Girls basketball teams play this Friday with a chance to advance to next week's regionals. Two area Cinderellas are still alive: 12-seed Cary and 11-seed Sanderson, who play at 1-Millbrook and 7-Southern Durham, respectively.

Hillside at Green Hope, a rematch from a second-round thriller from last year, highlights the area games as the two sides are a combined 49-5 this year.

Chapel Hill, Northwood, Jordan-Matthews and Goldsboro are at home in their quests to make regionals, while Bunn and Southern Lee are on the road.

All game times are 7 p.m.

Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill will play at 8 p.m. Thursday on the campus of Carrboro High School in the finals of The O.C. - an invitational soccer tournament that matched prep teams from Orange and Chtham counties.

Thirteen area football players made one of the four NCpreps.com preseason football teams, with the most coming at the 4-A level.

The NCHSAA boys dual-team tennis playoffs begin Tuesday, and the brackets were unveiled today. The winners advance to next Tuesday's second round. The regionals for the individual boys tennis championships begin Friday at area venues.

Chapel Hill grabs the No. 1 spot in the N&O boys basketball rankings. Wakefield climbs to No. 2.

A showdown of one-loss Millbrook and one-loss Green Hope leads the 4-A lineup, while a Chatham County rivalry is renewed in the 2-A ranks as Northwood visits Jordan-Matthews.

Winners of Friday's sectional final (third round) will advance to next week's East regionals in Fayetteville. See the rest of the NCHSAA girls basketball playoff match-ups in the East by clicking "Read More" below.

Undefeated Garner remains atop the N&O boys high school basketball rankings.

Undefeated Garner continues to rule the News & Observer high school boys basketball rankings. There are no new teams, but there are some adjustments throughout the top dozen teams.

Although several Triangle schools are ranked this week, the highest-ranked team is Durham's Jordan High, which is No. 2 in the 4-A rankings.