They ran through the Southern Valley District, they pulled off the biggest upset of the year in the Region III tournament on a last-second shot. They've done everything they can to turn around a moribund girls basketball program. And, by golly, they sure did.

We're talking about the Little Giants girls basketball team, otherwise known as the longtime doormat of girls basketball in the Valley. And, finally, tonight they play in the Group AA Final Four at the Siegel Center in Richmond.

The girls are excited, first-year coach Secrett Stubblefield, as usual, is excited and the student body at the high school is excited. Gee, did anybody tell the city-

When Buffalo Gap football made its run to a Group A, Division 1 state title during the fall, you couldn't drive 10 feet through Western Augusta County without seeing a Bison sign in someone's yard or a black-and-gold T-shirt on someone's chest. Where's the love for our girls in the River City-

Where are the "Good Luck Giants" signs- When the Wilson Memorial girls headed down to King William last Saturday to take on Lancaster, even a few businesses in Fishersville flashed "Good Luck Lady Hornets" on their marquees.

Sure, Waynesboro is a "city," but let's not kid ourselves into thinking we're some high-falutin, bright-lights kind of place where high school sports are an afterthought after the local pro team.

We're still supposed to be a small community and small communities are supposed to support their kids, especially when they make the kind of the run the Little Giants are making.

In case you didn't feel like showing up, and many of you haven't, here's what you're not seeing if you haven't seen the Little Giants yet:

n You've missed the maturation of senior Kiawna Berry and Shawnte Woodson, two nice girls who seem to always be smiling.

n You've missed freshman LaToya Diggs, a great point guard in the making, playing suffocating defense, not putting a lot of points in the book and probably not getting all the headlines she deserves.

n And, of course, you've missed Devon Brown, the Giants Liberty-bound star who also happens to be Group AA's all-time leading scorer and is the greatest girls basketball player the high school has produced.

Tonight they play at Richmond's Siegel Center against Bruton. If the Little Giants win, they play again Saturday, back at the Siegel Center, for the girls basketball program's first state title since 1991.

Let's hope the River City is empty tonight and Saturday. Good luck, Little Giants.