Preview: Apex Friendship Patriots vs. Middle Creek Mustangs
Apex Friendship is 8-2 against Middle Creek since January of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Apex Friendship Patriots will head out on the road to take on the Middle Creek Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. Apex Friendship is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.
Apex Friendship struggled with assists on Friday (Green Level had 12 more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Apex Friendship suffered a rough 58-35 defeat at the hands of Green Level. While losing is never fun, Apex Friendship can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 248th, while Green Level is ranked 63rd).
Despite their defeat, Apex Friendship saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Avery Kiger, who scored nine points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Caroline Reynders, who scored four points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Middle Creek unfortunately witnessed the end of their seven-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of Panther Creek by a score of 62-60. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Despite the loss, Middle Creek had strong showings from Joi Pergerson, who scored 27 points along with three steals, and Alysia Pergerson, who scored 21 points along with eight steals. Pergerson continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Makiya Denee Mial, who scored no points along with eight rebounds and eight steals.
Apex Friendship has not been sharp recently as the team has lost 11 of their last 13 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-15 record this season. As for Middle Creek, their loss ended a eight-game streak of away wins and brought them to 20-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Apex Friendship have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Middle Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Apex Friendship might still be hurting after the 61-35 loss they got from Middle Creek in their previous matchup back in January. Can Apex Friendship avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
