Not to brag, but I said it in my preview for the conference tournaments - Broughton was a dangerous team. In fact, my first two words about the Cap-Seven were, "Watch Broughton."

Just days after suffering a mind boggling 63-39 loss to Sanderson, the Caps rebounded with a 58-47 win over the same Spartan team. Maybe Sanderson didn't heed my warning, but Millbrook better.

The Wildcats will have the advantage of the first round bye, but as good as that can be for a team to get them rested, it can be just as bad for them when it's time to get back into sync. The Wildcats, who won the conference regular season title with a 10-2 record, have nothing to gain. Millbrook cannot improve their seeding for the state tournament anymore. No matter what happens - win, lose or tie - the Wildcats will have the No. 1 seed from the Cap-Seven Conference.

The same cannot be said for Broughton. The Caps had a chance to get the last playoff berth from the Cap-Seven with a win over Sanderson last Friday, but the Spartans prevailed. If the Caps want a spot in the state tournament, they have to win the conference tournament first. Broughton has nothing to lose and everything to gain. That is what makes them so dangerous.

The Caps are capable of winning, too.

On Dec. 18, Broughton beat Millbrook at Holliday Gym 56-48. In that game, the Caps had three players score in double figures - Chandler Browning 12, Eric McKnight 12, and Luke Davis 10.

If Broughton is going to win on Thursday, they're going to have to get the same type of production. Davis constantly scores in double-figures, but Browning and McKnight do not. The Caps will need to have at least three - probably four - players score in double-figures. Millbrook only allows 57 points per game, and Broughton only scores 48.

Cary Making a Statement in Tri-8

Cary is very similar to Broughton in that they are on the fringes of state playoff cut-off, and right now they're on the outside looking in.

The Imps upset No. 3 Apex on Tuesday night, and they will travel to No. 2 Panther Creek on Wednesday night.

Cary beat the Catamounts at Panther Creek just eight days ago, 63-61. In that game, Kevin Windley and Taylor Payne had 28 and 24-points respectively, and they're going to have to come up big for the Imps if they're going to win Wednesday night, and especially on Friday.

Defensively, the Imps held Panther Creek's star in check. Earnest Ross, who averages points per game, only had 16-points in that game.

The Imps won't be able to run the box against Panther Creek on Wednesday, though. Lately, the Catamounts have been getting help from complimentary players like Brandon Oliver, Marques Oliver, and Mike Hood. In fact, in Tuesday night's win over Lee County, Ross only had 5-points. Five players scored more points than Ross.