GIRLS: Apex Friendship bounces back vs. Panther Creek in Wonderland third-place contest

CARY -- The game may not have counted in the SWAC Conference standings, but it was certainly worth it for Apex Friendship. The Patriots defeated Cary Panther Creek, 57-42, in the third-place game of the John Wall Invitational’s Wonderland bracket. Apex Friendship lost 67-49 in Cary 13 days prior to Thursday’s game. Apex Friendship started the game on a 9-2 run, punctuated by a Marlee Beam 3-pointer. The Patriots went up by as many as 11 and while the Catamounts tried cutting into the lead, Apex Friendship took a 31-22 advantage into halftime. Panther Creek fired back with an immediate 9-0 run — an Olivia Tucker 3-pointer punctuated the spurt and tied the game at 31. Apex Friendship allowed Panther Creek to tie twice, but maintained the advantage at 41-36 after three. The Patriots dominated the fourth, going up by as many as 21 in the quarter. For Apex Friendship, Jasmine Nivar had 20 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks; Kaitlin Littlejohn had 14 points and three rebounds; and Victoria Sagne added 10 points.

For Panther Creek, Olivia Tucker had 16 points and four rebounds while Madisyn Jordan added 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.