We've had a few blogs during March (and April) Madness about Washington players involved in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

I decided it's high time the women get their due, too.

Have you been watching the NCAA women's tournament? I haven't been able to catch a whole lot, but I did take in both Final Four games yesterday, which means I got to see Angie Bjorklund from University High of Spokane get to tomorrow night's championship game with Tennessee.

I was fortunate to cover Bjorklund at four Class 4A state tournaments. Great player, great kid. I wasn't surprised to see her start as a freshman for Pat Summitt. Lately, however, Bjorklund is coming off the bench. She apparently has struggled with her shot. She played just 14 minutes against Lousiana State last night and was one-for-four, although baskets were hard to come by in that low-scoring affair (47-45). In all, Bjorklund has started 30 of 37 games for the Vols. Pretty impressive. Don't be surprised to see her impact that title game against Stanford.

Earlier in the tournament, I caught Jacqua Williams from Rainier Beach zipping up and down the court for Georgia Tech. Commentators raved about her defensive pressure. She set a school record for steals with 118. Had she gotten 119, the Yellow Jackets might have beaten Iowa State. Instead, Williams was whistled for a somewhat controversial foul that led to the clinching free throws.

Williams, a junior who set the school record of 95 steals the year before, had an outstanding game with a season-high 18 points and team-high eight rebounds, plus the three steals. She was voted to the ACC All-Defensive team.

Freshman Alex Montgomery from Lincoln of Tacoma also plays for Georgia Tech and enjoyed a stellar season, landing on the ACC All-Freshmman team. She had a rough game against Iowa State, however, as she missed all eight of her three-point tries and failed to score. She averaged 10.8 points on the season.

Which local stars have you caught in the women's tournament?

Led by the 15 points and 12 rebounds of Brittany Quick, the Falcons took third-place in its third win this season over the Rams from Yakima.

After trailing by 11 at halftime, West Valley outscored Hanford 12-4 in the third quarter to pull within three. The Falcons, however, made 12-16 FTs in the second half to preserve the win.

It was Hanford's best finish since winning in 1986. This was the 11th straight trip to state for the Rams, who finished third last year.

No. 7 Squalicum outscored the sixth-ranked Panthers 42-25 in the second half and shot 63.6 percent in the final 16 minutes to finish third -- their highest finish in school history.

Patrick Voeut scored a game-high 16 points for the Storm on 6-of-8 shooting. Brothers Nick and Keith Stackhouse combined for 25 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Jordan Hamilton had 13 points to lead the Panthers; Jack Hanley added 12 points and seven rebounds, but Prep made just 11 of its 41 shots in the second half.

The Panthers have placed in eight of their ten trips to state in 3A - including first in 2006 and 2000. Last year, the Storm eliminated then defending champion Prep from the 3A tournament, 66-63 in a consolation game.

Sara Halasz led a quartet of Lakes players in double figures with 23 points as the second-ranked Lancers earned the fourth-place trophy, their best finish in school history. Chene Cooper added 15 points, while Trit-Tani Terry had 12 and Brianna Morrison11. Halasz added 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals. Lakes of suburban Tacoma (24-2) led just 36-31 before going on a 21-1 tear to take control. Kamiakin of Kennewick (16-13), which finishes seventh, got 20 points from Tina Miller, while Danyelle Hutchison added five points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Meadowdale used a 9-0 to get an eight-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and hold on to earn the fifth-place trophy. Lakeside is eighth.

No Mavericks player had more than eight points while Morgan Merriman's 10 for Lakeside was a game-high.

Derek Lowe';s three-pointer went in with 1 second left, sealing Renton's fifth-place finish, its best since 2004. But Eumclaw made the Indians, who had a 17-point lead at halftime, work for it.

Fifth-ranked Renton (24-4) led 40-25 midway through the third when Enumclaw went on a 13-2 run that cut the lead to six one minute into the fourth. The Hornets (18-10) whittled away the lead until Riley Carel's three-pointer from the left corner tied it at 50 with 32 seconds left.

FINAL. Kennedy 54-49.. What a finish! Fuller would make one more free-throw, but it was already a two possession game at that point.

Wild stuff. More to come.

0:03.3 left in 4th. Fuller misses the front-end of a one and one, the scramble for the rebound gives Kennedy the ball on a jump ball, alternating possession. On the inbounds, Fuller is fouled INTENTIONALLY. She makes 1-2 and Kennedy gets the ball back! JFK 53-49.

0:12.7 left in 4th. Jasmine Lemon runs the clock down and hits a runner just before time expires. Then Fuller steals it on the other end and is fouled! FTs coming. Kennedy 52-49.

0:37.6 left in 4th. JFK runs an inbounds pass to perfection under the basket, giving Fuller another easy lay-up! Quick responds with a post move to bring it back to one. 50-49 Lancers.

1:00 left in 4th. Fuller scores a lay-up after Aminah Williams passed her the ball under the basket falling out of bounds! Kennedy then gets the ball back on what appears to be an inbounds violation. JFK has the ball up 48-47.

2:13 left in 4th. Kennedy couldn't cash in on two chances, Hanford has the ball after the timeout.

3:01 left in 4th. Two consecutive timeouts here. Both coaches want to make absolutely sure their team is on the same page. Still Hanford 47-46.

3:14 left in 4th. The Lancers can't buy a basket, but Fuller earns a trip to the line. She makes 2-2. It's 47-46 Falcons.

4:06 left in 4th. Stanhope with a big jumper for the Falcons. Brown picks up her fourth foul and sends De Peel to the line. She makes 1-2, it's 47-44 Hanford.

5:45 left in 4th. Fuller with a crossover dribble and pull-up jumper. Wow, just a sophomore? Tied 44-44.

6:16 left in 4th. After a Lancer FT, De Peel goes to the line. The 5-foot-6 senior guard makes both. It's 44-42 Hanford.

7:04 left in 4th. Quick with a post move gives Hanford its first lead in a while. The first quarter maybe. 42-41 Falcons.

End of 3rd qtr. Kennedy 41-40. Quick hits two FTs and Stanhope hits a midrange jumper in a flurry of a final minute. Could be another close one! Hanford is in the bonus already and has only three fouls.

0:50.0 left in 3rd. Coast to coast goes Nuefeld for a Lancer lay-up. Kennedy 41-36.

1:49 left in 3rd. That 6-foot-2 senior is at it again. Quick grabs an offensive board and is fouled on the putback. 39-36 JFK.

2:45 left in 3rd. Quick flashes a guilty smile as she catches herself in a double-dribble. The refs caught her too. A Fuller lay-up makes it 39-35 Hanford.

3:41 left in 3rd. De Peel hits a big three for the Falcons. Then after a Stanhope putback the lead is just two. JFK 37-35.

4:38 left in 3rd. Quick is monster on the boards. She's gotta have 10 rebounds at least. I haven't seen her spike one yet (obligatory volleyball reference). Kennedy leads 37-30.

6:15 left in 3rd. Fans chant "Au-to-ma-tic!" after Barott is done shooting FTs. Do I need to tell you she made both? It's 35-28.

7:31 left in 3rd. Heiman opens the scoring with a lay-up. Chelsey De Peel, who had three fouls in the first half, is back. It's 32-26 JFK.

Halftime. Kennedy 32-24. Brown leads all scorers with 11 points. Brittany Quick has five points and six rebounds for the Falcons.

Hanford outshot Kennedy 56.3%-44.8% but had 16 turnovers.

Halftime. Kennedy 32-24. Did you know the Hanford dance team has won six state titles? Me neither, that was a good show.

Halftime. Kennedy 32-24. Not a bad start for the Lancers. Shall we see Kennedy/Auburn Riverside III?

More coming.

0:34.8 left in 2nd. Lockhart goes hard for the rebound after a missed free throw. Too bad Brown was shooting one more. I love it when that happens. It's 32-24 after two Quick FTs.

1:08 left in 2nd. Presley Nuefeld is a clever girl, she tries to convince the refs a foul is on her. But it doesn't work. Her teammate, Brown, is charged with her second foul. It's 32-22 JFK.

1:45 left in 2nd. Kennedy has a hounding man-to-man defense, not even a simple inbounds pass is, well, simple. Lockart hits 1-2 FTs. It's 28-22 JFK.

2:58 left in 2nd. It's like I gave the Falcons some bulletin-board material. They've been crashing the boards strong and getting after it on defense. It's 27-22 Lancers.

3:31 left in 2nd. Brown with a putback, she has 11 points to lead to all scorers. JFK 27-19.

4:46 left in 2nd. Kennedy is clearly the aggressor -- the phrase "wants it more" -- maybe this is that. Stacey Stanhope hits a banker to make it 25-17 Lancers.

5:01 left in 2nd. And one! Jasmine Lemon drives, scores and is fouled. She misses the free throw. It's 25-15 JFK.

5:59 left in 2nd. The Beach boys are still roaming around with bigs smiles on their faces. They'll face a different beast tomorrow in Kavario and the boys. It's 23-15.

6:42 left in 2nd. Kennedy is able to get good looks on nearly every possession. Open jumpers and lay-ups. Brown and Fuller get scores. Lancers 21-13.

End of 1st qtr. Kennedy 15-13. Anniah Williams gives the Lancers a two-point lead after one. The Kennedy band is here in full force, one of the best we've seen maybe all day.

1:47 left in 1st. Lancer guard Daidra Brown drills a three much to the delight of the Kennedy supporters. Lotsa JFK supporters here and why not? The girls can play. On the next possession, Fuller sinks a three to tie the score 11-11.

3:42 left in 1st. These a couple Falcon free-throws that fire up the crowd. Hanford is well represented despite the location and time-of-day. Falcons lead 9-5.

4:26 left in 1st. Heiman sneaks her for a lay-up. Yasmine Fuller, Kennedy's talented sophomore guard, splits a pair of FTs. It's 5-3 Falcons.

5:01 left in 1st. Kristin Barott puts the Falcons on the board with a deep three. I do remember Hanford sneaking up on people to win the volleyball state championship. Will this run be similar? 3-2 Hanford.

6:10 left in 1st. Kennedy's Chelsea Lockhart opens the scoring with a nice lay-up. She's rocking the braids and the headband, nice choice. 2-0 Lancers.

6:44 left in 1st. Hanford's Jess Heiman has a chance to put the first points up at the line, but she misses both. Most of the fans have cleared out from last game. 0-0.

Pregame: This will be my first 3A girls live blog, why not?

FINAL. Beach 65-45. Mike Ladd led all scorers with 18 points. He also had 14 rebounds (seven offensive), three steals and two blocks.

Reggie Moore had 13 pts, eight assists.

Nick Stackhouse led Squalicum with 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks.

Beach outshot the Storm 56.5%-32.0%. That's the difference, Squalicum is normally a superior shooting team.

FINAL. Beach 65-45. The Vikings run out the clock on another victory. The cheerleaders throw their pom-poms in the air as celebration.

I'll have some final stats later.

1:39 left in 4th Echols is visibly upset after being called for a charge. Bethea subs him out and calms him down. 65-43.

2:57 left in 4th. In come the reserves for both sides. The Beach subs have seen lots of action this tournament. It's 65-38.

3:29 left in 4th. Wallace with another foul for the Storm. He must have four fouls in five minutes of play. Echols makes the FTs. It's 63-38.

4:17 left in 4th. "Ohhhhh!" Moore drives the lane and rises for a huge dunk... but he misses. It's a good-looking miss though, that's for sure. Vikings lead 59-36.

5:17 left in 4th. Ladd scores and is fouled. Adds the free throw. Then 1-2 on the next possession. He's had a very productive last two games for the Vikings. He has 18 points. Beach leads 59-36.

6:52 left in 4th. Moore looks serious as he barks at teammates and runs the offense. Bethea looks disgusted as Dimisse misses two FTs. It's 53-36 RB.

End of 3rd qtr. Beach 53-34. Moore takes over down the stretch, driving and kicking to Moikobu for a lay-up just before the buzzer.

1:15 left in 3rd. The lead is down to 15 now as Nick Stackhouse scores! He has 16. It's 49-34. And the Storm crowd is coming alive!

2:47 left in 3rd. Keith Stackhouse hits a three, but all the energy is gone from this one. It certainly doesn't feel like a semifinal. Oh well. 49-30 RB.

3:27 left in 3rd. Stackhouse forces Moore into a tough shot, oh wait, it's a pass to Ladd, who grabs it in the air and lays it home. It's 49-27.

4:26 left in 3rd. Beach coach Mike Bethea slams the ball to the ground as he receives a pass instead of an open Viking. You can tell he wants his team clicking on all cylinders. The Beach defense has looked sloppy of late, allowing some easy baskets. It's 47-26.

6:14 left in 3rd. The Storm fans are still in good spirits, which is commendable, chanting and cheering. It's gotta be tough though. It's 45-24.

7:45 left in 3rd. Moore dishes to Moikobu to open the scoring. Then a quick steal and Ladd is going to the line. He makes both, it's 43-20.

Halftime. Beach 39-20. The music didn't work for the Storm dance team. But they do the routine anyways and get a huge ovation.

Anyways, Moore and Nick Stackhouse lead all scorers with nine points. Ladd has eight points and seven rebounds (five offensive). The Vikings outshot the Storm 55.2%-29.6%. Beach also forced 10 turnovers and commited only two.

Halftime. Beach 39-20. Moikobu adds a FT before the half ends. Looks like another classic Beach game so far.

I'll have more in a bit.

0:52.7 left in 2nd. Nick Wallace is like the Bill Lambier of the Storm, he's throwing Vikings around. He has three fouls now. Dotson hits 2-2 FTs, it's 38-20.

2:05 left in 2nd. Moore comes back in from the bench to stop the bleeding. The Storm hasn't shot well, which had been one of its strengths all year. Moikobu hits 1-2 FTs. It's 34-20 Vikings.

3:32 left in 2nd. Another Storm three! It's an 8-2 run to make it, well, a 13-point game. Beach 33-20.

4:44 left in 2nd. That was a 17-2 run by the Vikings, but the Storm hit a couple jumpers of their own, including a three-pointer by sophomore Keith Stackhouse. Timeout Beach. 31-17.

5:35 left in 2nd. Echols with a runner and Beach can't miss. This might be their best game of the tournament -- and that's saying something. It's 31-12.

6:58 left in 2nd. Moore dribbles around a screen and hits a sweet jumper. As a Husky alumnus, I don't think it'd be a bad thing to see him play college ball here. Too bad Fresno State got him. It's 27-12.

7:18 left in 2nd. The Viking mascot was just doing the robot. Need I say more? Still 23-12.

End of 1st qtr. Beach 23-12. Nick Stackhouse hits a jumper to close the quarter. He has nine points.

0:13.8 left in 1st. Moore buries a deep three! Beach is shooting phenomenally well. As if the Vikings speed, athleticism and depth weren't enough. It's 23-10.

1:25 left in 1st. Ladd with two rebounds and two points. He might get a double-double by the end of the quarter. Moore hits a deep jumper too. 18-10 Vikings.

2:12 left in 1st. The Storm got its first stop in a while, then Nick Stackhouse hits a jumper and is fouled! He makes it. It's 14-10 Beach.

2:59 left in 1st. The clock just ran off about 20 seconds as Dimisse tried to complete a three-point play! I think everyone missed it! Oh well. Squali hits a couple jumpers. It's 14-7.

4:23 left in 1st. Two more Storm turnovers, one turns into a B+ dunk by Dimisse! Ladd had another putback also. Timeout Squalicum. RB 10-3.

5:02 left in 1st. Ladd probably has five offensive rebounds already and gets another putback. That's also two turnovers in a row for the Storm on the other end. Not good. 6-3 Vikings.

6:01 left in 1st. The Storm fans have packed their section. A great showing by them. Of course, this is their first trip to the semis and this would be a historic win. It's 4-3 Beach.

7:30 left in 1st. Ladd opens the scoring with a putback. The Vikings got a whole bunch of offensive rebounds there. But Voeut responds with a three and the Storm has the lead! 3-2 Squalicum.

Pregame: Here are the starters. Rainier Beach: Reggie Moore, Mike Ladd, Aaron Dotson, Nyandigisi Moikobu, Ababe Dimisse. Squalicum: Keith Stackhouse, Nick Stackhouse, Patrick Voeut, Michael Greene, Kyle Hooper.

Pregame: I had to gather material from the last game, but here I am. Any thoughts on this one?

I am from Bellingham, but won't be betting anything on my hometown school...