Amid the postgame celebration, Mead High’s Jade Redmon spotted her sister, Jazmine, and her tear-covered face standing along the sideline.
Jade Redmon has always been in the shadow of her sister, a Mead alum and junior guard for Gonzaga.
But Jade Redmon finally accomplished what Jazmine never did in the Panthers’ 58-42 victory against No. 8 Arlington in the Class 4A state championship game on Saturday night.
Did winning the trophy with the big golden ball vault her out of Jazmine’s shadow?
“No, not really,” said Redmon, who scored nine points in the title game. “She has helped shape me into the player I am today. I still thank her for everything she has done.”
So when Redmon, who will play at Eastern Washington, finally found her sister in the chaos of the postgame party, it wasn’t to flaunt winning the state title that eluded her sister.
“When I saw her, she was just in tears, telling me how proud she was of me,” Jade Redmon said.
“People are always comparing those two, but they are totally different basketball players,” Mead coach Quantae Anderson said. “Jade has really grown into a leader, a great leader. She doesn’t like the thought of losing and our whole team felt that. She is our leader.”
The top-ranked Panthers (25-1) used an 8-0 run in the final minute of the second quarter for a 29-16 halftime lead.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 10-2 run and cut the deficit to single digits with 6 minutes, 4 seconds remaining on Taylor Graham’s fourth 3-pointer.
Mead closed with an 8-1 run and the Panthers won their fourth state championship, but their first since 1996.
Graham led Arlington with 12 points. The Eagles were playing in their first state title game since 1982.
Sue Winger led Mead with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
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