CARY - The seconds wound down on the game clock, and Green Hope had the ball in the hands of its top scorer, Chris Flemmings. The scenario was suitable enough for the Falcons, which needed a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.

But Middle Creek had reason to feel comfortable as game's end drew nearer, as Mustangs senior Jon Moore, who is emerging as the team's top defender, shadowed Flemmings.

Flemmings was unable to get a desirable look, and when his 3-point try from well beyond the line fell short, Middle Creek had won 46-43.

Although Flemmings scored a game-high 23 points on the night, Mustangs coach David Kushner was pleased with Moore's defensive efforts.

"You could see on that last possession, (Moore) was up (close on Flemmings)," Kushner said. "He wanted to win that game really bad and you could see that at the end."

Moore knew he wasn't going to be able to lock down Green Hope's star senior for four quarters. But making Flemmings earn each basket was just as effective.

"He's a great player and he scored a lot," Moore said. "We like to bring it to you. If you're going to beat us, you're really going to have to beat us, so I'll be guarding pretty much the best player on each team (this year)."

Kushner said that the plan all along was to force Green Hope to start its offense farther away from the basket. According to Green Hope coach John Green, it worked.

"The pressure forced us to take quicker shots, it got us out of our offense quicker than what we wanted," Green said.

As an aside to his defensive duties, Moore - a four-year varsity player - scored a career-high 15 points.

"Four years on varsity and 15 points (as a career-high) - it's really funny," Moore said with a laugh. "I think my highest was 14 my freshman year against Panther Creek."

Middle Creek (5-2, 4-1 Tri-Nine) only trailed for less than a minute in the opening moments of the first quarter, despite not having its best shooting night.

Green Hope (7-2, 3-2) turned up the pressure by using its length to hold the Mustangs to just eight fourth-quarter points.

But the Mustangs - who were undersized at nearly every position - collected 13 offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive. Many of those were by 5-foot-9 guard Rashawn King, who had 11 total rebounds.

With Apex's first Tri-Nine Conference loss also happening on Friday, Middle Creek is now a three-way tie for first in the loss column. Cary is the third one-loss team.