Last year, Panther Creek swept the Tri-Eight regular season and conference tournament titles as well as player and coach of the year awards on their way to a 28-3 record.

The program's first senior class - nine players in all - were going to be hard to replace as three of them went on to play at a Division I college. Star guard Earnest Ross, now at Auburn, started immediately for the Tigers while twins Brandon and Marques Oliver are at Delaware State.

Even the Catamounts' coach departed in the off season, as L.J. Hepp returned to the college ranks to become the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of South Carolina.

But somehow, Panther Creek is still the first place team this season.

Despite the changes to personnel, first-year coach Travis Chapman has kept things moving along.

"I've always said if it's not broke, don't fix it," Chapman said. "Coach Hepp was and is an incredible coach. He did a lot for the team, he's done a lot for this program and the things he did that worked in the past, we continue to do those things."

After spending last season as Hepp's top assistant, Chapman - whom Hepp credited with all the defensive planning - was named the school's second coach in four years of existence.

The loss of four senior starters has been alleviated by the transfer of junior Kameron Bryant and the arrival of Ray Hubbard and Jay Townsend - two seniors who hadn't played organized basketball since their freshman year.

Hubbard ran into scholastic problems after his first year in high school, which he spent on varsity, and hadn't returned to the court until now. Townsend, coming off football season, fills the team need for height after losing five players 6-5 or taller from last year's team.

"I've seen it all, the Davids and the Goliaths. I'd put us under the umbrella of the Davids. Experience is a concern, size is a concern," first-year coach Travis Chapman said. Chapman is in his 13th year of coaching but first as the head man on the varsity level.

"I've seen teams that were seemingly overmatched accomplish a lot, so I'm not surprised at [the season's start]."

It hasn't been easy for Chapman's team. In five conference games decided by four points or less, Panther Creek has won four of them.

The most dramatic of these made its way on Youtube.com, where viewers can see Isaiah Johnson tip a teammate's air ball at the horn to defeat Apex 65-64. The head-to-head win over the Cougars is what gives Panther Creek the edge in the Tri-Nine for now.

"Anytime you take a hit like nine seniors, you're going to be dealing with a lot of inexperienced guys," Chapman said. "But we're putting some things together and at least pulling out the close ones."

Panther Creek will compete Tuesday and Wednesday in the Tri-Nine Challenge at Green Hope High School.