The Apex Cougars will challenge the Green Hope Falcons at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Apex is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Last Tuesday, Apex was beaten by Apex Friendship 72-27. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 483rd, while the Patriots are ranked 61st).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Ella DeGrow, who posted four points. Jordan Mele also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Green Hope's good fortune finally ran out last Tuesday. They fell 69-57 to Panther Creek. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game back in December of 2024 (56), the Falcons still had to take the loss.
Apex will have to contain Abigail Brown as she made an impact in Green Hope's last game. She dropped a double-double on 36 points and 19 rebounds. That was a full 63.2% of Green Hope's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Shawn Sisk, who scored eight points.
Even though they lost, Green Hope smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.
Green Hope's defeat dropped their record down to 9-4. As for Apex, their loss dropped their record down to 2-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Apex has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Green Hope struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Apex didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Green Hope when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 44-40 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Brown, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 19 boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Apex still be able to contain Brown? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
