The last game for Panther Creek will be in the championship of the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference tournament, before they try to defend their 4A girls basketball state title from the previous year.

This season, the Catamounts will face Green Level for the third time in a conference tournament championship match.

On Wednesday afternoon, Panther Creek won against Cary with a score of 73-42, securing their spot in the finals. In the second semifinal game, Green Level beat Middle Creek with a close score of 64-60.

Panther Creek and Green Level faced each other twice during the regular season, with the Catamounts winning by a large margin in both games.

During their initial encounter, Panther Creek triumphed over Green Level with a score of 47-29 while playing away. Taylor Barner led the scoring with 18 points, and Olivai Tucker contributed 14 points to secure the victory for Panther Creek. Deana Prasad was the sole player from Green Level to reach double digits, scoring 12 points.

After a sluggish start where they were only ahead by 5-3, Panther Creek dominated the remaining three quarters and outscored Green Level by 42-26.

In the January game between Catamounts and Green Level, Panther Creek emerged victorious with a 62-43 score. This was largely due to their strong defensive play in the second quarter, limiting the Gators to only four points.

In the second matchup, Barner earned a total of 27 points while Tucker contributed 18 points and Kirstin Smalls put up 11 points.

Panther Creek’s overall record is now 20-4 and Green Level’s is 19-7. The Catamounts achieved a perfect 14-0 record in the regular season, earning them the SWAC title and extending their winning streak to 14 games. Green Level ended their season with a 10-4 record, placing third in the conference behind Middle Creek.

The conference championship game on Friday will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Green Level.

Panther Creek defeated Cary 73-42 in the semifinal round.

In the first half, Cary put up a strong fight against Panther Creek. The Imps managed to score 19 points in the first quarter and limited Panther Creek to only nine points in the second quarter.

The Catamounts were able to secure a 36-31 lead at halftime, which then expanded in the second half.

Panther Creek dominated the third and fourth quarters, outscoring Cary 24-8 and 14-13 respectively, earning a 73-42 victory.

Tucker was the top scorer for Panther Creek, earning 24 points with 14 points in the second half alone. Kirstin Smalls contributed 18 points while Taylor Barner had 11 points for the Catamounts.

Eight different players from Panther Creek contributed to the scoring in the game.

Kyndall Brewington scored 15 points and Luci Auguston contributed 14 points to lead Cary. Nadia Snesarev was the only other player to reach double digits with 11 points.

According to the most recent HighSchoolOT Playoff Projections, Cary was predicted to be among the final five teams to make it into the tournament. The updated projection places the Imps at the No. 28 spot, facing off against No. 5 ranked Richmond on the road.

On Saturday afternoon, Cary will determine if it qualifies for the state playoffs with an overall record of 11-13.

The Semifinal game ended with a score of Green Level 64 and Middle Creek 60.

Middle Creek came in second place in the SWAC regular season rankings. However, despite winning against Green Level during the regular season, the Mustangs were defeated by the Gators in the semifinals of the SWAC tournament on Wednesday night.

The Gators advanced to the SWAC tournament championship game after defeating the Mustangs 64-60 in the semifinals. The Green Level team emerged victorious.

In the final period, Middle Creek scored 16 points while Green Level scored 12, closing the gap between the two teams. However, despite this effort, Green Level was able to hold on and secure the win thanks to their performance at the free throw line.

In the fourth quarter, Green Level successfully converted 6 out of 13 free throws and also made two three-point baskets, thanks to Talia Austin. This helped them fend off the Mustangs’ attempt at a comeback.

Austin ended the evening with a total of 11 points, which included three shots made from a distance.

Ryan Baker was the top scorer for Green Level, putting up 18 points with four three-pointers. Deana Prasad contributed 17 points, while Claire Barber had 13.

Middle Creek had a total of four players who scored in double digits. Joi Pergerson led the team with 16 points, followed by Ava Skladanowski with 14 points, Sarah Furst with 13 points, and Alysia Pergerson with 12 points.

Middle Creek currently holds a record of 21-5 and will be given an automatic invitation to the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs once the brackets are announced on Saturday. According to the most recent HighSchoolOT Playoff Projections, the Mustangs are predicted to secure the No. 12 spot and will have home court advantage in the first round against No. 21 ranked Topsail.

Source: highschoolot.com