Millbrook hosts Athens Drive in state playoff lacrosse showdown
Millbrook’s 22-1 boys lacrosse run carried into a third-round state playoff rematch with Athens Drive. The Wildcats entered ranked No. 18 in North Carolina after a conference title.
Millbrook High School hosted Athens Drive on May 19 in a third-round NCHSAA boys lacrosse playoff matchup that carried real weight for a program already riding one of its best seasons. The Wildcats entered at 22-1 overall and 13-1 in CAP 8A play, ranked No. 18 in North Carolina and No. 6 in NCHSAA 8A in MaxPreps’ May 14 update, with a berth in the next round and a path toward the May 29-30 state championship weekend still on the table.
The Wildcats had already shown the kind of balance that has defined their postseason push. Millbrook beat Leesville Road 11-4 on May 15 in the previous playoff round, followed a 13-11 win over Wakefield on May 4, and handled Corinth Holders 17-9 on May 6 in a Senior Night and Conference Champions Celebration game. Senior Sebastian McWilson led the scoring race with 76 goals, Tyson Blalock paced the team with 197 ground balls and 130 shots on goal, and junior Evan Buonsignore anchored the net with a 7.6 goals-against average and a 0.574 save percentage.
Athens Drive arrived in Raleigh with its own strong record at 19-5 overall and 11-3 in conference play. The Jaguars had already seen Millbrook twice during the regular season, winning 15-9 on March 20 behind a six-goal, four-assist night from Jay Cohn, then dropping an 11-10 overtime decision at Millbrook on April 17. That split set up a postseason rematch that had conference pride and state playoff advancement stitched together from the opening whistle.
The bracket had been set May 8 by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, and the path from that date to the final weekend has highlighted how far Millbrook lacrosse has come. A team that opened the spring with a conference championship and has spent the month beating ranked opposition has turned the Wildcats into one of the most visible spring programs in the area, with the Athens Drive game serving as another measuring stick for how deep this run can go.
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