It’s just about gametime folks. Starting lineups about to be announced in a few seconds.

Northside - F Ariel Finnie, F Jasmine Rayner, G Latasha Laws, G Ashley McGill, G Tangela Albright
Northeast - G Jayda Singleton, F K’Miko Williams, G Dawn Evans, G Mikia Jackson, C Raquel Barlow
——————————

6:00 left in first quarter
Northside leads 2-0 on bucket inside by Jasmine Rayner, who scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Lady Cougars’ quarterfinal win on Thursday……Northside possession now with 5:28 to play……K’Miko Williams steals ball from Laws and goes in for game-tying lay-up

4:32 left in first quarter
Northeast ball now tied at 4. Northside has already committed four turnovers, and Williams has scored both her baskets off two of them. Raquel Barlow steps to line for NE with 4:10 left to play….misses first, makes second…NE up now 5-4…..

3:48 left in first quarter
NE possession now after Rayner called for traveling violation on Cougars’ possession…Fifth turnover for Northside

3:17 left in first quarter
Laws scores inside to make it, 6-5, Northside. She looks like she’s come to play tonight after scoring just seven points on 3-of-11 shooting in Lady Cougars’ quarterfinal win….Ashley McGill to FT line now with 2:51 left….makes 1-of-2 to give NS a 7-5 lead.

2:17 left in first quarter
K’Miko Williams scores in paint to tie give NE an 8-7 lead……Williams already has seven……J. Rayner answers inside on other end for Northside, which leads now 9-8 with 1:39 left

52.3 left in first quarter
Wow! Jamsine Rayner grabs her third rebound already of game, dribbles length of floor, then leaves it for T. Albright for a jumper off glass…..Rayner to line now….goes 0-of-2…Northside leads 11-8

End of first….Northside 13, Northeast 10
Latasha Laws stickback with .7 seconds left in quarter gives Northside its biggest lead of the game…..Laws has six already on 3-of-5 shooting….

7:51 left in second quarter
K’Miko Williams scores in lane to open quarter…..13-12, Northside…..A. McGill drains 3-pointer on other end to make it 16-12 NS

6:58 left in second quarter
J. Rayner to line and misses both again…..she’s now 0-6 from FT line…. Raquel Barlow scores on other end to tie game at 16

5:46 left in second quarter
Timeout Northside, which is now leading, 18-16, on another basket inside by Rayner……

5:03 left in second quarter
K’Miko Williams headed to FT line now with Northside leading 20-18…..makes first, makes second to tie it….Williams has 13 of NE’s 20 points…..

3:59 left in second quarter
Northside taking much better call of ball in this quarter……Cicely Dale called for loose ball foul with 3:46 left in half….NE possession, trailing 24-23.

3:12 left in second quarter
Ariel Finnie gets a chance to convert 3-point play for NS after scoring inside….she makes FT to give Lady Cougars a 27-23 lead

2:26 left in second quarter
Northside being very patient offensively…….Albright over to McGill, who fires a three from right side and drains it…..30-23 NS!!!!!

1:11 left in second quarter
Sweet entry pass from McGill to Rayner in paint….she scores to give Northside a 32-25 advantage…Cougars’ possession again with 50.5 left

HALFTIME…..Northside 32, Northeast 25
Lady Cougars playing particularly well now, especially offensively….Rayner has eight on 4-of-6 shooting…Laws has eight on 4-of-7 shooting, more than she had all of last game…..and McGill has six on a pair of 3-pointers…..After committing five first-quarter turnovers, Northside had just two in second quarter……Northeast getting most of its production from K. Williams, who has 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Rest of the Lady Eagles are 5-of-16 from the field. Northside shooting 42.4 percent (14-of-33). Be back in a few for second half.

**Scoring correction: Official scorekeeper crediting Rayner with nine first-half points now. She could have more. She’s 1-of-7 from FT line….In a game and a half now, the Lady Cougars are a nasty 13-of-39 (3-of-10 in first half today; 10-of-29 in their quarterfinal win on Thursday).
—————————–

Early third quarter
Northside’s possession, still leading by seven….McGill is called for a five-second call after not shaking off defender or passing the ball.

6:36 left in third quarter
Rayner putback makes it, 34-25, Northside…..Laws scores layup on Cougars’ next possession to open up an 11-point lead…Northeast rushing shots.

5:46 left in third quarter
Northeast having all kinds of problems with Rayner, who is fouled underneath and goes to the line for two FTs….misses first before NE calls timeout….Rayner’s second FT no good, too….

5:05 left in third quarter
NS’ possession again, still leading, 36-25….can’t help but look at Rayner’s FT numbers and think that this could already be a blowout…..she’s now 1-of-9 from the line with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

3:27 left in third quarter
Jamine Rayner and Latasha Laws are dominating this game….Rayner has scored consecutive baskets to give Northside a 42-28 lead….Laws now has 12 points and five rebounds….Rayner 15 and 12 rebounds.

1:43 left in third quarter
Rayner actually made two FTs with 1:55 left to give NS a 44-30 lead…..Lashika Bruno (what a name!) scores on other end to cut deficit back to 12.

End of third quarter….Northside 46, Northeast 32….
Just too much Rayner. The Lady Cougars appear destined for their first state-title game.

5:38 left in fourth quarter
Raquel Barlow steps to line for two FTs with NS leading, 50-36….Rayner now has 21 points and 13 rebounds for a Northside club that’s outrebounding NE, 44-17……Barlow makes 1-of-2, but Rayner answers five seconds later with bucket inside….SHE’S UNSTOPPABLE.

5:02 left in fourth quarter
Ariel Finnie steps to line and makes 1-of-2 to give NS a 53-40 lead….Rayner on bench now after picking up fourth foul….4:44 left….Northside calls timeout.

4:26 left in fourth quarter
Laws makes 1-of-2 FTs to give NS a 54-40 lead…Barlow scores in paint on other end to cut it back to 12…..NE possession…..Evans misses deep 3-pointer, but Williams there for putback on on of few offensive rebounds for Lady Eagles…..3:52 left now and NE calls timeout trailing, 54-44.

3:44 left in fourth
Brittany Allison to line for NS, which hasn’t had a field goal since 5:33 mark….misses front end of 1-and-1…Williams misses on other end…

3:10 left in fourth
may have spoke to soon earlier when I said this one looked over….NE has cut Northside lead to 54-46 now on layup by Barlow….NE called immediate timeout…NS’ possession now and McGill nearly turns it over…..still NS ball….

2:26 left in fourth
NE intentionally fouls Albright to put her in 1-and-1 with N’Side leading 56-46…move works…Albright misses

1:45 left in fourth
McGill just missed two more FTs with Northside still leading by 10 (56-46)……NE can’t buy a shot on its possessions, though…..1:43 left now and McGill is fouled…good thing Northside is in double bonus…

1:36 left in fourth
McGill made 1-of-2 to put NS up 11….NE commits ninth turnover of game on other end, looking to foul now and do….Laws, who has 17 points, headed to line…..Junio Mikia Jackson fouls out for NE…..Laws makes both

48.6 seconds left in fourth
Singleton 3-pointer has made it, 59-52, Northside…Laws heading to line now for 2 FTs…..makes both to put Northside back up nine….

14.4 seconds left in fourth
Northside faithful chanting, “We’re going to the ’ship. We’re going to the ’ship,” looking ahead to tomorrow’s final now with Laws at FT line….NS subbing in reserves now while NE starters getting standing ovation from their crowd as they’re pulled….Laws makes both to make it 65-52..

It’s over….Northside wins 65-52 to become first Class AAA team since Craigmont (2004) to advance to the state final….Laws and Rayner each score 23 and pull down double-figure rebounds. Congratulations to Northside, which before this week, had never won a state-tournament game….East’s semifinal to start in a few