Apparently it only takes 5 or 10 minutes to transform from mild-mannered seventh-grade girls into high-power, "most school spirit in the whole junior high" Sunnyside Christian superfans.

You could do it too, as long you have a friend's mom with a little bit of free time and some scarlet and gold paint.

Janelle DeGroot, 12, (left) and Renae Visser, 13, (right) are those kind of fans, although "we didn't have time to do it yesterday." Sunnyside's girls came through anyway, though, knocking off #1-ranked and undefeated Sprague-Harrington.

For tonight's boys game against Northwest Christian, the Sunnyside superfans weren't leaving anything to chance. "We'll do it tomorrow, too," Renae said, then immediately launched into a list of all the great things about Knight basketball. These girls are serious.

And tomorrow they'll be a trio, too. That's 12-year-old Devi Knotts in the middle of the picture, and she'll have a fair amount of ground to make up after missing tonight's pre-game face decoration. A Friday with twice as much face paint ought to do just about right.

When you're under constant auditory assault by pep bands and cheering fans, sometimes you've just got to get away. So Cass Rollinger, 18, of Yakima brought his iPod.

While mixing in some crazy cheers for Riverside Christian, Cass likes to pump the metal, electronica and rap. He shuffled up five random songs for us and offered a few thoughts on his soundtrack for State B.

"The Call Of Ktulu," Metallica. "Old school."

"Without Me," Eminem. "He's white trash, but he's still good. He's got crazy rhymes."

"Low Man's Lyric," Metallica. "Without these guys, none of the bands today would sound like they do. (Points to his Avenged Sevenfold shirt.) They have an old-school feel, but their lyrics mean something."

"Step To Me," Thousand Foot Krutch. "It gives you a feeling of adrenaline."

"The Love Song," Marilyn Manson. "Oh, I shouldn't have that on here. It's really bad."

Sabrina Castro from Granger, Wash., is a Mossyrock fan. Her daughter Corina Allen is a 5-5 guard for the Vikings, and has been to State B three times.

Tonight, though, Sabrina is watching a battle between a couple other teams from her area -- La Salle and Sunnyside Christian -- with husband Emilio. And Emilio easily has the finest mustache in the Arena.

It's the kind of mustache you could use to intimidate the people around you, but Emilio insists he doesn't use his powers for evil. Not on fellow fans, anyway. "Just on my kids," he says. His smile gives him away, though.

Emilio's had the 'stache for a "long, long time," but he did seem willing to part with a few hairs to help a brother out, if Adam Morrison ever comes calling. Other than that, the facial hair's going nowhere.

Which means the real question is: What does Sabrina think? "I like it very much," she says.

'Nuff said.

Tyler Kimmet, 11, of Spokane is a fan of Northwest Christian (and of "Napoleon Dynamite"). He took some time Thursday night to step away from the games and answer some of our burning questions. Thanks, Tyler.

Do you own a liger?

No.

Do you have any sweet skills?

I can talk like Donald Duck! (This was no softball interview; I made him prove it. And he can, in fact, talk like Donald Duck.)

Do you know any freakin' idiots?

Ha! Yeah, these guys ... (motioning to the three buddies he was sitting with)

How are your moves on the dance floor?

I suck at dancing. (He seemed earnest. I didn't make him prove this one.)

Do you believe that, given the proper application of electricity to a specially grown crystal, that you could open up a wormhole and use it to travel back in time?

No.

What is the best tater tot condiment?

Barbecue sauce. Because it's like my favorite sauce. I put it on everything.

Bonus 7th question: What do you like best about State B?

You get to scream at people without them knowing it's you.

Wenchi Liu popped into the comments of one of our blog posts yesterday. The former St. George's star went on to play basketball at Whitworth, where she recently finished up a master's degree. Right now she's in Hong Kong, doing an internship.

But this week she's keeping an eye on the B tournament, of course. And she took a moment to email us a few of her favorite tourney memories:

• Watching the 1994 SGS girls team win at the Coliseum with Kari Hutchinson, Crissy Peterson, Buffy Mann, Cara Longinotti
• Watching Katie Davis of Manson score 50 points in one game, she was unstoppable!
• Semifinal game vs Napavine in 2000, the toughest game we had all year (the picture here is an S-R file photo of Wenchi during that game)
• Watching my sister win state two years later in '02
• Best memory, of course, winning state B in 2000

I'll bet Wenchi isn't the only B tourney veteran tracking this year's games here. If you're a former player, let us know what some of your favorite memories are.

We have our first overtime game of the tournament, as Tekoa-Oakesdale's Austin Cook hit a pair of free throws with just under 10 seconds remaining to tie the game at 46, and send the Nighthawks' game against Tacoma Baptist into overtime.
The Nighthawks scored the first seven points of overtime before Tacoma Baptist roared back and took the lead with 22 seconds left. Kelly Cook then hit a 12-footer on the baseline to send the game into a second overtime.
Update: The game between Tekoa-Oakesdale and Tacoma Baptist has moved into a THIRD overtime tied at 59. Nothing like a little nail-biting in the afternoon.
Update 2.0: An over-the-back call put Jason Shulhauser on the free-throw line with .8 seconds left. Shulhauser hit the first, airballed the second free throw (he was trying to miss it, but not airball it), then intercepted the inbounds pass as Tacoma-Baptist prevailed 64-63 in triple overtime.
State B at its finest.
On the girls side, Dayton ran away from Inchelium 69-55.

Gary Broadbent is a familiar figure at the State B Tournament. If you pay attention between games and halves, you can usuallly spot him walking both sides of the court.
He's the Stat Man.
Broadbent started officiating in 1959 before becoming a referee evaluator, and for the last five or so years, he has handed out the official halftime and full-game box scores.
"The young guys work the machines, I pick up the stats, check them over and then distribute them," said Broadbent, who has been involved with the State B for the past 40 or so years. "It keeps me involed in the State B, which I really enjoy."
He also is the relay for people who want to know where their stats are when a system goes down ... as it did this afternoon.
"The (girls') system crashed last game, and since the (Dayton/Inchelium) game is going on, we haven't had the chance to go back and make sure everything is accurate," Broadbent said. "When this game is over, we'll get into the system and make it accurate."

The Rockwood Clinic for Sports Medicine has traditionally provided the medical care for players at the State B.
Trainers and therapists serve, "about two athletes per game," said physical traniner Matt Gores. With a table in between the two courts, representatives from the clinic are in an ideal spot to help anyone and everyone who comes by with a nick, scrape or sprained ankle.
Which, hopefully is the most they will see the rest of the way.
"We get a lot of minor things," physical therapist Matt Gores said. " Some cuts, some bumps, some bruises. ... though Thursday we had a cut on a chin that required stitches and today we had a probable partial tear of a knee ligament."
Generally, there aren't too many serious injuries, said certified athletic trainer Keith Eggleston.
"We have the occasional fracture, but that's less than one a year," he said. "In six years, we've had the occasional broken nose, the occasional concussion."
The hardest part, Eggleston said, is stopping th eathletes from playing.
"Soemtimes you have to protect them from themselves," he said. "You never want to put an athlete at risk. They're still in high school."
And what do they do between ankle tapings, or when no one is in immediate need?
Said Gores, with just a hint of "what else would we do?" in his voice, "We enjoy watching good basketball."

How did St. John-Endicott rebound from their gut-wrenching loss Thursday? By prevailing in yet another a close one, a 80-69 victory over Willapa Valley that was much closer than the score.
"I didn't know what was left in the kids," Eagles head coach Mike Tollett said afterwards.
On the girls side, Sprague-Harrington beat King's West 61-37.

Monty Crawford loves the State B Tournament.
Crawford, who played for Kittitas in high school but never made it to State B as a player, has been coming to the tournament since 1960. He doesn't have a relative or a neighbor involved, he just loves being here.
"I follow it on my own," Crawford, a Coeur d'Alene resident, said. "...I usually make it down on Thursday and Friday. That way I can make sure I see everyone play."
And through the years, he's seen some of the State B greats.
"I've seen the Byron Becks, Gordon Harris, Billy Sutter, the Smith brothers (Dale and Dave) from Brewster" said Crawford, an estimator for Interstate Concrete and Asphalt in Coeur d'Alene. "I've seen near all the record holders."
He's a little worried the tradition and atmosphere that comes with the State B will be negatively affected with next year's split of the B classification.
"I love the people, the atmosphere, you see a lot of the same people," said Crawford, who said he can occasionally get his wife to join him. "I think somebody had a brain malfunction when they decided to split it. ... I'll give it a shot next year, but after that I don't know."

The Willapa Valley/St. John-Endicott boys game has attracted the loudest cheering sections so far today, by a good margin.
Both teams have healthy, loud bands and enthusiastic, unrelenting fans. St. John currently has a 62-55 lead with 7 minutes left in the fourth, and both sections will probably only get louder.

I have it on good authority that last night's controversial St. John/Sunnyside Christian game was the loudest of the boys games Thursday. A nice showing by Eagle fans thus far.

If you are heading to the Arena some time in the next two and a half days, and you've a little spare time between games, take a walk around the Arena's concourse.
There's plenty to offer anyone looking to pass the time until the next game, from the food (from Pizza Pipeline to Cantina Mexicana to the American Grill), to the entertainment (see the NBC Camps and Hoopfest pop-a-shots).
Other worthwhile displays include a tribute to area veterans and a long wall of area sporting heroes, including Jud Heathcote (who coached Magic Johnson's 1979 Michigan State basketball team to a national title and now lives in Spokane), baseball hall of famer Ryne Sandberg, basketball legend John Stockton and Joe Albi.
And if you're interested in becoming a State B connoisseur, there's a long wall chronicling the history of the State B that is worth any and all time you can spend there.

Toutle Lake did indeed hold on, beating Pateros 57-28. For the boys, Wilbur-Creston pulled away in the fourth quarter and beat Mt. Vernon 62-49.
Next up for the boys is Willapa Valley and St. John-Endicott. On the girls' court it's King's West and Sprague-Harrington.

With Toutle Lake's impending victory over Pateros (the Ducks are up 53-28 with 3:49 remaining), Toutle Lake's boys have been moved to 12:30 p.m. Friday.
Barring a Pateros miracle comeback, the girls will play at 11 a.m.

Tearsa Powell has a tough job.

The sophomore from Wilbur-Creston is the school's only cheerleader. She had a partner through much of the season, but she quit late in the season, leaving Powell and the schools mascot to do all the work.

"It's kind of hard," said Powell, whose mother, Robin is the cheer coach. "There are times when I didn't want to go, but I know the boys need me. ... At least with the mascot there's someone to talk to."

She gets some help - and a lot of respect - from other students.

"She does a good job," said Maddisen Peterson, a member of the group of girls basketball players who helped Powell decorate the school's locker bay. "We helped a with decorating the school ... but she has all the responsibility to herself."
»  Watch video

When he was done helping his team beat Riverside Christian, Toutle Lake leading scorer Ryan Hoff, who had 20 points and eight rebounds in the win, found himself in another familiar position...cheering on the Toutle Lake girls - specifically Kayla Vickaryous, Hoff's girlfriend - in their game against Pateros.
"We get to watch almost every game," Hoff said. "It's common to have everybody watching. The community really comes together."
And what happens if Hoff starts yelling too much at Vickaryous (pronounced vick-AIR-yus), not for her?
"We've had plenty of fights where that's happened," Hoff laughed.
Meanwhile, Kayla's little brother, Connor (at right in picture) is enjoying his second State B Tournament.
"This is the first one where I dressed up though," he said.
The sixth-grader comes to every home game, boys and girls, though he does have his favorites.
"I cheer on the whole team, but mainly Ryan (at the boys games)."
Kayla Vickaryous had racked up four points as Toutle led Pateros 25-17 with 2:49 left in the first half.

Morton's girls beat Clallam Bay 54-16, while Toutle Lake held off a late rally to beat Riverside Christian 51-45 in boys action.

Clallam Bay's girls broke a few records Thursday, including a couple that stood for 25 years.
They just weren't the good kind of records.
The Bruins, who have just eight players on the roster, lost to Morton 54-16 today, setting the record for fewest points scored in a State B game.
Clallam's Alice Yancey scored with 3:31 remaining in the third quarter, and that was the Bruins' last points of the game.
Clallam (11-13) also tied the reccord for fewest points in a quarter (0) and set the record for lowest point total in a tournament(36)and lowest average(18) in a tournament. The latter two had stood since 1981.

Riverside Christian's David Redinger is willing to go above and beyond the call of duty in the name of school spirit.
Redinger spent $50 on the hot dog costume he brought to the State B.
Too much money? Nah.
"It's not too expensive," said Redinger, whose Crusaders were down seven at halftime. "It's all about school spirit."
Schoolmate Grant Neiffer was a bit more thrifty with his lion costume.
"I found it at a garage sale," Neiffer said. "I spent $.50 on it."
"I spent $50 on mine, he spent $.50 on his," shrugged Redinger.
No word on whether Redinger's next costume was a $75 soda bottle.

Not all the best seats are up close.
King's West Athletic Director Emil Heinze (pronounced Ay-mel Hine-zee) likes the view he has from the Arena's upper level. Here he can keep an eye on both games.
"We have a game with River Christian's boys and Clallum Bay's girls next year," Heinze said. "So I'm watching them. ... A lot of times I like to move up so I can see both games."
Heinze's location also gives a new meaning to 'cheap seats.' As the school's athletic director, he can get in free of charge.
"I get in for free," Heinze said. "So I might as well make the most of it."

The standings are updated to reflect yesterday's games. Leading the pack at the moment:

-- GaryTodd Gossett
-- kory tyson
-- Donald Novak
-- Robert Shannon

They picked 7 out of 8 first-round games correctly. See the rest of the standings here.

Let me be up front about something here: I screwed up. Remember Monday morning when the WIAA switched a few pairings around in both the boys' and girls' brackets? Well, I got rid of all the bracket game entries we'd received Sunday night, went into our bracket game software to update the matchups, and then ...

Well, I'm not exactly sure what happened then. The boys game is fine, but the girls game is not. I swear I changed the girls matchups too. (I swear!) But I must not have saved them, or somehow I reopened the original file ... long story short: The girls entry form I put up Monday morning still had the old pairings. And it's a little late to fix it now.

So to everyone who entered the girls game, I really do apologize. Feel free to skewer me in the comments.