NCHSAA Playoffs: Broughton Advances, Millbrook Falls in Close Game

Broughton advanced and Millbrook fell in a close game during the NCHSAA first-round state basketball games held Feb. 24–25, following playoff brackets the association released on Feb. 21. The brackets listed Rolesville at Broughton in a Class 7A East first-round pairing, and Millbrook at Wakefield among Wake County matchups, both of which were played during the opening round of the 2026 state postseason.

The bracket excerpts that accompanied the Feb. 21 release included multiple Wake County lines: Panther Creek at Broughton appears in the Girls Class 8A listing, and Millbrook at Green Level is printed under Girls Class 8A as well; the Class 7A East pairing list shows Rolesville at Broughton and Millbrook at Wakefield. Other East-region pairings cited in the excerpt include Cary at Chapel Hill, Clayton at Cardinal Gibbons, East Wake at Topsail, Fuquay-Varina at New Hanover, Hillside at Garner, Jack Britt at Lumberton and Pine Forest at Ashley.

First-round byes and seeds were printed in several bracket blocks in the excerpt, reflecting the fragmented regional lists. One set showed Hoggard (1); Willow Spring (2); Corinth Holders (3); Leesville Road (4). Separate lists named Lake Norman (1); Marvin Ridge (2); North Mecklenburg (3); Grimsley (4); Porter Ridge (5); McDowell (6); Hickory Ridge (7); West Cabarrus (8), and another block listed North Mecklenburg (1); Mooresville (2); Marvin Ridge (3); Hickory Ridge (4); Southwest Guilford (5); Chapel Hill (6); Butler (7); Weddington (8). An East-focused block printed Hoggard (1); Apex Friendship (2); Leesville Road (3); Panther Creek (4). The Girls Class 8A West byes cited Ardrey Kell (1); Mallard Creek (2); Northwest Guilford (3); South Mecklenburg (4).

Local program context appears on the Wakecountyathleticzone calendar: under a Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 header the site listed 3:30pm girls JV games including Apex vs. Panther Creek at Panther Creek High School and Needham Broughton vs. Wakefield at Wakefield High School, plus a 3:30pm boys JV entry listing Millbrook vs. Enloe at Enloe High. The Wake County Public School System district athletic director is listed on the site as Deran Coe, with email dcoe@wcpss.net and district address 5625 Dillard Drive, Cary, NC 27518; the page also displays WCPSS social links and the Instagram handle @wcpssofficial alongside resources labeled "NCAA Eligibility Center," "Free Recruiting Webinar," and "Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete."

The bracket excerpts provided do not include final scores, box scores, or coach and player quotes for Broughton’s advance or Millbrook’s close loss; those results are summarized here as outcomes listed in the playoff materials and headline reporting. Confirming final scores, individual statistics, exact game dates and times for each Wake County matchup, and seeding for Broughton and Millbrook will require the official NCHSAA bracket PDF or direct confirmation from Wake County schools and the WCPSS athletic office at the contact above.

Broughton’s advance keeps at least one Wake County program alive in the 2026 state postseason, while Millbrook’s close loss ends that school’s first-round run for this year; the Feb. 21 bracket release and the Feb. 24–25 first-round schedule remain the official framework for how Wake County teams were placed and which matchups occurred.