WRAL's Nick Stevens will be live, court side Saturday night for the 4-A Boy's State Championship game between Apex and East Mecklenburg.

This will be the first appearance in the state championship for East Meck, and the first since 1938 for Apex. The Cougars lost that game to Mount Tabor 30-23.

WRAL.com will have postgame reaction from players & coaches following the game, and look for commentary from Nick Stevens.

THIS BLOGPOST IS OPEN FOR COMMENTS, SO FEEL FREE TO GET IN ON THE ACTION ANYTIME! ASK QUESTIONS, MAKE COMMENTS, WHATEVER YOU FEEL LIKE... JUST KEEP IT CLEAN.

WRAL POST GAME COVERAGE:

• Hear post game press conferences from both teams...
  • Apex Cougars
  • East Mecklenburg Eagles
• Get the most in-depth stats anywhere right here on WRAL.com. More than just scoring... CLICK HERE
• View photos from the game, post game celebration, and post game press conferences. Also, take a look at photos from Apex's last practice of the season.
• View team profiles from both teams.
  • Apex Cougars
  • East Mecklenburg Eagles
• Take a look at some of the previews from WRAL.com & WRAL's Nick Stevens
  • "History Is Not On Apex's Side" - Nick Stevens
  • "Inside Apex's Magical Run To The State Championship" - Nick Stevens
  • Apex's Neal Preparing Team For State Title Game - Nick Stevens
  • Media Day Interview With Coach David Neal
  • NCHSAA Media Day Photos
• LOOK FOR REACTION FROM WRAL'S NICK STEVENS ON SUNDAY!

10:08 PM: The postgame interviews with both coaches & players have been posted. We will have photo galleries and more coming up over the next few hours and into Sunday, so stay tuned. And don't forget that the Final WRAL.com Poll will be released on Monday!

9:31 PM: POST GAME AWARDS:

MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER

Adam Perry (Apex)
Malik Stith (East Mecklenburg)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Titus Robinson (East Mecklenburg)

9:25 PM: Apex falls, 72-63. Much more coming soon....

9:16 PM: East Meck put in their bench players with 44 seconds left.

9:14 PM: You have to give Apex credit. They have not given up. They have not committed any cheap fouls. They are still playing like this is a 2-point ball game. Weston Murphy just SLAMMED a basket through the hoop with 55 seconds left, and Apex called a timeout. Coach Neal is using this to coach for the future, I'm sure. Apex has something to build on here.

9:10 PM: I have to say. I'm kind of surprised East Meck is still going at the press the way they are. Of course, it is hard to tell your team to stop playing. They're up 67-52 now, with just 1:51 left.

9:07 PM: Well, folks. This one looks like its been determined ... all except the final score. The pressure defense was just too much down the stretch for Apex to handle, and East Mecklenburg has gone up 65-49 with just 2:38 left in the game. What a run by the Cougars in the post season, though. They're going to be disappointed, but they weren't even thought about when the brackets were first released as a potential state championship contender.

9:03 PM: Titus Robinson just went to the bench and appears to have suffered some sort of injury. I can't tell for sure, but I think it's just a cut on his hand. Can't play with blood!

Meanwhile, Perry just hit two free throws for Apex to cut the lead to nine points, 3:48 left to play.

9:02 PM: Plummer just fouled out with 3:55 left. The foul sends Jeremy Ingram to the line. He hits both free throws and now the Cougars trail 56-45.

9:01 PM: Plummer split a pair of free throws with 4:10 left. 52-45, East Meck.

8:59 PM: DeArius White hits a three with 4:49 left to cut to 50-44, but Stith hits a two point jumper in traffic to extend to 52-44 with 4:19 left.

8:58 PM: Weston Murphy went to the line with 5:51 left to shoot two. He made the first, and missed the second. Cutting the lead to 50-42.

8:55 PM: Apex has called a full timeout with 5:58 to go in the final quarter of play. The Cougars trail 49-41, and East Meck is at the line shooting one-and-one. Both teams are shooting 80% from the stripe, so that's not exactly what Apex wanted to do. They've got to get some defense going, and they've got to get some offense going again against that pressure defense. They can't wait around either... They've got to make a move NOW.

8:53 PM: After three quarters, Apex has 20 turnovers.

8:50 PM: East Meck's Paris Roberts hit a trey with just three seconds left in the quarter to put East Meck in command of this game... They lead 49-41 after three. Eight more minutes to play, and I think Apex has the heart to do this. They need this break between quarters badly to help kill momentum, though.

8:48 PM: Apex needs to get control of this one. They ned to get momentum back on their side while they're only down by three. 44-41, 33 seconds.

8:46 PM: WOW! Big intentional foul call by the man in stripes... Again, I thought that was a little questionable. No malice whatsoever intended there. Bad call... The foul was on Connor Belicic.

8:44 PM: MOMENTUM SHIFTS! Titus Robinson slams home a putback, steals the inbounds play, and slams another one. Then, on the press, White steps out of bounds and Jeremy Ingram hits a three pointer. Apex trails 40-39, 2:21.

8:41 PM: The East Meck folks are more concerned about the officials than the game...

8:40 PM: The pressure defense continues to be the big issue for Apex. They're doing a much better job now than they were in the first quarter at breaking it, but they are still throwing the ball away a little too much. They are up by four with 4:34 to go, though.

8:39 PM: The East Meck coach better be careful. He is working the officials a lot, and they don't look like they're enjoying the conversation!

8:32 PM: Apex is rolling. Weston Murphy got a quick 2-point bucket, sloppy, but it counts, and White followed it up with two points to put Apex on top 34-29. Timeout for East Mecklenburg.

8:30 PM: FIRST HALF STATS:

SCORING:
APEX -- A. PERRY 13, W. MURPHY 6, T. PLUMMER 6, D. WHITE 3, C. BELICIC 2.
EAST MECK -- T. ROBINSON 10, M. STITH 9, J. INGRAM 8, J. EVANS 2.

REBOUNDING:
APEX -- D. WHITE 6
EAST MECK -- T. ROBINSON 6

ASSISTS:
APEX -- B. CARR 4
EAST MECK -- M. STITH 2

STEALS:
APEX -- W. MURPHY 1
EAST MECK -- M. STITH 3

BLOCKS:
APEX -- W. MURPHY 5
EAST MECK -- J. EVANS 2

3PT FG %:
APEX -- 44.4
EAST MECK -- 42.9

TOTAL FG %
APEX -- 39.1
EAST MECK -- 31.0

FT %
APEX -- 80.0
EAST MECK -- 80.0

TECHNICAL FOULS:
NONE

POINTS IN PAINT:
APEX -- 6
EAST MECK -- 8

POINTS OFF TURNS:
APEX -- 7
EAST MECK -- 15

2ND CHANCE PTS:
APEX -- 2
EAST MECK -- 4

FAST BREAK PTS:
APEX - 0
EAST MECK - 2

BENCH POINTS:
APEX -- 2
EAST MECK -- 8

SCORED TIED 4 TIMES

LEAD CHANGED 8 TIMES.

8:16 PM: END OF SECOND QUARTER: APEX 30, EAST MECK 29

The Apex Cougars are leading by one at the break, and they have done an outstanding job - especially in the second half. They've got to be tired going into the last half of play having to break the rpess like they are, but remember, East Meck is having to play defense too so they'll be fatigued as well. That will be interesting to watch, and that's one of the keys to me in the second half. White has done a great job playing with two fouls, and Apex is in great position.

8:13 PM: Marc Newton just picked up his second personal foul after being called for a block agaisnt Timmy Plummer. Plummer went to the free throw line to shoot the one-and-one. The senior hit the front end to tie at 29, and the back end to take the 30-29 lead, 33 seconds left.

8:09 PM: Apex has taken a full timeout with 2:32 left. They're still in good shape, but I think Coach Neal wants to give his guys a break. The press break can get tiring. Apex is down again, 27-26, after Malik Stith hit a three from the wing. The Cougars will have the ball out of the timeout.

8:06 PM: How important is Weston Murphy? He has come up with two blocks in the last few minutes, and hit a free throw to extend the lead to 26-24 after a couple of free throws from East Mecklenburg. And he's only a sophomore?

8:04 PM: APEX HAS TAKEN THE LEAD AGAIN... 25-22 with 4:26 left. They're definitely back into it. I said Coach Neal would make some adjustments and he did just that.

8:01 PM: TIMEOUT EAST MECK! Apex has cut the lead to just ONE point! 22-21 with 5:16 left in the quarter. Perry has come out big, and East Meck looks rattled. This is the Apex team we have seen over the past few weeks.

8:00 PM: Adam Perry has hit two big three pointers in the second quarter, and Apex has closed to within three points, 22-19, 5:33 left in first half.

7:59 PM: First quarter turnovers: Apex - 9, East Meck - 3

7:57 PM: One other thing. How does the foul trouble for White play into this?

7:56 PM: END OF FIRST QUARTER - EAST MECK 20, APEX 11

Apex has had a huge issue breaking the press, and they've even had a hard time with the 5-second and 10-second rules. They are going to have to get that issue fixed, find some offense, and get things started. They don't seem to be getting the lucky breaks they have been getting lately, but they're still only down by 9-points. Look for Coach Neal to make some adjustments, calm his players down, and we'll see if that was first quarter jitters on the part of Apex. They have to do a better job at breaking that press, though.

7:53 PM: Apex is not getting the calls - that is for sure. They were called for a jump ball a minute ago, after the ball was already in the air and it went through the hoop. No basket. I didn't like that call either. Apex needs to get their pressure offense together, or they're going to get crushed. They trail 20-11.

7:51 PM: DeArius White just picked up his second personal foul with 2:22 left in the first quarter. They don't ned him in foul trouble, but he's staying out on the court. Coach Neal doesn't like the blocking call, and I think I agree with him. Questionable.

7:48 PM: Fouls are now even at 3. We're in for a good one though. 10-8, 3:25, Apex. The pressure defense is REALLY hurting Apex right now. Several turnovers, including a 5-second violation on an inbounds play. We'll see if EM can take the lead.

7:44 PM: Very funny thing here. Apex isn't playing nearly as aggressive on the defensive end as East Meck, and the Cougars are leading in fouls 3-0.

7:40 PM: DeArius White has put the Cougars on top by 3, scoring the first points of the game after East Mecklenburg was called for a travel after winning the tip. Apex leads 3-0 with 7:00 left in the first quarter.

7:36 PM: Here we go... The teams are taking the court. Four more quarters!

7:31 PM: Well, we've done the National Anthem, and we've given the official's their awards... now we're doing the starting line-ups... so we're a little late starting. There is a lot of anxiety in the building... a lot of excitement.

7:25 PM: Lets talk a little bit about what Apex is going to have to do to win this game. First off, East Meck is going to play a man-to-man defense all night long. Their coach has said it himself, saying that he is an Indiana graduate and bib Bob Knight fan, meaning they're going to play man, or they're going to sit on the bench. That means Apex is going to have to protect the ball... HAVE TO!

7:16 PM: East Meck just came out. 9:21 until tip-off.

7:15 PM: East Meck just got something that Apex doesn't have (or at least not yet) ... A pep band. Their players, however, are still in the locker room and there are under 12-minutes left until tip. Apex has been out for about 9-minutes. We'll see who starts out on a better note. That could be a plus for Apex ... being more lose, more on target with shots. I was at Apex's practice on Friday afternoon, and Coach David Neal told me that they had had four great days of practice. They can't save anything for after tonight, though, you have to leave this one all out on the court. This is the ULTIMATE game!

7:11 PM: I think the better part of the Apex student body has shown up tonight. This is a great crowd. They almost wrap around an entire half of the court on the lower level, and there are several people along the sideline in the upper level. A great turnout for the Cougars, and they keep filing in. So far, East Mecklenburg has a pretty small crowd...

7:05 PM: Apex has taken to the court to warm up. We've got just over 20-minutes left before we get the pregame festivities underway.

6:59 PM: The atmosphere is great in here. Besides the fact that I'm soaked to the bone from walking to the coliseum from the parking deck, the crowd is great, and you can really feel the excitement that is the state championship. There's a BIG... and I mean BIG... Apex crowd here. This should be lots of fun.

6:55 PM: Congratulations to the Westover Wolverines - the 4-A Women's State Champions. The Wolverines, who knocked off undefeated Wakefield in the Eastern Regional Final, held off West Charlotte on Saturday night to win the championship, 58-53.

6:42 PM: Apex fans (or anyone attending the game) - if you haven't left already for Reynolds Coliseum, IT IS TIME! The inclement weather has apparently caused some power outages along Western Blvd and on the campus of N.C. State University, and that is causing some traffic issues with the stoplights. We have made it to Reynolds Coliseum, though, and if you can't make the trip in the rain and storms, keep coming back here to WRAL.com for the latest!