I took the weekend off, but four local girls basketball teams were on the clock and performed quite nicely, to say the least.

How about University? What a story the Trailblazers have been during the tournament. Unranked and off the radar heading into sectionals, coach Bill Thornburgh's group has met every challenge in such impressive fashion.

On Saturday, University (20-6) disposed of Class A No. 4 Northeast Dubois with a 69-53 win at the Jeffersonville Semistate, punching its ticket to the state championship game this coming Saturday against FW Canterbury (20-5). The girls, with only one senior on the roster, have made school history with each win during the tournament...and that's just fun to talk about. With standout sophomore point guard Bria Sneed in foul trouble, the Blazers got 22 total points of their bench to help in Saturday's win. Erin Bortz scored 14 for University, while Katie Adlam added 13.

I don't know about you, but I'll be pulling for University on Saturday. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but I think many people are in the same boat.

In Class 2A, Heritage Christian survived in impressive fashion yet again by taking down Austin 82-66. Reading and hearing about Heritage Christian might seem a little monotonous, but what's so telling about these girls is that they continue to win with perhaps the biggest target on their back. Coach Rick Risinger has so many weapons and so much depth that it's almost scary. This Saturday, the Eagles have a showdown against undefeated Oak Hill (26-0) for the state title, which follows the 1A game at about 12:30 p.m.

And if it weren't for University, perhaps the best story during the girls tournament has been Class 3A Chatard...who won another close one on Saturday, ending the season of Vincennes Lincoln with a 56-51 overtime win. The Trojans have played in some nail-biters all tournament, earning close wins against Northwest and Roncalli during sectionals before eeking out two straight two-point wins at regionals. That's a sign of a tough team, I do know that much. This coming Saturday, Chatard is set to battle Plymouth (21-4) for a tip-off at 6 p.m.

Finally, in Class 4A, Carmel handily defeated Columbus East on Saturday 66-44 behind a huge 25-point performance from Chrissy Steffen. Talk about confidence. Following the Greyhounds (22-4) since the start of sectionals, it looks as though their confidence has been built at each step along the way...and that's a frightening thing for their state title opponent, defending champ South Bend Washington (23-2). Don't think for a minute that Carmel will be intimidated by Washington, as the Hounds have already won a big "underdog" game against No. 1 Ben Davis at regionals.

Here's a cheers for Central Indiana, getting representation in all four classes on the biggest stage this Saturday. I know many people will want to comment about the fact that three of the four schools are private, but I think people should be careful about that stuff. These student-athletes are busting their tails day in and day out, no matter which school they go to. Leave the public-private debate for dinner coversation with your friends, or other message boards.

VOTE NOW!

Thomas Finchum, a local diver from Lutheran featured in the February issue of HSSTM, has been named one of 11 finalists for the James Sullivan Award. The award is presented annually to the nation's top athlete, which will be announced on April 1 and is based on 2007 calendar year accomplishments.

If you click this link, you will be taken to a page on the USA Today site where you can vote for Finchum. Spread it around...once you see the list of nominees, you'll know this is quite an honor and it won't be easy to win. Either way, just the nomination is quite an accomplishment for Finchum.

ONE MORE THING

I find it hard to not comment about the Butler-Drake game on Saturday. First off, what a treat to be in Hinkle...the place was awesome and it's just an incredible sight to see it packed to standing-room only.

I'm not normally one to complain about officiating, and I certainly don't think the the calls going against Butler were the reason they lost the game. But I will say that it's disappointing to know that an officiating crew can, at their own discretion, completely destroy the flow of a game. As exciting as that game was, it could have been so much better if every single ticky-tack foul didn't get a whistle. The reason I say that the officials didn't decide the game is that the Bulldogs were unable to make wide open layups and make key free throws. That will kill you every time, and the problem with layups didn't just start on Saturday.