Athens' streak ends

Cougars hold off Jaguars to halt 33-game Tri-Eight run

APEX -- Apex got off to a strong start and needed every bit of the early cushion as the Cougars handed the Athens Drive girls basketball team its first loss to a Tri-Eight opponent in two years, 50-47, in the conference opener for both teams.

Coach Chris Danehower's Athens team had run the conference winning streak to 33 games, including three against the rival Cougars last year. The last loss was in the conference opener at Apex two years ago.

As both coaches noted, this was a game matching the size of Athens against the quickness of Apex (8-0, 1-0 Tri-Eight).

"It wasn't a great defensive game on either side," Apex coach Scott Campbell said. "Their size gives us problems and our quickness gives them problems."

Athens (7-1, 0-1) suffered through nine first-quarter turnovers and fell behind 5-0, 9-3, and 18-7 by the end of the first quarter.

Apex, though, lost Cassandra Mitchell, a junior post player, to an ankle injury late in the quarter. She scored 10 of her 11 points in the first quarter and tried to play a little after the injury.

"Cassandra gives us some quickness in the post and she's a very tenacious player," Campbell said. "She's been playing really well."

The Jaguars, behind the scoring of 6-foot-3 junior center Keisha Gatling (19 points), Alyx Ingram (14), Rachel Collins (8) and Lainey Childrey (6), cut the lead to six, 26-20, at halftime.

Apex junior Chloe Wells scored eight of her 17 points in the third quarter as Apex held on to its lead, 36-32 entering the final quarter. Athens had cut the lead to one at 29-28, 31-30, and 33-32.

In the fourth quarter Athens got as close as 37-36 but never could tie the score or take the lead.

"They hit us in the mouth early, but we got back up, fought back, and got to where it was anybody's game," Danehower said. "We just couldn't get over the hump. I've got to give Apex a lot of credit; they kept us off balance. You have to do that because if we can get the ball inside we can score."

In the final 1:14, Apex went to the free-throw line five times, hitting five of 10 attempts to keep the lead.

"We hit just enough free throws, a bunch of ones," Campbell said.

Wells and Mitchell were the only Apex players to score in double figures.

"We got a boost from the play of Kelsey Mancini [7 points] and Grace McCall gave us some energy." Campbell said.