held six points below her season average on 4-18 shooting.

When the final buzzer went off, Meredith walked up to her mother and sobbed while Wooten comforted her. “She’s a very, very tough competitor, and she knows when she’s not playing well,” the coach said. “She probably is disappointed in herself. She feels like she let the team down.”

Though they lost, the Bulldogs received a winner’s welcome on their return to Johnston County on Saturday. The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office provided an escort along U.S. 70 from Wilson’s Mills to Princeton, where family and friends greeted the players.

“I’m super proud of them,” said Wooten, whose Bulldogs finished 16-1. “This game does not define our season.”