Preview: Apex Cougars vs. Sanderson Spartans
Apex is 3-0 against Sanderson since December of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. Having just played yesterday, the Apex Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Sanderson Spartans at 6:30 p.m. on December 13th. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Apex struggled with threes on Tuesday (Green Level had five more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Apex fell 52-43 to Green Level. Apex has not had much luck with Green Level recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
Despite the loss, Apex got a solid performance out of Isabella Pease, who scored 15 points along with nine rebounds and six assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Destiny Richardson, who scored eight points along with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Sanderson was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 49-43 to Heritage.
Sanderson's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Amyah Lynn, who scored 19 points, and Summer Haith who scored 18 points. The game was Haith's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Stella Puckett, who scored four points.
Sanderson struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Apex's defeat dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Sanderson, they bumped their record down to 1-4 with that loss, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Apex have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.8 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Sanderson, though, as they've been averaging only 24.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Apex strolled past Sanderson when the teams last played back in November of 2016 by a score of 54-36. The rematch might be a little tougher for Apex since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
