Playoff Update: Apex Men's Basketball advances after historic comeback

Matt Wotus
Features Editor

The Apex Men’s basketball team advanced to the third round of the state playoffs Wednesday night, beating Millbrook in a thriller 59-58 after a comeback for the ages. The Cougars, after being down 22-16 after one quarter, put a goose egg on the board in the second, trailing 31-16 at the half.  Jeff Valdini, the captain and starting point guard for the Cougars, credited Millbrook for their defensive pressure, saying the pressure, along with turnovers, led to a second quarter everyone wanted to forget.

The lead stretched to 17 in the third quarter before a spark from Chris Cotton off the bench. Cotton came in and scored seven quick points, sparking a Cougar run and getting the Cougar Crazies, Apex’s student section, into the game. Valdini hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to bring the Cougars to within one, setting off pandemonium in the stands. Not only was the team energized and pumped, so was the crowd.

The fourth quarter was mostly back-and-forth between the two teams, who were trying to play in gymnasium that was now deafening; every made basket let to mayhem in the stands. One of the most significant baskets was from Tri-9 Player of the Year TJ Evans, who was fouled on a 3-point attempt. The shot went in, and Evans made the free throw, converting the four-point play. Millbrook took the lead in the final minute, but Jon Jones of Apex made a layup, the eventual game winning shot, to put the Cougars up by one.

Millbrook called two timeouts in the final eight seconds, both times setting up potential game-winning plays. The final shot by the Wildcats was airballed, however, and the historic comeback by the Cougars was complete. “It was just a thrill,” Valdini said about winning the game. “The overall feeling of coming back from that was great. I am excited about what we overcame.”

Apex will travel to Broughton on Friday at 7 p.m. to play the Capitals in the third round of the state playoffs.