I have to admit, with the way Class AA Washington played Wednesday night, I was a little down on my Memphis teams heading into today’s Class AAA quarterfinals in Murfreesboro featuring Northside and East.

But just when I thought I might be packing for home early this week, Northside and East both play near mistake-free quarterfinal games and advance to Friday’s semifinal round.

It’s been three years since the last Memphis girls team advanced to a Class AAA final. Craigmont, with stars LaToya Bullard and Jessica Jackson, was the last one to do it, losing to Shelbyville in the 2004 Class AAA championship game.

Chances are, one of the two, either Northside or East, will make it to Saturday night’s final, and looking ahead at tomorrow’s semifinal matchups, it’s quite possible both could.

Keep in mind, though, no Memphis girls squad has actually won Class AAA’s title since 1985 (a Melrose team coached by Robert Newman beat Shelbyville, 82-55). So the rest of the state does have history on its side.

But just think - an all-Memphis final pitting two squads that would meet for a fifth time this season. While East has won three of the four meetings, the combined score of those meetings is 246-242 in favor of East. In other words, these District 16-AAA rivals would figure to put on a wire-to-wire show if they met Saturday for the state’s biggest prize.

Wishful thinking? Maybe. Possible? Definitely.

Early first quarter
Antioch’s Ashley Whitmore makes 1-of-2 FTs to give her team an early 1-0 lead with 7:24 left in quarter……Keturah Martin score inside on other end to make it 2-1 East

6:26 left in first quarter
Antioch now leads 4-2 after 3-pointer by Rakelle Riley…..not much crowd support here now for East.

5:50 left in first quarter
Amy McNear 3-pointer gives East’s its second lead of the game at 5-4, but Riley answers in paint on other end, puts Antioch back up 6-5.

3:51 left in first quarter
Uh oh. Crowd starting to get restless with East already playing the stall game. Adrienne Pratcher content to stand at top of key for East……3:48 left…Keturah Martin called for player control foul….Antioch possession.

2:47 left in first quarter
East’s Brandi Young scores lay-up off Antioch’s fourth turnover of quarter….East leads, 10-6

2:17 left in first quarter
Antioch’s Jasmine Gunn steps to line for a pair of FTs. Gunn scored 30 in the Lady Bears’ huge upset win over defending Class AAA state champ Wilson Central…..Gunn makes 1-of-2 to make it 10-7, East.

1:47 left in first quarter
East takes its biggest lead of game at 12-7 on Jasmine Wilkins lay-up in which she got behind Antioch press. The Lady Bears answer though with back-to-back baskets from Whitmore and Kirtell Brown to tighten score to 12-11.

35.9 seconds left in first quarter
Fouls starting to pile up for East….Wilkins just committed team’s seventh already this half….Whitmore goes to line for 1-and-1, makes first to tie and second to give Antioch a 13-12 lead

End of first quarter - East 16, Antioch 13
Kelly Miller’s lay-up, then steal and assist to Brandi Young has given the Lady Mustangs a three-point lead heading into second quarter. Mustangs shooting 50 percent (7-of-14) to Antioch’s 40 percent (4-of-10). Second quarter about to start.

4:43 left in second quarter
Back-to-back Adrienne Pratcher lay-ups have given East a 22-17 lead, matching the Lady Mustangs biggest lead. Pratcher now has a team-high seven points for East.

4:16 left in second quarter
Keturah Martin standing at top of key with ball for East, letting teammates catch their breath. Antioch seems content to let them stand out near halfcourt. Now, with 3:40 left, they attack defensively, and Amy McNear is fouled going to hole….heads to line for two FTs.

3:12 left in second quarter
Candis Clear scores on layup for East, which now leads 25-17…..make that 27-17 following Pratcher layup….make that 29-17 now after another Pratcher lay-up on which she was also fouled…..Timeout Antioch with 2:30 left in half and Pratcher heading to free throw line for one when we come back. 13-0 run now for East since it trailed, 17-16.

1:36 left in second quarter
Keturah Martin stepping to FT line for 1-and-1 with East still leading 29-17…makes first, makes second…now 31-17 East….15-0 scoring run

End of first half…..East 33, Antioch 19
After a 17-0 East scoring run, Antioch finally gets its first bucket since 6:39 mark of the second quarter on Rakelle Riley layup with 4.5 seconds remaining in half…..East shooting 50 percent (14-of-28) and has committed just six turnovers. Antioch is shooting 31.6 percent (6-of-19) and has 11 turnovers, many of which East has turned into easy lay-ups on the other end. Bottom line: this one is all East.

6:17 left in third
East now leads 39-23 on Kelly Miller jumper at top of key……..East’s other baskets this quarter have come via a Candis Clear 3-pointer and Adrienne Pratcher lay-up…..Amy McNear scores off glass to make it 42-23 East.

3:37 left in third
East now leads 50-30 on basket by McNear…..Lady Mustangs speed just too much for Antioch, which is having trouble just getting back against this quicker East squad.

1:04 left in third quarter
East leads 52-33 when Antioch’s Rakelle Riley makes basket inside and is fouled…she misses free throw, but Antioch rebounds ball……trailing 52-35, Lady Bears commit their 15th turnover of game….East holding for final shot.

19.9 left in third
Kelly Miller shooting two FTs for East, makes 1-of-2….East leads 53-35 and now Antioch commits another turnover…..15.5 seconds left for East to get off a shot.

End of third….East 54, Antioch 35……be interesting to see now if East goes back into stall mode…Why not? It’ll take a spectacular fourth-quarter effort from the Lady Bears to even make a game of this one. Fourth quarter about to start.

7:12 left in fourth quarter
As expected, East playing keep away……Chanera Macklin misses lay-up for Lady Mustangs following nice no-look pass from Pratcher, who has four assists to go with her 16 points.

6:51 left in fourth
Timeout East with 6:51 left. Leading now, 54-36…

5:40 left in fourth
East now leads 56-40 following a Riley lay-up and two FTs by Kirtell Brown….Whitmore adds putback to make it 56-42, East

1:35 left in fourth
Whitmore at line for Antioch, which trails 64-47…..Whitmore makes second to make it 64-48

45.8 left in fourth
Fat lady’s singing loud and proud…..Antioch ball with East leading 65-48

18.3 left in fourth
East calls timeout to get its reserves in……Antioch still playing with its starters.

It’s over. East 65, Antioch 48
Considering Antioch had a huge home-crowd advantage, this was a spectacular win for East, which finished 25-of-55 (45.5 percent) from the field. Balanced effort as usual from the Lady Mustangs, who got 16 from Pratcher, 13 from McNear and 10 from Candis Clear. East moves on to take on tonight’s Oak Ridge-Murfreesboro Riverdale winner.

7:43 left in first
Michelle Smith jumper makes it 2-0 Cleveland. Northside ball, Laws misses shot on other end

6:43 left in first
Timeout Northside after Michelle Smith drains 3-pointer to give Cleveland a 5-0 lead.

6:26 left in first
Northside being patient offensively…..still trail 5-0 when McGill drains 3-pointer with 6 minutes left.

1:45 left in first
Cleveland now leads 12-10 following Cacy Burnett jumper…..Northside shooting just 37.5 percent…..Jasmine Rayner on line for Northside, makes both….12-12.

55.8 left in first
Cicely Dale back to line for Northside, which is now trailing, 14-12…..Dale, who played at Mitchell last season, misses both.

40.3 left in first
Michelle Smith 3-pointer makes it 17-12 Cleveland…..Northside’s Latasha Laws scores in pain on other end to pull Lady Cougars within three.

2:03 left in second
C. Dale steps to line for two FTs with Northside now leading, 20-17……Dale makes first, makes second….Northside leads now 22-17….Cleveland has yet to score in the second quarter

1:27 left in second
Cleveland still scoreless with 1:15 left in quarter…….Dale is a beast on boards for Northside…has seven already

Halftime —–Northside 22, Cleveland 17
Lady Cougars held Cleveland scoreless in second quarter, outscoring Lady Raiders, 8-0. Third quarter about to start.

6:50 left in third
Rachel Isom and Latasha Laws trade lay-ups to make it 26-19……Michelle Davis to line for Cleveland…makes first, makes second….26-21

4:59 left in third
Cleveland trailing now 32-24 after Rayner scores on putback…..Cleveland turns ball over out of timeout.

4:24 left in third
Northside faithful starting to get louder…..but Lady Cougars turn ball over….now 4:14 left with Northside still leading, 32-24…Michelle Davis scores on potential 3-point play…makes free throw….now 32-27

3:30 left in third
Northside leading 36-29 on Ariel Finnie’s lay-up…Kerri Simpson scores on putback to cut deficit to 36-31, but Rayner scores on other end to put Northside back up by seven

1:30 left in third
Northside stalling now….Laws called for player control foul in lane….Lady Raiders ball now still trailing 38-31

11.7 left in third
Kyndall Edwards scores inside and is foul by Ariel Finnie….goes to line for one, which she makes to cut Northside lead to 40-36……McGill 3-pointer no good on other end…END OF QUARTER.

Early in the fourth
Rachel Isom scores in lane to cut Northside’s lead to two (40-38), but Ashley McGill buries 3-pointer on other end to put Northside back up 43-38

6:15 left in fourth
Rayner turns ball over, but Reilly Biggs called for traveling for Cleveland……Northside leads, 43-40, with possession…and just as I say that, Lady Cougars commit 11th turnover.

5:40 left in fourth
Isom makes a pair of free throws to make it 43-42 Northside…she’s scored Cleveland’s last six points…..McGill answers again with 3-pointer on other end to put Lady Cougars back up four.

4:53 left in fourth
Isom to line again and makes 1-of-2….Cleveland trails 46-43…..

4:30 left in fourth
Rayner scores inside to give Northside 48-43 lead…..Cacy Burnett fouled on other end, makes first FT, misses second….4:08 left Rayner again inside!!!!……50-44 Northside….Rayner now has 20 points and eight rebounds

3:43 left in fourth
Timeout Cleveland….Rayner is killing the Lady Warriors…..Dale also hurting Cleveland inside with nine rebounds.

3:05 left in fourth
Northside ball now, still leading 50-44…..Rayner fouled on possession…misses first, misses second….Michelle Smith misses 3-pointer on other end and McGill is fouled for northside

1:36 left in fourth
Latasha Laws steps to line for Lady Cougars for one-and-one with northside leding 54-49…..makes first, misses second…Northside leads 55-49…with 1:30 left when Isom misses 3-pointer……Rayner fouled on other end, going to line with chance to put Northside up eight.

1:07 left in fourth
Timeout Cleveland…..Northside’s possession now and it’s starting to look like the Lady Cougars will become first Class AAA team to advance this week to Friday’s semifinals……If Northside can hang on, it will play tonight’s Greeneville-Clarksville Northeast winner on Friday at 7 p.m.

59.4 left in fourth
Latasha Laws goes to line for Northside with Lady Cougars now in double bonus….good thing, too, cause she misses the first….misses second…still 55-49…Isom gets layup to cut it to 55-51…..McGill fouled on inbounds pass and heads to line

30.2 left in fourth
Tangela Albright fouled after Isom misses lay-up attempt…..goes to line, misses first,misses second (Northside now 7-of-23 from line)

15.3 left in fourth
Cacy Burnett makes two FTs to cut it to 56-53…..Timeout Northside with 15.3 left…..This one could have already been over had the Lady Cougars made some FTs.

12.0 left in fourth
McGill fouled, makes 1-of-2 to put Northside up four….sheesh!! If she’d have missed we’d have had some REAL drama.

1.9 left in fourth
Ariel Finnie now at line with game all but over……makes first (to make Northside 9-of-26), makes second….

This one’s over…..Northside, in its second consecutive state-tournament appearance, comes out a 59-53 winner and advances to Friday’s semifinals…..Rayner was awesome for Northside, scoring a game-high 22 and grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.

If I had one word to describe the second-half play of Washington in last night’s Class AA state quarterfinal game against Livingston Academy, that word would have to be “YUCK.”

Sure, the Lady Warriors played LA to a 19-all tie through two quarters, but in all seriousness, that was only because BTW shot over 61 percent in the first half. They were outrebounded, 18-9, in the first half, including, 12-0, on the offensive glass. 12-0!! To say then that their second-half play was the only thing that buried the Lady Warriors wouldn’t be totally accurate.

But good gosh, 5-of-23 from the floor in the second half. Heads hanging. Fingers pointing. Credit Washington for never giving up, but it takes effort to play that bad.

I just hope for West Tennessee’s sake Northside and East put up better showings in their Class AAA quarterfinals today. Either that, or we’ll remember Memphis’ 2006-07 girls basketball season as a major disappointment.