A trip to Yakima for the Class 2A state girls basketball tournament was on the line and Renton Indians point guard Jordan Armstrong wasn’t about to let it slip away against the Sumner Spartans.With the score tied at 40-40 and the Spartans in possession of the ball with 24 seconds left in regulation, Armstrong stole the ball near mid-court and scored the go-ahead basket giving her team a 42-40 lead with 18.2 seconds left in the game.
The Spartans had one more offensive possession but turned the ball over and the Indians walked away with a 42-40 victory on Feb. 22 at Kent-Meridian High School in Kent.
“I’m not good at lay-ups but I knew I just needed to make that lay-up,” Armstrong said. “We needed to win this game. I’m a senior and I didn’t want to go out like we did last year when we lost (at state regionals).”
Armstrong said her team is looking forward to playing at the Yakima SunDome for the Class 2A state tourney.
“It is going to be amazing," she said. “It is going to be the best weekend anybody has ever seen.”
Renton head coach Tim White was mobbed by a bevy of well-wishers following one of the biggest victories in decades for the girls basketball program.
“This is a great moment. We came out hard and played our game. This is huge for our school,” White said. “We haven’t made the state playoffs since 1987.”
For a full story on this game, check out the sports section in the Feb. 27 edition.
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