Preview: Green Level Gators vs. Apex Cougars
Two dominant players in Isaac Ericksen and Zaelyn White are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Green Level Gators will be playing in front of their home fans against the Apex Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Green Level has 17 straight victories, Apex has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Even though Apex Friendship scored an imposing 57 points on Tuesday, Green Level still came out on top. Green Level took their match against Apex Friendship 64-57. Given Green Level's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 17th, while Apex Friendship is ranked 109th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Ericksen, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Trey Manhertz, who scored six points along with ten rebounds.
Apex suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Tuesday. They were beaten by Holly Springs 71-41. Apex has not had much luck with Holly Springs recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Green Level's victory was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-0. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.7 points per game. As for Apex, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost ten of their last 11 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-11 record this season.
Everything went Green Level's way against Apex when the teams last played back in December of 2023 as Green Level made off with a 66-41 win. Does Green Level have another victory up their sleeve, or will Apex turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
