Two dominant guards in Jasmine Nivar and Claire Barber are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Apex Friendship Patriots will take on the Green Level Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Apex Friendship will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
Last Tuesday, Apex Friendship made easy work of Holly Springs and carried off a 61-39 win. The Patriots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matches by 20 points or more this season.
Nivar continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, almost dropping a double-double with 33 points and nine boards. That makes it 13 consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Apex Friendship's points. Another player making a difference was Ailani Collazo, who posted two points and seven steals.
Apex Friendship smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Green Level hadn't done well against Panther Creek recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Green Level sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 49-47 victory over Panther Creek. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Gators.
Apex Friendship better keep an eye on Barber. She was instrumental in Green Level's win, going 10-for-17 to rack up 26 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Stella Eckhart, who went 6-for-12 en route to 12 points and five rebounds.
Apex Friendship's record now sits at 22-4. As for Green Level, their record is now 18-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Apex Friendship has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Green Level struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went Apex Friendship's way against Green Level when the teams last played on Friday, as Apex Friendship made off with a 49-24 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Apex Friendship since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
