The third matchup of the season between Panther Creek and Green Level in boys’ basketball will determine the champion of the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference tournament.

On Wednesday night, Green Level defeated Apex Friendship with a score of 73-50 in the semifinals, maintaining their undefeated record for the season. In the second game of the evening, Panther Creek managed to fend off a comeback from Holly Springs and secure a 63-57 victory.

The Gators emerged victorious in both meetings with the Catamounts in the regular season, although the games were tightly contested. In December, Green Level narrowly defeated Panther Creek 65-57 on their home court, largely due to a standout 25-point contribution from Isaac Ericksen.

In late January, Green Level visited Panther Creek and had a tighter game, but ultimately emerged victorious with a score of 61-57. Despite only scoring six points in the third quarter, the Gators bounced back in the fourth quarter with 19 points and outscored Panther Creek.

On January 30th, Ericksen and Tye Cain both contributed 18 points each to Green Level’s victory over Panther Creek.

The current record for Green Level is 26 wins and 0 losses for the season, securing them the SWAC championship with a perfect 14-0 record. Panther Creek has a record of 21 wins and 5 losses, earning them second place in the SWAC with a 12-2 record. The Catamounts have a winning streak of seven games.

Green Level and Panther Creek will face each other on Friday at 8 p.m. at Green Level.

The semifinal match was between Green Level and Apex Friendship with Green Level winning 73 to 50.

In the conference tournament semifinals on Wednesday evening, Green Level had a 73-50 victory over Apex Friendship, shooting 57% from the field and 66% from three-point range.

The Gators established dominance from the start, earning 21 points in the opening quarter. At the halfway mark, Green Level maintained a lead of 36-27.

In the third quarter, Green Level restricted Apex Friendship to only six points. In the fourth quarter, they scored 22 points compared to the Patriots’ 17, resulting in a double-digit victory for Green Level.

Green Level’s top scorer was Isaac Ericksen, who had 23 points. Izzy Eatman contributed 17 points for the Gators, while Trevor Manhertz had nine points.

Sathvik Pal scored nine points and Luke Hemric contributed eight points, leading Apex Friendship.

The Patriots’ current record is 19-7 and they will learn their placement in the 4A state playoffs on Saturday. According to the most recent HighSchoolOT Playoff Projections, Apex Friendship is expected to receive the 20th seed and face Wakefield, ranked 13th, in the first round of playoffs.

Panther Creek defeats Holly Springs 63-57 in the semifinal round.

Panther Creek established a significant lead in the first half against Holly Springs. However, the Catamounts had to withstand a comeback in the second half by the Golden Hawks in order to progress to the SWAC tournament championship game.

The Catamounts achieved their third victory over Holly Springs this season, securing a spot in the semifinals with a 63-57 score.

In the first half, Panther Creek scored 35 points while Holly Springs scored 25. However, in the second half, the Golden Hawks attempted a comeback.

In the final quarter, Holly Springs closed the gap to only three points, scoring four points more than Panther Creek. However, the Catamounts made sufficient free throws to keep Holly Springs from equalizing the game.

Cameron Hunter scored two free throws to increase the advantage by four points, and later made a breakaway lay-up in the last minute to widen Panther Creek’s lead to six.

Hunter scored 15 points for the Catamounts, while Chris Uwayo had 18 points for Panther Creek and Zy’vaun Puckett contributed 13 points.

Will James Jr. and Josiah Currie had 21 and 17 points respectively, leading Holly Springs.

The state playoffs will include the Golden Hawks, but they will need to wait until Saturday to learn their opponent and location. According to the most recent HighSchoolOT Playoff Projections, Holly Springs is expected to be the No. 19 seed and face off against No. 14 Clayton in the initial round.

Source: highschoolot.com