The most wonderful time of the year!

It's the most wonderful time of the year: basketball season! That’s my favorite sport, and I'm ready for indoor events now that the weather is about to turn colder.

Tuesday night’s college matchup between Kansas and Memphis was a battle that remained too close for comfort, much like two years ago (but without the overtime and national-title stakes). It was exciting to watch the Jayhawks prevail again.

So, in keeping with the theme of last week’s blog regarding the top upsets I have witnessed, here is my list of the top three basketball nailbiters I have seen since I started covering high school sports for Catch It Kansas.

Wichita East vs. Wichita Southeast boys, January 2008

The City League rivals squared off in the final game of the GWAL CatchItKansas.com Basketball Classic at Koch Arena. East led 56-40 in the third quarter, but Southeast came back. The Golden Buffaloes’ Adonis Gantt made a single free throw to complete a controversial 4-point play at the end of regulation. That sent the game into overtime, when Southeast edged East 84-82.

Derby vs. Dodge City girls, February 2008

In a Class 6A sub-state final, Derby took on Dodge City for a trip to state, but the game stretched into double overtime. Derby’s Shelby Yardley scored a 3-pointer to secure a 50-48 lead with 6 seconds left in regulation, but Dodge City’s Elizabeth Ginther drained two free throws with four seconds remaining (pictured above). The score was tied 50-50 at the end of regulation and then 59-59 at the conclusion of the first OT. The Red Demons’ Kaley Temaat scored the final field goal and then sank an insurance free throw in double OT to seal her team’s 66-64 victory.

Goddard vs. Lawrence girls, March 2008

This game appeared in my list of the best upsets, but it also qualifies as one of the most exciting basketball contests to be decided in the final seconds. In a Class 6A state-final showdown featuring the Lions vs. the Lions, No. 4-seed Goddard appeared poised to deny Lawrence its first state championship since 1984. However, two Goddard turnovers in the last 40 seconds cost the girls. Lawrence, a No. 7 seed, held the lead only twice: 2-0 at the beginning and 54-52 when the buzzer sounded.