BY TAYLOR ELDRIDGE

(Follow me on Twitter. Because this guy told you so.)

9:30 p.m. — Incredible. Collegiate wins 60-36. Just incredible.

9:22 p.m. — It’s Collegiate 55-29 with 4:53 left in the fourth. Just amazing what’s happening.

9:15 p.m. — End of three quarters. Collegiate is up 47-26. No one saw this coming. Rossville looks so completely out of their element.

9:12 p.m. — I’m busy writing right now — that’s how Collegiate has turned this game into a blow-out. It’s 45-24 right now with 1:33 left.

9:07 p.m. — This is insane what we’re seeing right now from Collegiate. They are just that good. It’s 39-20 now with 3:42 left in the third. Just crazy what they’re making Rossville look like right now.

9:04 p.m. — Collegiate starting to take the will out of Rossville. The starters boost the lead to 35-20 as the second wave takes over with 6 minutes left in the third quarter.

8:51 p.m. — Great ending for Collegiate. Doug Burton pokes the ball out from Rossville and Bryce Cornejo dives full-body to save it and does. The teams trade turnovers and WCS winds up with a half-court throw-in with 1.7 seconds left. They set a back pick for LeMaster and Cornejo throws a perfect alley-oop that LeMaster finishes right as the clock expires. It’s Collegiate 31-20 at half.

8:49 p.m. — Brett LeMaster with a nice follow on a miss and it gives WCS a 29-20 lead with 42.3 seconds left. Rossville calls a timeout. Collegiate is threatening to blow this game open. If they get it above 10 before half, I think this game might be over.

8:47 p.m. — Ref calls a foul on Tre Bailey on what looked like a clean block. Fiegel asks him, “What are you going to pull a rabbit out next?” and the ref responds, “He got him on the arm.” and Fiegel goes, “Well, he didn’t mean to.” Even that left the ref laughing. Nice. Collegiate up 27-20 with the ball under a minute left in the first half.

8:44 p.m. — Collegiate forces Rossville to call a timeout. Doug Burton finishes a lay-up in the lane, and then Raymond Taylor strips Matt Buhler of the ball on the other end and the Dawgs’ box-and-one defense on Jablonski left Bryce Cornejo wide open. He nails the 3 and gives Collegiate a 23-17 lead with 3:07 left. That’s the thing though, you can’t leave Cornejo or Fiegel either. Rossville will learn.

8:42 p.m. — The second wave’s pressure, I think they are more athletic, is actually getting to Rossville more than the starter’s. They’ve forced a 5-second call on an in bounds and just scored on a steal and a nice pass from Kevin Richardson to Markus Phox for the finish. But it also has led to fouls — Collegiate has 8 now — but leads 18-17 with 3:41 left.

8:39 p.m. — Rossville is beating the Spartans on the boards and it’s starting to catch up with them now they’re not hitting as many three’s. Rossville has tied the lead at 16 with 4:47 left and the second wave is back in.

8:37 p.m. — Jablonski hits a three in the corner — Collegiate’s fourth 3 of the game — and they are really picking apart this Rossville zone. I don’t know why the Dawgs don’t go man and try to chest up Jablonski. Oh well. It’s Collegiate 16-12 with 6:28 left.

8:33 p.m. — Freshman Markus Phox hits a jumper for an 11-8 lead with under a minute remaining. Rossville’s Matt Buhler takes the in bound pass and goes the length of the court and is fouled on the lay-up. He makes both to cut the lead to one. Raymond Taylor drives and score a lay-up before the buzzer and Collegiate holsd a 13-10 advantage after the first quarter.

8:30 p.m. — Second wave is in and Collegiate leads 9-8. Rossville handling the pressure alright. They just broke it for an easy lay-up.

8:29 p.m. — Fiegel hits another three-pointer on a second-chance opportunity and Collegiate gets a turnover on the other end. I think Coach Fiegel has to play starters majority of the game because they match up a lot better against Rossville. It’s WCS 9-6 with 2:22 left.

8:25 p.m. — Collegiate has Trace Clark on Matt Buhler. No way that is going to end up favorably. Buhler should be able to do work against this second unit. But he’s not as aggressive as he should be. Collegiate has a 6-5 lead with 3:34 left when starters come back in.

8:23 p.m. — Ty Fiegel and Blake Jablonski hit three-pointers and Collegiate is up 6-2 with 5:13 left in the 1st quarter. 2nd wave of sub’s are in.

8:19 p.m. — We’re about to tip here with the final semi-final game of the night, Collegiate vs. Rossville. I’m picking Collegiate by 3. Should be a great game. Stay tuned up for amazing updates.

7:53 p.m. — Final from Hutchinson: Thomas More Prep, winners 52-42 over Garden Plain, will meet Marion in tomorrow’s championship game.

7:46 p.m. — Garden Plain is going to lose this one. Tough loss. TMP at the line shooting free throws leading 49-42 with 41.4 seconds left.

7:43 p.m. — TMP makes two free throws and Pauly throws it away on the other end, but TMP gives it right  back with a turnover. Hubert misses a three-pointer in the corner and TMP is going to the line again. Pauly has to foul and that’s her 5th. Big loss for the Owls. TMP makes 1 of 2 and leads 47-40 with 1:12 left.

7:39 p.m. — Pauly swishes a three-pointer for Garden Plain with 2:20 left and they get the rebound after a 1-and-1 miss from TMP. They got down, work the ball around and find Pauly from WAY beyond the three-point line and she swishes it again from way down town. It’s TMP 44-40 with 1:50 left. I’m amazed.

7:35 p.m. — The Owls are coming up empty right now on offense. They have yet to score in the fourth quarter and TMP is up 43-34 with 3:28 remaining. 9 points is going to be a lot for this team to make up in that short amount of time. They’re going to need some missed free throws or turnovers from TMP.

7:29 p.m. — Critical stretch here for Garden Plain. TMP has taken a 39-34 lead and has the ball with 6:41 left in the 4th. The Owls have to right the ship. If they fall behind by more than 7 points, I don’t like their odds of winning this game. I don’t think the offense is built around reeling off 7-0 or 9-0 runs.

7:25 p.m. — Thomas More Prep takes the lead over and pushes it out to 37-34 entering the fourth quarter. The game has really started to pick up, which is nice to see. Both teams are playing well and it’s pretty evenly-matched out there. Garden Plain is going to have to get a lead somewhere in the middle of the fourth and take some time off the clock. I think the more possessions left in the game favors TMP. The Owls have to make this their game. To do that, they first need the lead.

7:22 p.m. — The teams just traded the lead three times and Camille Hubert just hit a mid-range jumper to give the Owls the lead 32-31 with 1:29.

7:19 p.m. — Forget trying to stay around, the Owls just went ahead and took the lead. Camille Hubert stole a pass and then finished on the the other end and was fouled. She completes the three-point play and its Garden Plain 28-27 with 3:08 left in the 3rd.

7:17 p.m. — Not much going on again. It’s the Monarchs up 27-22 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Garden Plain will have a shot in the fourth if they can keep things within five or so points. Just as I say that, Jordan Hoheisel completes an offensive putback and is fouled. She makes the free throw and it’s 27-25 with 3:50 left.

7:10 p.m. — Stats from the first half, which TMP leads 22-17 over Garden Plain.

Garden Plain: 5-23 FG, 2-8 3 PT, 5-8 FT, 15 rebounds (3 off.), 3 assists, 6 turnovers, 6 steals. Camille Hubert 5 points, 4 rebounds; Samantha Ledy 5 points; Ann Pauly 7 points, 4 rebounds.

Thomas More Prep: 8-27 FG, 2-12 3 PT, 4-4 FT, 24 rebounds (7 off.), 4 assists, 8 turnovers, 3 steals. Rachel Jacobs 8 points, 4 rebounds; Jenna Lang 5 points, 5 rebounds; Kaylee Hoffman 4 points, 3 rebounds.

7:04 p.m. — Thomas More Prep leads 22-17 at halftime. I’ll be back shortly with relevant stats. But the only thing relevant to me is the KU score. Did you hear they were down by 3 at halftime?

7:00 p.m. — Nice little boost there for TMP. A three-pointer pushes them out to a 22-16 lead with 1:30 left. Garden Plain can’t let the lead get to 8 or 10 before half.

6:57 p.m. — Garden Plain’s Ann Pauly misses a three in the corner that would have tied it. Would have been nice. It’s TMP 19-16 with 2:16 left. But who cares about this game because KU is down by 3 at half.

6:51 p.m. — Camille Hubert drains a three-pointer on a kick-out from Pauly and now it’s 15-14 TMP leading with 6:16 left in the first half. Whenever TMP pushes the lead out to 3 or 4 points, GP is always right there with an answer. It’s 17-16 TMP with 5:02 left.

6:48 p.m. — Play of the tournament so far. TMP’s Kaylee Hoffman, who has  TORN ACL by the way, almost had a pass stolen away from her at the end of the first quarter, got it about 50 feet away from the basket and just heaved it like a football pass. BANK. Three-pointer gives the Monarchs a huge momentum boost and a 13-9 first quarter lead. Wow, that was incredible.

6:45 p.m. — There’s a lot of action going on right now, but not a lot of results. It’s Thomas More Prep up 10-9 with under a minute remaining in the 1st quarter.

6:41 p.m. — Teams are trading the lead back-and-forth. It’s 8-7 TMP right now.  There’s 4 minutes left in the first quarter.

6:37 p.m. — Ann Pauly of Garden Plain strikes first in the game and gives the Owls a 2-0 lead two minutes in. Both crowds are noisy, but Garden Plain’s student section with the best showing of the day so far. Pauly swishes a three just now and Owls are up 5-2 with 5:49 left.

6:26 p.m. — We’re 3 minutes away from our next semi-final game, the final one for Class 3A girls side for the right to face Marion in tomorrow’s championship game. It’s Garden Plain and Thomas More Prep and it should be a great game. I was so tempted to pick the Owls, and while I think they are very capable of winning, I think TMP’s top players will be too much. I’m rooting for a good game, though.

6:09 p.m. — KC Christian head coach Adam Donyes is such a class act, though. There’s no way you can’t root for a guy like him. Here are the stats:

Minneapolis (21-4) 16 12 17 17 _ 62

Kansas City Christian (18-7) 8 12 12 14 _ 46

MINNEAPOLIS: Arganbright 2-2 4-7 8, George 10-11 1-1 24, Wedel 0-2 0-0 0, Crosson 4-6 3-5 11, McCullick 4-8 1-2 9, Darrow 1-2 0-0 3, Owens 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-34 12-19 62.

KC CHRISTIAN: Shadwick 6-13 1-2 17, Haughey 2-13 3-5 8, Kirby 0-0 2-4 2, Manuel 3-7 1-2 7, Spencer 1-6 0-2 3, Sojka 0-0 0-0 0, Bickley 0-1 0-0 0, Bailey 0-0 0-0 0, Mehalic 4-6 1-1 9. Totals 16-46 8-16 46.

Three-point shooting_Minneapolis 4-7 (George 3-4, Darrow 1-1, Wedel 0-2), KC Christian 6-16 (Shadwick 4-8, Spencer 1-1, Haughey 1-6, Manuel 0-1). Rebounds_Minneapolis 25 (Crosson 8), KC Christian 22 (Haughey 6).

6:07 p.m. — Minneapolis will win this one 62-46 and advance to tomorrow’s Class 3a championship game at 6:15 p.m. Grayson George finished 10 of 11 for 24 points. He was the man today.

6:01 p.m. — The road to the state championship ends here for KC Christian, the underdog. Minneapolis was just too good this game. George Grayson was just too good. Minneapolis will win this one. They’re up 60-45 with 1:41 left.

5:52 p.m. — You have to give this KC Christian team credit. Right when you think Minneapolis is about to bust the game open, KCCS comes right back with a run of their own. The problem is, they can’t get closer than 7. Right now its Minneapolis 49-41 with 5:30 left. I think if KCCS can get within 7, this game can be won.

5:45 p.m. — Minneapolis knows how to hold the ball at the end of quarters well. This time they do it again to run out the third quarter and get a lay-in from Casy Arganbright and the free throw for a 45-32 lead with 8.6 seconds left. KC Christian can’t hit the three at the end of the quarter and it’s Minneapolis leading 45-32 into the fourth.

5:41 p.m. — Big swinger there. Spencer gets a good lead-in pass, but misses the lay-in going to the hoop. Could have cut the lead to 5, instead Minneapolis goes down and finds George open in the corner and guess what? He makes ANOTHER. Goes from 5 points to a 42-32 lead for the Hoosiers. There’s 1:34 left in the 3rd.

5:38 p.m. — George is putting on a show. He is 7 of 8 right now and has 17 points. KC Christian hasn’t found an answer for him, yet. Minneapolis is flirting with a 10-point lead, but KCCS is sticking around and not letting the game get out of hand. Blake Spencer just scored his first points of the game – with 2:20 left in the 3rd quarter with a three-pointer – and Minneapolis just threw the ball away. All of the momentum going over to the Fighting Buzz Lightyear’s. They’ve got it down to 39-32 with the ball with 2:11 left in the third.

5:32 p.m. — Minneapolis extended its lead to 15, but KC Christian is trying to fight back. The Hoosiers lead 36-24 with 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

5:22 p.m. — Halftime stats seen below:

Minneapolis: 11-18 FG, 3-5 3 PT, 3-5 FT, 6 rebounds (1 off.), 8 assists, 5 turnovers, 4 steals. Grayson George 5-5 FG, 2-2 3 Pt, 12 points; Dylan Crosson 6 points, 4 rebounds; Keegan McCullick 5 points.

KC Christian: 8-16 FG, 3-6 3 PT, 1-3 FT, 8 rebounds (2 off.), 6 assists, 9 turnovers, 2 steals. Graham Shadwick 5-5 FG, 3-3 3 PT, 13 points; Lenard Manuel 4 points; Blake Spencer 0-1 FG, 0 rebounds, 2 fouls.

5:19 p.m. — Minneapolis tried holding the ball again, but this time it ended at 4.8 seconds with a carrying call. KC Christian survives and is only down 28-20 at halftime. Not bad, considering the circumstances. I’ll be back soon with the stats.

5:13 p.m. — The Fighting Buzz Lightyear’s point guard Graham Shadwick is keeping them afloat right now with big man Blake Spencer on the bench. Spencer is back in now, but Shadwick has 11 points and is keeping KCCS in this game. Timeout with 2 minutes to go in the first half with Minneapolis leading 26-20.

5:09 p.m. — KC Christian is playing well, just not well enough to dig itself out from the deficit. Minneapolis still holds a comfortable 24-15 lead with 4:30 left in the 2nd quarter.

5:05 p.m. — George has now made his first five shots. He is a baller and a shot caller, but does not wish he was a little bit taller. Plus, KC Christian’s big man Blake Spencer picked up his second foul early in the second quarter. That does not spell F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E for KC Christian. Minneapolis are owners of a 21-12 lead with 6:11 left.

5:01 p.m. — Minneapolis holds the ball the last 1:30 to rest George for the quarter and they run it to perfection, getting John Darrow a wide open three that he drains as the clock expires and it gives Minneapolis a 16-8 first quarter lead. KC Christian needs to stay close here and not let the Hoosiers break the game open already.

4:58 p.m. — Minneapolis is runnign George through a series of screens and getting him open shots. He’s knocked down all three of them and Minneapolis leads 11-8 with 2 minutes left in the quarter. KCCS has got to find a better defense on him.

4:54 p.m. — Both teams relying on their strengths early. KC Christian is working the ball around quite nicely and getting easy shots, while Minneapolis is getting George going. He already has 5 and the Hoosiers lead 7-6 with 4 minutes left in the 1st quarter.

4:50 p.m. — Minneapolis will have to get Grayson George going early. He’s a smooth guard that has a nice stroke. He already has a jumper. KC Christian will have to focus of keeping the tempo of the game steady and working the ball in to 6-foot-8 Blake Spencer, which Minneapolis doesn’t have an answer for. Who will impose their will on the other? We’ll find out. It’s tied 2-2 a minute in.

4:48 p.m. — Our next game is the first boys Class 3A semi-final, which pits Minneapolis against Kansas City Christian. Gonna try to write some of my Marion stuff, but I’ll be sure to keep you all updated.

4:47 p.m. — Just got back talking to the Marion’s. Here’s the box score:

Marion (20-5) 9 6 12 15 _ 42

Jefferson County North (23-2) 10 6 13 12 _ 41

MARION: Lundy 1-4 0-0 3, Zeiner 5-9 2-5 13, Hett 4-13 2-3 10, Herrey 3-12 1-2 10, Steinborn 0-4 0-2 0, Cady 0-0 0-0 0, Edwards 0-0 0-0 0, Gordon 3-9 0-2 6. Totals 16-51 5-14 42.

JEFFERSON NORTH: Kramer 10-21 0-2 24, Brickell 1-6 1-2 4, Grand Pre 1-7 5-7 7, Navinskey 1-7 0-0 3, Noll 1-6 1-2 3, Kern 0-2 0-0 2. Totals 14-49 7-13 41.

Three-point shooting_Marion 5-21 (Steinborn 3-10, Lundy 1-2, Zeiner 1-2, Gordon 0-1, Hett 0-6), Jefferson North 6-13 (Kramer 4-9, Navinskey 1-1, Grand Pre 1-3). Rebounds_Marion 45 (Four tied at 8), Jefferson North 34 (Navinskey 9).

4:25 p.m. — What a crazy, intense, awesome finish that was. JCN called a timeout with 4.7 seconds left and got a play called for Kramer. She took it at the top of the key, pump-faked and drove to the rim and got an open lay-up. But I think she anticipated some contact and was too hard on the lay-up. JCN got the offensive rebound, but was tied up and the clock expired. JCN was left looking around wondering where the foul call was, but it was too late to call that. I think the proper call was made and Marion advances to the state championship game with a 42-41 victory.

4:22 p.m. — Interesting strategy there for Marion. They had the ball with a timeout left, but didn’t call it. Hett took a runner and missed, but got her own rebound and was fouled going back up with 11.6 seconds left. Hett at the line for two free throws and misses the first and makes the second and Marion leads 42-41.

4:19 p.m. — Kramer forces a three-pointer; it’s tipped; but Mallory Grand Pre rebounds for Team TGU and is fouled going back up. And – WOW – she makes a free throw. Too good to be true, though, as she misses the second. Marion rebounds and has the ball with a timeout left with the score tied at 41.

4:18 p.m. — Brickell misses; Whitney Gordon rebounds for Marion. She’s shooting 1-and-1 with 54.8 seconds left. She misses (does anyone know how to make a free throw?), but her teammate Kristen Steinborn rebounds and is fouled. Big loss there for JCN not getting the rebound. But it’s ok, because the missed free throws continue. Steinborn misses both and a jump ball gives JCN the ball back with 50.2 left and a 41-40 deficit.

4:15 p.m. — Kramer forces a jumper in the lane; misses and Marion’s Kayley Herrey rebounds, but is forced into a turnover. JCN’s Kate Brickell air balls a three-pointer right to Zeiner, who is fouled. She misses the front-end of her 1-and-1 and is called for the foul on the loose ball. She’s gone now. Huge loss for Marion. JCN’s Brickell at the line shooting 1-and-1 with 57.1 seconds left.

4:14 p.m. — Against the 2-3 JCN zone, Julia Zeiner finds a cutting Lindsay Hett for another lay-in that sneaks in the net. Marion takes over the lead, 41-40, with less than two minutes to go. On the other end, Kramer drives and falls, but a foul is called on Zeiner. 50/50 call, I don’t know. There’s 1:33 left.

4:12 p.m. — Right when I think JCN is going to pull away, Marion responds with a three-point play – the old-fashioned version – from Lindsay Hett. It’s 40-39 JCN with 2 minutes remaining.

4:11 p.m. — Marion gets a steal and Zeiner is fouled at the other end. She makes 1 of 2 and it’s 37-36 JeffCoNo. But there is Kramer once again, with a step-back three-pointer against the zone defense. That gives JCN a 40-36 lead with 2:34 left.

4:09 p.m. — Julia Zeiner drains a three-pointer from the corner. More like rattles in. The shot cuts the JeffCoNo lead to 37-35 with 3:18 left.

4:08 p.m. — Zeiner works down low for a bucket to cut the lead to 35-32 and Marion lucks out when a Kramer 3-pointer swirls out. I don’t understand why they aren’t stepping out on screens for her. She had a wide open shot on a basic screen. Marion will have to guard her tight if it’s going to come back. Two JeffCoNo free throws push the lead back out to 37-32 with 4 minutes remaining.

4:06 p.m. — The next two minutes will be a test of will for Marion. JeffCoNo has hit two shots in a row and lead 35-30 now. There’s still 5 minutes left, we’ll see how Marion responds.

4:03 p.m. — A mid-range jumper from Marion’s Lindsay Hett ties the score at 29, but Jordan Kramer continues her dominance by drilling a three-pointer at the other end. Marion needs to find her, its playing zone and not matching up well with Kramer. A switch to man possibly? Marion misses two free throws at the other end and it’s Team TGU 32-30.

4:01 p.m. — Marion let the lead get away from them. They were in control of this game for most of the third quarter, but poor shot selection gave JeffCoNo the in it needed to get back. Now Team TGU leads 29-27 entering the final quarter. Yes, 29-27 going into the final quarter. It’s been an ugly game, neither team has played close to their best games. Whoever can brush it off and work through their problems the best, will win this game.

3:59 p.m. — It’s Jordan Kramer show now in Hutchinson. She just drilled a three-pointer from the corner and finished an offensive put-back to give Team TGU a 29-27 lead with 50.7 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. She has 10 points this quarter. Marion has just been chucking up deep three-pointers without running its offense. Needs to settle down and find good shots.

3:57 p.m. — JeffCoNo’s keeping its head above water for now. Marion’s lead sits at 27-24 with 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Neither team is playing a great game. Whoever gets hot in the fourth quarter looks like it will win this game, but not much is separating the team’s through three.

3:51 p.m. — How does a team survive 11 minutes without scoring a single point? I don’t know. But I think it has to do with the other team not taking advantage. Jefferson County North had a 6-point lead, but it should have been 16. It wasn’t. Now Marion is storming back. Hett just hit a mid-range jumper and Team TGU has to call a timeout. Now they’re the ones fighting a scoreless streak of almost 4 minutes now. Marion leads 23-16 with 4:43 left.

3:49 p.m. — Here comes Randy Savage’s Macho Men of Marion. The Warriors work it all around JeffCoNo’s zone defense and find an open lay-up over-the-top to Julia Zeiner. Next trip down, Kayley Herrey hits another three-pointer (she is the hero right now) and the Macho Men are up 21-16 now with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

3:42 p.m. — Here some relevant stats to take away from the first half of the first Class 3A girls semifinals game between Jefferson County North and Marion:

Team TGU: 6-26 FG, 1-5 3 PT, 3-6 FT, 21 rebounds (7 off.), 5 assist, 10 turnovers, 6 steals. Jordan Kramer 3-9 FG, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 4 turnovers; Kate Brickell 1-5 FG, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists; Mallory Grand Pre 1-5 FG, 2-3 FT, 4 points, 5 rebounds; Sara Navinskey 0-3 FG, 6 rebounds, 2 assists.

Randy Savage’s Macho Men: 6-24 FG, 3-10 3 PT, 0-0 FT, 19 rebounds (4 off.), 5 assists, 11 turnovers, 3 steals. Bridget Lundy 3 points, 2 rebounds; Julia Zeiner 1-5 FG, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 turnovers; Lindsay Hett 0-3 FG, 0 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists; Whitney Gordon 2-5 FG, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks; Kayley Herrey 2-5 FG, 6 points.

3:37 p.m. — Boom! Marion snaps into a SLIM JIM and breaks out of its funk. Kayley Herrey drained a three-pointer with 36 seconds left to end a 10 minute, 53 second stretch that Marion went scoreless, missed 11 shots and turned it over 9 times. She was so excited about doing it once, she hit another three-pointer just 12 seconds later and Whitney Gordon swatted away Team TGU’s final shot before the half and the Warriors are owners of all the momentum now, even though they are trailing 16-15. But how do you go 11 minutes without scoring and only get down by 6? JeffCoNo missed its chance to bury them.

3:32 p.m. — What is wrong with Marion? They are sluggish. The offense has been stale. No one looks like they are playing with any intensity. The scoreless streak is over 10 minutes now. Last 21 possessions for Marion: 11 misses, 9 turnovers.  Savage just called a quick 30 second timeout to try to spark them. Marion is so fortunate to only be down 15-9 with 1:04 left in the half. Verrrrrrrry lucky, indeed.

3:28 p.m. — Since taking a 9-3 lead with 3:29 left in the 1st quarter, here’s the next 17 Marion possessions: 11 misses and 6 turnovers. Marion could really snap into a Slim Jim right now and satisfy Randy Savage. Julia Zeiner needs to step up and stop the bleeding. It’s still within reach, JeffCoNo leads 15-9 with 2:34 left.

3:24 p.m. — The scoreless streak has stretched to exactly 6 minutes now. What was once a 9-4 Marion lead has dissolved into a 11-0 Team TGU run. The Warriors need to work for an easy lay-up for a spark or hit an outside shot. It’s 15-9 Team TGU with 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.

3:23 p.m. — I’m just wondering, but does anyone know where Jefferson County North is? Where do these people that wear green come from? Is there a Jefferson County South, West or East? I don’t know. Things I wonder during games…

3:21 p.m. — Surprisingly athletic play from TGU’s Mallory Grand Pre. She received an entry pass, made a nice move and was fouled in the air, but hung for just a second longer as the defender flew by and made the lay-in. Impressive. It’s JeffCoNo 12, Marion 9 with 6:46 left in the 2nd quarter.

3:18 p.m. — End of the first quarter and it’s Team TGU leading Marion 10-9. The Warriors didn’t score the final 3:29 of the quarter, during which TGU went on a 6-0 run. That quarter flew by, both teams played well. Looks like it should be close throughout.

3:14 p.m. — JeffCoNo has fought its way back in this game. Jordan Kramer hit a step-back jumper and she just made another one to cut the lead to one.

3:07 p.m.  — Electric start for Marion to this game. Zeiner and Gordon score baskets then Bridget Lundy nails a three-pointer and Gordon gets another put-back. It’s Marion 9-4 with 3:29 left in the first quarter.

3:00 p.m. — We’re singing the national anthem here and about to get underway with the day of semi-finals. The first one will be Jefferson County North against Marion. If you read below, you will see I am taking Marion in this game. Mainly because I want Slim Jim’s if Randy Savage wins.

Pre-gaming — It’s exactly 11 a.m. right now and that means we are exactly four hours away from the tip-off of the first Class 3A semi-final. How do I know it’s 11 a.m. right now? Because I scheduled it to automatically exist at 11 a.m. and not a second later. Boo ya.

I’ll be updating this blog frequently throughout the day, so make this your one stop for all Class 3A basketball information. I can promise you pictures. Who else does that? It’s because I love you guys.

Here’s the schedule: #2 Jefferson County North (23-1) vs. #6 Marion girls (19-5), 3 p.m.; #7 Kansas City Christian (18-6) vs. #6 Minneapolis boys (20-4), 4:45 p.m.; #1 Thomas More Prep (23-1) vs. #4 Garden Plain girls (19-5), 6:30 p.m.; #1 Collegiate (23-1) vs. #4 Rossville boys (20-4), 8:15 p.m.

Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

3 PM: Team TGU (The Great Unknown) vs. The Macho Man’s

I have to say, after ragging on Jefferson County North for not playing a single team that advanced to its respective sub-state final the entire season (hence, The Great Unknown), I was quite impressed with Team TGU. Yes, Frontenac was virtually a one-person team (Respect The Barto), but Team TGU put them away soundly in the second half. Their best player is 5-foot-9 sophomore Jordan Kramer, who can handle the ball, but is best weaving through waves of screens and finding an open shot. The supporting cast is average I would say. Marion, on the other hand, has played 13 teams that made it to their sub-state finals, so it is the anti-TGU pretty much. The Warriors have two very heady players in Julia Zeiner, a 5-foot-11 senior, and Lindsay Hett, a 5-foot-8 senior. I would say the supporting casts are similar, but I really like the way Zeiner and Hett team up. If Team TGU doesn’t have the luck of the Irish today, expect The Macho Man’s, coached by Randy Savage, to snap into a Slim Jim and win. The Pick: Marion by 7

4:45 PM: The Fighting Buzz Lightyear’s vs. The Hoosiers

March Madness is right around the corner, so everyone is getting in the mood. Who doesn’t like a good Cinderella story? If you are like 5 out of 5 Americans, than you will be pulling for Kansas City Christian, the team with no expectations going into the season and now find themselves in Class 3A’s final four teams left standing. A kid in their student section dressed up as Buzz Lightyear last game and it propelled them to victory. We’ll see if they can blast off into infinity and beyond today. If they do, lift off will be ignited by 6-foot-8 senior Blake Spencer. They don’t have the star power of the other three teams left, but it has the mystique of a team of destiny. Meanwhile, Minneapolis won the battle to represent Indiana on Wednesday against Southwestern Heights. 6-foot-1 junior Grayson George is such a smooth player. I don’t know how KCC will match up with him, and Casy Arganbright and Keegan McCullick provide superior second and third options to KCK. The underdogs will make a game of it for longer than expected, but I think George takes over late. The Pick: Minneapolis by 11

6:30 PM: The Torn ACL’s vs. Team Elvis

Why do I call Thomas More Prep the Torn ACL’s? Maybe because their best player, Kaylee Hoffman, has one. Oh yeah, AND she’s playing on it. Yeah, somehow she got a doctor to sign off on her playing with a knee brace. Apparently, she can’t feel any pain at all. So she’s pretty much like Iron Man. She’s definitely not 100 percent, but she scored 14 points off the bench in the first round win. Outside of Hoffman, the Monarchs have a very solid team. Rachel Jacobs, a 5-foot-8 sophomore, is a star-in-the-making and Heather Ruder, a freshman, and Jessa Stramel, a senior, are good scoring options as well. Remember, The Torn ACL’s knocked off then-top-ranked Southwestern Heights without their poster girl. So they’re very capable. I really like this Garden Plain team, as well. As you can read here, the Owls have found their purpose and they are playing some inspired basketball right now. Ann Pauly is the closest they have to a star, but all five players on the court can score. Also, I like the Garden Plain student section, which apparently raided a police caution tape store and also a store that sells cardboard cut-outs of Elvis. This was the game I spent the longest time on before picking. The Pick: Thomas More Prep by 4

8:15 PM: Team Gum/The Dream Team vs. Gonzaga

I don’t know what to call this Collegiate team. For basketball fans, The Dream Team is the obvious nickname. I mean, this senior class is just crazy. Blake Jablonski, Bryce Cornejo, Ty Fiegel, Brett LeMaster and Tre Bailey make up perhaps the best senior class in the state of Kansas history. They’re that good. Team Gum, for those with limited knowledge of the inner-goings of Collegiate, is something this group just made up before the season. Gum is now the new word for cool. Why gum? Don’t ask me. Why should they have to explain it? All they do is win. Now, Rossville, which rips off its logo exactly from Gonzaga, gave the Spartans their toughest test last season. That was a battle in the semi-final’s last year and both teams return most of their teams this season. I expect to see the same kind of showdown. Mitch Buhler for Rossville is probably the best player in the tournament, so he can put the Dawgs on his back and carry them. How far? The Pick: Collegiate by 3