DeArius White hit the go-ahead layup with less than 10 seconds left in the game, and Apex walked off with a 50-49 win over Millbrook in the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A boys basketball playoffs.

Millbrook led most of the game, which was a scrappy affair.

When Millbrook went up by five points, "It really felt like a lot," Apex coach David Neal said.

White led the scoring with 18 points for Apex. He scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter.

"They were all huge," Neal said.

Malik Fair and Joe Houpe each scored 12 points for Millbrook.

"It was a wild game," said Neal, who reflected on a season that didn't start out so well. The Cougars (16-12) lost their first four games in the Tri-Eight Conference and were 3-7 overall at one point.

"They have come a long, long way," Neal said. "I don't think anybody believed we'd be here except ourselves. I'm just really proud of them."

ALSO THURSDAY

COMETS OUTLAST TROJANS: Clint Mixon scored 21 points as Clayton held off a fourth-quarter surge to beat Fayetteville Pine Forest 74-69.

The Comets (27-2) were outscored 29-17 in the fourth quarter but hung on for the win.

"They threw in seven 3-pointers in the last part of the game," Clayton coach Denny Medlin said. "We just wanted that clock to run a little bit. But we've played a lot of close games this year."

Mark Parker and Jarel Moses each scored 12 points for Clayton. Brandon McPhatter added 11 points.

Clayton will host Apex today in the sectional final.

ECH CUTS OFF WESTOVER: The Wildcats limited the Wolverines to three points in the third quarter and went on to a 52-35 victory.

"We contested shots and really pushed up on them," East Chapel Hill coach Ray Hartsfield said. "We made every shot a tough shot. ... That's when we really got some separation."

East Chapel Hill hit 10 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter to close out the game.

"We did a really good job of slowing the tempo down and shortening the game," Hartsfield said. "It was the way we like to play."

East Chapel Hill will travel to Fayetteville Terry Sanford.

CATAMOUNTS LOSE: Panther Creek lost to Terry Sanford 63-51.

Panther Creek was down by 10 points at the half, when a load of the Catamounts' faithful showed up and vaulted them to a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter.

"They gave us a lot of momentum," Catamounts coach L.J. Hepp said. "We didn't quite have the legs to finish it out."

MUSTANGS GALLOP: The 1-2 punch of Nelson Kirksey and Garrius Adams was enough to advance Middle Creek over Southern Pines 56-40 in the second round of the 4-A playoffs.

Kirksey had 16 points and Adams added 15 for the Mustangs (26-2).

And coach Dave Kushner had a lot to be pleased about.

"Our zone was really good," he said. "We made them shoot a lot of outside shots, and we rebounded very well."

Center Brian Poole had 11 points, 11 rebounds and 9 blocked shots. The team had 14 blocks.

"We've never had a triple-double, so I'm going to look back at the tape to see if he had another block," Kushner said. "He was as good as he ever was tonight. He was extremely active."

Kushner was glad with the way his team addressed Tuesday's problems, when Sanderson's press created 19 turnovers.

"We were pressed the whole game tonight," said Kushner, who said the Mustangs didn't give up a single turnover while being pressed. "I was real happy to see that."

Middle Creek will host New Hanover (27-2) tonight in a matchup of No. 1 seeds. The Mustangs received home-court advantage because the Tri-Eight Conference has seeding priority.

SPARTANS FALL: Southern Durham lost 50-46 in overtime to Wilmington Hoggard.

"It was more of a defensive battle," Southern Durham coach Art Richmond said.

Hoggard senior Griffin Leuck tied the score with a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in regulation.

It was the second time the Vikings tied the score at the end of a quarter with a 3-pointer.

Richmond said overtime came down to "whoever made that first mistake," but he wasn't upset.

"I'm very happy with my guys," he said. "They had a tremendous season. We've played a lot of overtime games this year. Things just didn't go our way this time."

WOLVERINES LOSE: Jack Britt almost blew a 20-point lead but still prevailed 56-46 over Wakefield.

The Wolverines were down by 15 at the half and gave up another five unanswered points to start the third.

Wakefield (16-10) cut the lead to three points with 1:20 left in the game. It was as close as the Wolverines would get.

Jack Britt scored all of its fourth- quarter points at the free-throw line, where it was 14-of-16.

"We dug a pretty big hole, but our kids fought hard in the end," Wakefield coach Paul Dooling said.