A look at must-watch semifinals on the Day 2 of the girls state basketball tournament.
Class A: No. 1 Millard South (27-1) vs. No. 3 Lincoln Pius X (24-1), 7 p.m., PBA: You might not find a more contrasting matchup Friday. The Patriots are athletic, quick and they like to suffocate you with full-court pressure. The Thunderbolts will counter with size (Alexis Markowski) and a slower tempo (though they're not afraid to push it).
Class A: No. 4 Lincoln East (23-3) vs. No. 7 Fremont (21-7), 8:45 p.m., PBA: Both teams appear to be peaking at the right time, and that showed Thursday night. Their regular-season meeting in Fremont was intense. The Tigers led by 12 in the fourth before East rallied for the 65-59 win.
Class C-1: No. 1 Lincoln Christian (22-3) vs. No. 3 St. Paul (23-2), 9 a.m., PBA: Lincoln Christian is in the state semifinals for a sixth straight season. Think about that for a second. St. Paul, meanwhile, is at state for the first time since 1993. The Wildcats, with Brooke and Olivia Poppert leading the way, will challenge the Crusaders' defense.
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Class C-2: No. 2 Crofton (24-3) vs. No. 3 Hastings St. Cecilia (24-3), 8:45 p.m., Devaney: It's a rematch of last year's state championship won by St. Cecilia. Both teams returned a lot of players from those teams, including all-staters Lacey Sprakel (Crofton) and Bailey Kissinger (St. Cecilia). Crofton has won 13 straight.
Class D-1: No. 1 Pleasanton (26-0) vs. No. 2 CWC (26-1), 10:45 a.m., Devaney: They're a combined 52-1, the only loss coming from CWC against Class C-2 No. 9 North Central. CWC has one of the state's top players in Taylor Peter, who averages 21.1 points per game. The Bulldogs have a very balanced attack.