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Long remains consistent even though her floor exercise continues to evolve. Long finished second overall at the Chesterton Sectional with a 9.725 with a routine that was different than the one displayed at last week's Duneland Athletic Conference meet.

"We seem to change it up all of the time," Long said. "Every meet, I seem to be doing something new.

"It's not a problem. It's not like we're overhauling the routine."

"I now have to get a tattoo," Barcelli said. "The girls are going to design it for me."

Barcelli is just happy to see her team make some history.

:"I had call down to the IHSAA to find out the last time we qualified," she said. "It was too old to appear online."

Sydney Barcelli helped out her mother by supervising Northwest Indiana Gymnastics Center's Club 3 team at a state meet Saturday in Hobart, but the senior wanted to be elsewhere.

"She really wanted to be at (sectional)," Karen Barcelli said.

If you’re looking for the Griffith score, click here for the updates and analysis from the first game of the Elkhart Semistate.

3:35 p.m.
Merrillville is your semistate champion! Behind 24 points from Bryonna Davis and 15 from Raveen Murray, the Pirates are headed to their first state title game in school history. Final score: Merrillville 66, Snider 53

3:33 p.m.
Merrillville student section is singing “Hey-hey-hey, good bye” as Bryonna Davis has scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to give Merrillville the 66-53 lead with 12 seconds remaining in the game.

3:18 p.m.
After Tracee Mitchel and Latoi Merriweather each picked up their fourth fouls, Bryonna Davis has gone on a tear, scoring five points and assisting on a Jasmine Wade basket as part of a 9-0 Merrillville run. 5:41 4Q: Merrillville 57, Snider 49

3:12 p.m.
Merrillville and Snider enter the fourth quarter with a 1-point margin of difference. Tracee Mitchel scored six in the third quarter for 12 in the game, Raveen Murray was held to a bucket and has 13 points. End 3Q: Merrillville 48, Snider 47

3:01 p.m.
Merrillville scored five points in a minute to take a six-point lead, but Kaylee Walters has scored all of Sniders points again in the third quarter. 5:03 3Q: Merrillville 41, Snider 37

2:46 p.m.
Snider went on a 10-7 run to end the half, and of the Panthers’ 20 points in the second quarter, Kaylee Walters has 15 of them, then assisted on the other two baskets. Merrillville has more balanced scoring, with six players contributing. Raveen Murray has 11 points, Bryonna Davis eight and Tracee Mitchel 6. The Pirates, though, turned the ball over nine times in the second quarter, helping Snider take its scoring run.

Halftime: Merrillville 34, Snider 31

2:39 p.m.
Merrillville takes a timeout with six turnovers in the quarter and Snider on a 6-2 run. Merrillville has committed three fouls in the last minute, putting Bryonna Davis on the bench with eight points. Kaylee Walters has 13 points this quarter for Snider. 2:27 2Q: Merrillville 31, Snider 27

2:26 p.m.
Merrillville ends the first quarter on a 9-0 run, behind seven points from Raveen Murray in the quarter and six from Bryonna Davis. End 1Q: Merrillville 20, Snider 11

2:21 p.m.
Snider ties the game at 11-11 with two 3s from Brielle Wattley. 2:16 1Q: Merrillville 11, Snider 11.

2:15 p.m.
Merrillville has taken a 9-2 lead after a 9-0 run stretching across just fewer than two minutes. Bryonna Davis has four points and Raveen Murray three. 4:55 1Q: Merrillville 9, Snider 2

1:55 p.m.
Merrillville took the court for warmups as the visiting team. With 9:30 remaining in the pregame, Merrilville’s student section is antagonizing the Snider players and chanting for Pirates coach Amy Govert.

Starting lineups:
Merrillville (24-1)
Latoi Merriweather, G, 5-2, Sr.
Raveen Murray, G, 5-6, So.
Bryonna Davis, G, 5-7, Sr.
Lydia Hawkins, F, 5-9, Sr.
Tracee Mitchel, F/C, 5-9, Sr.

Snider (16-7)
Brielle Wattley, G, 5-6, Jr.
Kaylee Walters, G, 5-8, Sr.
Cameika Gregory, G, 5-6, Jr.
Akilah Sims, F, 5-11, So.
Mia Stevenson, G, 5-7, Sr.

12:14 p.m.
Concordia picks up its first foul of the game, 1 minute into the second quarter.

12:11 p.m.
Griffith is showing a scrappier offense to Concordia’s finesse. Goeglein has five of Concordia’s points and Shanlynn Bias has four points and two fouls. Concordia hit five of its first six shots. End 1Q: Concordia 12, Griffith 8

12:04 p.m.
Concordia has opened with a 9-4 lead, forcing Griffith into its first timeout. Anna Goeglein has five of Concordia’s nine points. 3:53 1Q: Concordia 9, Griffith 4

11:40 a.m.
Welcome to the Class 3A girls semistate at Elkhart Central. If you’re just leaving now to make the trip, mind the lake-effect snow in LaPorte County.

The two teams are warming up right now, with 11:59 to go before the start of the game.

Your starters:
Griffith (19-5)
Lauren Hansen, G, 5-6, Sr.
Shanlynn Bias, F, 5-8, Sr.
Presley Corich, G, 5-7, Jr.
Ashley Parish, F, 6-0, Jr.
Stephanie Negrete, F, 5-9, Sr.

Concordia (22-3)
Anna Goeglein, F, 5-11, Jr.
Angela Doerffler, G, 5-7, Sr.
Lauren Borchelt, G, 5-7, Sr.
Andrea Newbauer, G, 5-9, Sr.
Erynn Meiklejohn, C, 6-0, Sr.

The Griffith student section is in full force, complete with costumes, hard hats, a skunk even.

As the away team, Griffith is in road black with gold numbers. Concordia is still in warm-ups, wearing the IU-striped pants in maroon stripes.

Your officials for today’s 3A game are:
Stu Casper
Mike Woolington
the Region’s own Steve Egan

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Read a recap and get a rundown of the boys sectional draw chat. For complete brackets, check out the IHSAA website.

Olson trailed teammate and senior Jake Brehmer by under two points after the morrning's semifinal round. During practice for the finals, Brehmer missed on an inward 2 1/2 and banged his head on the board. Brehmer was taken to the hospital and reportedly admitted stitches to close a wound on the top of his head.

Olson tried to maintain his composure.

"Alex was really upset," Chesterton diving coach Dan Vondrasek Sr. said. "It was a tough thing to go through."

Olson persevered and finished fourth overall with 410.2 points to take the final spot for Tuesday's South Bend Riley Regional. Even after the event was completed, Olson still struggled with his emotions.

"It affected me," Olson said of Brehmer's accident. "He texted me and said that he was feeling better. He wanted me to do it for him."

Brehmer finished second at the Duneland Athletic Conference meet a few weeks ago, and the Trojans hoped to advance two divers to state.

The accident was also a shock to swimmers on the squad.

"What happened was pretty upsetting," said Kyle Whitaker, a six-time individual state champion. "You really feel for him."

The swimming postseason will be a little different for Chesterton senior Kyle Whitaker. Whitaker, a six-time individual state champion, will be competing in the 500-yard free at Thursday's LaPorte Sectional prelims. Whitaker is a three-time champion and state record holder in the 200 individual medley (1:45.25) and 100 fly (47.85). He'll only be swimming the 200 IM this postseason.

"(The 500 free) is an event Kyle has wanted to do for a while," said Chesterton coach Kevin Kinel, whose team is the two-time defending state champions. "We just haven't been able to do it before with our setup. This time we thought we would give him a shot."

Whitaker, a University of Michigan recruit, has the fastest-posted time of the year (4:28.23). At the state finals, that times has only been eclipsed twice. 2002 North Central's Brian Hartley holds the state record (4:25.73), and 1998 Penn grad Jason Mallory swam a 4;26.25.

The AP and IBCA have released this week’s boys basketball polls, leaving Bowman Academy in first in the Class A AP poll despite a loss last week to Culver Academy. In the 4A poll, a win over Lawrence North gave E.C. Central a bump up from eighth to seventh.

The complete polls follow:

Boys basketball
AP Top 10
The Associated Press Top 10 Indiana high school boys basketball teams, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through games of Sat. Feb. 13, rating points and previous rankings:
Class 4A W-L Pts Prv
1. Bloomington South (15) 17-0 300 1
2. Indpls N. Central 16-2 262 2
3. Valparaiso 17-1 240 3
4. New Albany 14-2 206 4
5. Munster 16-2 168 5
6. Homestead 15-1 128 7
7. E.C. Central 13-2 113 8
8. Center Grove 13-3 73 6
9. Warsaw 14-2 61
10. Zionsville 16-4 52
Others receiving votes: Noblesville 45. Hamilton Southeastern 39. Carroll (Allen) 35. Carmel 27. Terre Haute North 14. Jeffersonville 13. Merrillville 6. S. Bend Riley 6. Castle 6. E. Central 6.
Class 3A W-L Pts Prv
1. Danville (15) 17-0 300 1
2. Peru 16-1 268 2
3. Mt.Vernon (Hancock) 16-2 230 4
4. Greensburg 15-1 172 3
5. Washington 15-2 170 6
6. Lew Wallace 12-4 151 5
7. Mississinewa 16-1 124 8
8. Southridge 14-3 95 9
9. Sullivan 16-2 67
10. Ft. Wayne Elmhurst 12-4 53 7
Others receiving votes: Corydon 39. Ft. Wayne Harding 34. Indpls Howe 34. Culver Academy 15. Boonville 14. Ev. Memorial 13. Vincennes 12. Princeton 9.
Class 2A W-L Pts Prv
1. Brownstown (11) 17-0 292 1
2. Bluffton (4) 16-0 276 2
3. Wheeler 17-1 234 3
4. Tipton 12-3 196 4
5. N. Posey 15-2 146 5
6. Ft. Wayne Luers 11-8 129 7
7. Bishop Noll 14-3 102 6
8. Winchester 15-4 84 8
9. Hanover Central 14-3 75 9
10. Switzerland Co. 14-2 51
Others receiving votes: Westview 50. Forest Park 45. Alexandria 37. Boone Grove 29. Ev. Mater Dei 20. Austin 10. Taylor 10. N. Miami 8. Eastern (Pekin) 6.
Class A W-L Pts Prv
1. Bowman Academy (14) 15-1 294 1
2. Monroe Central 13-3 250 2
3. Triton (1) 17-1 248 3
4. Barr-Reeve 14-3 206 4
5. Lafayette Catholic 12-5 157 5
6. Loogootee 12-4 139 6
7. Morgan Twp. 11-4 126 7
8. Shakamak 14-5 103 8
9. Attica 13-3 89 10
10. White River Valley 13-4 68
Others receiving votes: Orleans 33. N. Daviess 28. Indpls Irvington 22. Madison Shawe 18. Frontier 13. Ft. Wayne Blackhawk 6.

Indiana Basketball Coaches Association
Top 20
(first place votes in parentheses)
School Pts W-L
1. Bloomington South (18) 379 17-0
2. Ind. North Central (1) 345 16-2
3. Valparaiso 341 17-1
4. Munster 264 16-2
5. Danville 258 17-0
6. New Albany 24 14-2
7. Mt. Vernon 234 16-2
8. Homestead 210 15-1
9. Center Grove 157 13-3
10. E.C. Central 148 13-2
11. Peru 125 16-1
12. Brownstown Central 124 17-0
13. Bluffton 118 16-0
14. FW Carroll 117 15-2
15. Hamilton Southeastern 110 14-3
16. Merrillville 107 14-3
17. Bowman Academy 101 15-1
18. Greensburg 79 15-1
19. Noblesville 77 13-3
20. Carmel 76 12-5
Others receiving votes: Warsaw Community, Washington, Zionsville, New Castle Chrysler, Lew Wallace, Pike, Mississinewa, Logansport, South Bend Riley, Terre Haute North Vigo, Jeffersonville, Bloomington North, Wheeler, Castle, Lawrence North, Triton, Columbus North, Fort Wayne Elmhurst, Richmond.