CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011

97th ANNUAL MEN’S NCHSAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
40th ANNUAL WOMEN’S NCHSAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

DEAN E.SMITH CENTER--UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
REYNOLDS COLISEUM – NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY, RALEIGH

For the past few day Millbrook has become the center of the high school basketball in the Triangle. Both the boys and the girls team have advanced to the NCHSAA 4-A Eastern Regional championship. Each team has an interesting story. Here’s what I learned Thursday when I visited the girls team.

For most the season, the public perception was that Green Hope had the best team in the area thanks to the great success of guard Kristen Gaffney. The star junior who average 30 points a game this season suffered a right ankle injury that prevented her from playing against Millbrook in the sectional championship game. It was this round where most people expect Millbrook’s season to end, yet the Wildcats went on the win 48-39, and coach Chris East said his girls want to keep proving people wrong.

“We read blogs and newspapers about how good the Tri Nine was, and in reality, I thought the Cap Eight was the toughest conference and those last games were so close that they felt like playoff games,” East said.

In today’s N&O, D. Clay Best wrote how both the Millbrook girls basketball team and Southeast Raleigh have improved for the better since their lone meeting back in the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational in December, a 32-23 victory for Millbrook.

There’s a lot to be said about both of these teams, who were dominant in the Cap Eight and Greater Neuse River conference. A lot of things have changed since then as the two teams will meet again later tonight in the 4-A Eastern girls basketball regional.

Then again, the keys for Millbrook (29-1) beat Southeast Raleigh (24-3) again and be just one game from the state championship are pretty similar to what worked in the Glaxo.

GET A LEAD EARLY

This might be the most important factor mentally for Millbrook, a team full of sophomores. Since defeating Southeast Raleigh in December, the Wildcats have led in almost every minute of every game. The last time Millbrook trailed in the fourth quarter was against Sanderson in the Cap Eight Tournament final, and that was just a one-point deficit. The Wildcats haven’t faced the pressure of coming from behind late in the playoffs. There’s no need to deal with that now, and a good first quarter could propel the Wildcats.

Millbrook assumes the top spot in the N&O girls high school basketball rankings after defeating previously top-ranked Green Hope in the sectional finals.

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

The East regionals start Tuesday with the 4-A girls and 3-A boys.

Southeast Raleigh, Millbrook, Northwood and Northern Durham girls begin play while Chapel Hill, Millbrook, Wakefield and Northwood boys start play.

Remember when Ty Lawson went down for the 2009 UNC team with a toe injury, and everyone freaked out because no matter how good the rest of that Tar Heels squad was they were infinitely better with Lawson?

This is kind of like that.

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.

Results will be updated throughout the evening. Check back .