The Apex girls’ basketball team took things one step further in coach Jay Huffman’s second year, making it to the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs.

The Cougars, seeded ninth in the Mideast bracket, picked up a 50-42 road win Monday at Pinecrest High in Southern Pines. But Wednesday’s second-round game at defending champ Millbrook was too much. Apex fell 58-20 to the 29-0 Wildcats.

Apex (17-11) had been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year.

Athens ousted by Hillside: The Jaguars’ first season under coach Dayna Jordan exceeded expectations.

“I kind of equated it to patching tires,” she said. “This year I was just kind of trying to patch some tires and getting the wheel moving and get us here. And hopefully next year I’ll be able to rebuild and really move forward.”

Athens Drive earned a 14-seed in the Mideast bracket and lost in Monday’s first round at Hillside, 66-52.

The Jags (14-13) tried to negate Hillside’s speed by getting back on defense at the expense of going for offensive rebounds.

For the most part, it worked. The Jags trailed by 10 after each of the first three quarters.

But the Hornets pulled away thanks to their work on the offensive glass.

The Jaguars’ leading scorer was Grace Hunter (21 points, 12 rebounds). Joy Hunter added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Mustangs fall to Green Hope: There were 23 first-round conference rematches in girls’ basketball, and Middle Creek had one of them. The 15-seed Mustangs couldn’t defeat 2-seed Green Hope in its third try this year, losing 53-26.

The Mustangs (13-13) fell behind 12-0 to start the game and later suffered through an 18-minute scoring drought. Green Hope scored all 15 third-quarter points.

Falcons, Hawks move to third round: Fourth-seeded Holly Springs made its first-ever trip to the third round on Friday, while 2-seed Green Hope made its fourth straight trip. Holly Springs had defeated 5-seed Hillside 70-62 and 13-seed Wake Forest-Rolesville 65-58 to set up a road game at Millbrook.

After defeating Middle Creek, the Falcons held off 7-seed Wakefield 46-34 on Wednesday before hosting Broughton Friday.

Staff Writer Tim Stevens and correspondents Tyler Everett and Dave Malenick contributed to this story.