Basketball Recap: Abigail Bennah's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Panther Creek over Apex Friendship

Panther Creek was the 54-53 winner over Apex Friendship when they last played one another back in January, but their luck changed this time around. The Panther Creek Catamounts fell just short of the Apex Friendship Patriots by a score of 61-58 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Catamounts have suffered against the Patriots since January 28, 2022.

Abigail Bennah

Points

02/07/25 @ Apex Friendship	16
02/05/25 @ Middle Creek	5
02/04/25 vs Green Hope	3
01/31/25 vs Apex	2
01/28/25 vs Green Level	5
+ 14 more games

Panther Creek's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Abigail Bennah, who went 6 of 13 en route to 16 points in addition to seven rebounds and six assists. Bennah continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Sasha Boddie, who almost dropped a double-double with 13 points and nine boards.

Bennah wasn't the only one working in the assist department: Panther Creek was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in four consecutive games.

Apex Friendship had a senior duo take command as Jasmine Nivar dropped a double-double with 29 points and 12 rebounds and Ailani Collazo posted 13 points along with eight steals and three blocks. The contest was Nivar's 22nd in a row with at least 16 points. Emma Cyrus was another key player, putting up eight points.

Panther Creek's defeat dropped their record down to 12-8. As for Apex Friendship, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season.

Panther Creek and Apex Friendship should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings. Panther Creek will challenge Holly Springs at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday up 179 places (150 vs. 329). Panther Creek is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road. Similarly, Apex Friendship (ranked 58th) will meet Cary (ranked 336th) at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Panther Creek is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.2 points per game this season.