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 Drew Livingston was third, trailing Finchum by 77.35 points despite earning three 10s.
Diving just ahead of Boudia, Finchum earned a 10 on his forward 3 1/2 somersault pike. Two dives later, he received three 10s for a reverse 3 1/2 somersault tuck. Finchum climbed out of the water, looked up at the nearly 33-foot tower where Boudia waited and said, "Go David."
The teenagers from the Indianapolis area are partners in synchronized competition and friends, too.
"We really do push each other," Finchum said. "I don't want it be anyone else on that team with me but David. He's like a brother. I want to beat him but want to support him, too."
Boudia responded to Finchum's encouragement by hitting a reverse 3 1/2 somersault tuck, knifing into the water as the crowd cheered. The judges liked what they saw, handing out four 10s, two 9.5s and a 9.0.
"I didn't really hear him say it, but I know he's supportive of me and I'm supportive of him," Boudia said. "He pushes me to outpoint him."
Boudia's only mistake came on his next dive, when he couldn't rotate his legs around in time to enter the water in a straight line. He earned his lowest marks, mostly 6.5s, but his big lead protected him.
"All you can do is move on," he said.
Christina Loukas saved her best for last in the 3-meter springboard semifinals, earning mostly 9s on her final dive to increase her commanding lead.
Loukas led by nearly 30 points after the morning preliminaries, and she was even stronger in the evening session, when the scores carried over.
She totaled 729.85 points, well ahead of second-place Nancilea Foster (681.40).
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Foster was strongest on her first and last dives, earning bunches of 8.5s. She closed out with a reverse 2 1/2 somersault pike.
"Even as I hit the water, I just thought, 'That is my favorite moment of diving,'" she said. "It's a dive that I've hit before in important stress situations. Just knowing I did it right is very good."
Ariel Rittenhouse, second after prelims, slipped to third with 650.30 after botching her second dive.
Loukas, a 22-year-old from Riverwoods, Ill., who dives out of Indiana University, earned her highest marks
-- a 9.5 and three 9.0s among the seven judges -- on her final dive, a forward 2 1/2 somersault with a twist.
All 12 women advanced to Saturday's final. Michelle Cabassol, 12th after the prelims, dropped out to focus on platform, where she was sixth after prelims.
Only the winners of the four events being contested at the trials earn guaranteed Olympic berths. The second spots in the individual events will be announced July 7 at a selection camp in Knoxville, Tenn. The top six finishers at the trials will be invited there.
[Associated Press; By BETH HARRIS
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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