RALEIGH — Rachel Collins and Keisha Gatling combined to score 27 points and pull down 16 rebounds to lead Athens Drive past Middle Creek 58-42 Friday. The two seniors took control of the game from the opening tip, particularly Collins, who scored seven of the Lady Jaguars' first nine points.

“Our seniors have been good leaders for us so far,” Athens coach Chris Danehower said. “They're working hard. And Rachel is the toughest kid I've ever seen. She really ups everybody else's level on the court. And Keisha, well she's hard to stop down low. She's shooting 70 percent from the field so far this year.”

The Lady Jags (5-1, 1-1) dominated the early part of the game, jumping out to a 13-0 lead before the Lady Mustangs finally got on the scoreboard nearly six minutes into the first quarter.

“We were really juiced up for this one,” Danehower said. “It's a good rivalry. We've had a lot of tough games with [Middle Creek]. But to be honest, we just really played well.”

Lady Mustangs coach Wes Petty expected the same from his team, but got the opposite.

“We started the game completely flat,” Petty said. “I was surprised by it. This was a huge game for us considering we had lost to Green Hope and so had they. And our intensity wasn't nearly where it needed to be.”

Middle Creek (2-2, 1-2) was sloppy throughout most of the first half, turning the ball over 14 times. Athens led by 10 after the first quarter and by halftime had pushed the lead to 17.

“We were beat up and down the court all night,” Petty said. “We were impatient, missed shots and didn't take care of the basketball. This was not Middle Creek basketball.”

Center Amber Battle was a bright spot for the Lady Mustangs, leading the team in scoring and rebounds with 14 and five respectively, but her play wasn't enough to cut into the Lady Jags' lead in the second half. Athens maintained its advantage over the final two quarters, cruising to the 16-point Tri-Nine victory.

The Lady Jags continue with their conference schedule when they travel to face Lee County on Tuesday. Middle Creek, however, steps out of league play Tuesday to host Durham Riverside.