The biggest game in our area this week is by far the re-match of the Apex and Athens Drive girls' basketball teams.
Apex remains undefeated and is now ranked No. 4 in the state. Athens Drive is essentially 12th, as they are the second-leading vote getter left out of the top-10.
For the last three years, Athens Drive has owned the Tri-Eight conference. The Jaguars ran their in-conference winning streak up to 33 entering this season, but in the conference opener they fell to Apex, 50-47.
It's evident that the Lady Jags feel as though they have something to prove.
“For the past three years, we’ve been winning the conference and beating Apex, and now it seems like they’re coming up and trying to take the conference away,” Athens guard Alyx Ingram said. “But they’re not going to.”
Don't look for the Lady Cougars to hand back conference supremacy after three years of looking up at Athens in the standings. Apex has been plenty battled-tested this year, and should be ready for the challenge of having to win at Athens.
Broughton has just three losses this year, and one of them was to Apex — by 17 points.
The Cougars also dismissed Millbrook, a traditional power in Wake County, twice this season. Apex has also won its last three games by an average of 46.7 points per game.
Athens has three losses this season. One came against a very good Southeast Raleigh team which is still undefeated in the Greater Neuse Conference, but another came against a 9-9 Wake Forest-Rolesville team.
What makes this match-up even more interesting is the contrast in each team's styles. What that means usually is whichever team plays up to the other team's strength will win. We'll examine that further:
Keys to the game
If you're Apex, it's all about rebounding, rebounding, rebounding.
Athens Drive is one of the bigger teams you'll find in the state, starting with 6'3 center Keisha Gatling. Gatling is only a junior, and she's got offers from Division I teams like Charlotte, UNC-Greensboro and others.
Apex is a quicker team, but if you want to use that to your advantage, you have to get the rebounds that will set up fast-break situations at the other end.
For Athens, it'll have to see if it can create as many fast-break points as Apex can.
Typically, that's the Cougars game and it's easy to see why.
Opposing teams cringe when watching Chloe Wells, one of the best players in the state regardless of class or position, get out in space. Athens can use rebounding on both ends as a means of slowing down the Cougars' pace, and even more importantly, by limiting turnovers.
Last time these two met, Athens had nine first-quarter turnovers. That can't happen when you're playing Wells' team, or any other undefeated team for that matter. The best teams will make you pay for turnovers by getting into the open court and scoring before the defense can set up.
Wells is going to get her 17-22 points, as is Gatling. But whichever team can maximize scoring opportunities will win what's sure to be a close affair. Apex can increase its chances with a good rebounding day, while Athens can do the same if it protects the ball.
It's sure to be a good one on Friday night between the Jaguars and the Cougars and I will see you there!
