What does it take to win a championship? I've been a big believer in the saying "Defense wins championships" since I was old enough to understand the game of basketball, but when you combine good defense with heart and desire, you've got a real shot at doing something special.

That is exactly what Apex has done.

The Cougars started the season 4-9. That's right, a dismal, a dreadful, an awful 4-9. With two back-to-back wins over rivals Green Hope and Panther Creek, the Cougars began their run.

What makes this even more amazing? The playoff momentum seemed to come from no where. Apex didn't win the conference tournament championship; actually, they didn't even win a game in the conference tournament.

There are several story lines here that we can show you as to how Apex has made this incredible run.

The Rock

All season Apex players have been spoon-fed the story of "David and Goliath." In this story, the smaller David beats the much larger and stronger Goliath. David does it with a stone.

"All season we've believed in the story of David and Goliath," Apex's Adam Perry said after the Jack Britt game. "Goliath was the bigger man, and David had to be the smaller man throwing stones," the junior continued. "We started out 4-9, so we kind of looked at ourselves as the smaller man, and we had to throw stones."

Perry brought a rock with him to the postgame press conference after the Jack Britt game.

One would have thought in January that Apex might need a boulder or two to make it to the State Championship, but this one rock, which is about the size of a baseball, has been a bit of inspiration for Apex.

"We've put little messages on each game," Perry said. Those messages are written on the rock; messages like, "Battle," "Believe," "Resilience."

Head Coach David Neal told WRAL on Monday that Isaac Bristol, one of Apex's assistant coaches, printed out the story of David and Goliath. "Bristol is a history teacher, a big history buff," Neal said. "To be honest, we all kind of get tired of talking about it."

Whether or not Apex is tired of talking about the story, it seems to have worked. But then again, why wouldn't it?

Ironically, David is the hero in the story, and Neal, whose first name is also David, has coached his team to victory five times in a row to reach the State Championship.

I'd be willing to be the Cougars hear the story of David and Goliath once or twice more before the game on Saturday.

"Whatever it takes to get these guys motivated, we'll take it," Neal said.

The Cardiac Pack

A reporter asked Neal after the Britt game about the comparison between the Cardiac Pack and his squad.

One catch: Neal is a North Carolina graduate.

"I can totally see the similarity," Neal said, "I guess I was ten years old when the Cardiac Pack was getting it done. I was pulling for them all the way, even though I'm a Carolina guy."

The 1983 N.C. State team, like this season's Apex team, was not picked to win their respective championship. They did. Apex will have the opportunity to do so on Saturday.

"Interestingly enough, we have a thought of the day, and two or three days ago was the 1983 Cardiac Pack because they were doing a special on WRAL," Neal said.

Neal - the Carolina guy - probably won't mind the comparison with the men in red if he gets the same outcome.

The Rival

Have you ever wondered if North Carolina and Duke coaches compare their teams with one another? What about Michigan and Ohio State football teams? The Bears and the Packers?

Well, Neal has compared his team with one of Apex's main rivals - Cary.

"I've also told my guys about the 1995 Cary team," Neal said.

The 1995 Cary team was coached by Bill Boyette, the same coach at Sanderson when Neal was a Spartan. Boyette's team had lost one a Division-I prospect the prior season, just like Apex. Last year, the Cougars had Yorel Hawkins who was a versatile player, averaging 25-points a game. Now, Hawkins is a freshman at Fairfield in Connecticut.

Boyette took his Imps to the State Championship game, for the second year in a row in 1995, but unlike the year before, the Imps won. By a score of 55-54, the Imps knocked off Ben L. Smith to bring the third state championship to Cary.

"I was in college when Coach Boyette made that run," Neal told WRAL, "My sister kept the book for that team, so I followed them pretty closely."

Cary is Apex's longtime arch rival, though, and Neal admits his team doesn't always like hearing about the Imps. "They get kind of tired of hearing about Cary winning," Neal said.

Neal also told WRAL on Monday morning at Media Day that Boyette called him that morning and left a message, but that he had not been able to return his call.

This won't be the first time Apex appears in the State Championship. The Cougars went to the State Championship in Chapel Hill in 1938 when they fell to Pilot Mountain, 30-23. The following year, Cary won their first state title, 20-17, over Mount Airy.