APEX - Panther Creek senior girls lacrosse player Ashley Payne was determined the Catamounts could play better in the second half. And she set out to prove it immediately.

Just 17 seconds into the second, Payne had already scooped up the ball off the opening draw, ran down field, zigged and zagged past defenders and fired in a goal.

It was a spark that turned into an inferno as Panther Creek rallied from a two-goal deficit at halftime to defeat host Middle Creek 7-5 Friday night in Conference 2 action.

Payne led all scorers with three goals on the night, including the first two of the second half, which evened the score at 4-4 only 1:42 into the period.

"I thought I had it. No one was around me so I just went for it," Payne said.

"I was a little more timid (in the first half). I like to share the ball more than I like to take it because other girls can do it way better than I can, so I'd rather give it to someone else if they're closer. But I was tired of losing."

Panther Creek then got goals from sophomore Nikki Stober, senior Laurel Everett and sophomore Jill Green to cap the 5-0 run and pad the lead to three.

Junior Claire Wach, who scored her only goal the first half, assisted on two of the five goals as the Catamounts continued to be the aggressor down the stretch.

"They realized the first half was not what we wanted. The girls changed their attitudes at halftime," PC coach Peter DeStaebler said. "It just comes down to hustle and determination."

A shell-shocked Middle Creek team, which had dominated the first half, was never able to get back into its normal flow once the Catamounts got rolling.

"Our defense kind of got behind a little bit and then we were playing catch-up," MC coach Rosemarie Piccirillo said. "We couldn't get out of our own way. We just struggled defensively to try and get back into it."

Mustangs goalie Audrey Sherk, a freshman, saved seven shots on goal, but faced a flurry of Catamounts shots in the second half. Middle Creek didn't possess the ball often in the second half, and when it did Panther Creek double-teamed attackers.

"They were covering us on the clears and we were having a hard time finding the open person," Piccirillo said.

Middle Creek senior Christina Chamra, who had two first-half goals, faced triple-teams in the second half and was forced to pass to her teammates.

The win placed the Catamounts tied for third in Conference 2 and at 4-7 overall (3-4 in conference), while last-place Middle Creek slipped to 1-9 overall (1-7). The Mustangs are one of the conference's youngest teams, as the school does not have a junior varsity program.