With his senior season winding down, Chris Harrington made sure that it had a storybook ending.
Harrington delivered in the clutch on the biggest stage as the Redmond boys’ basketball team survived two overtimes in against Lake Stevens to win 70-64, securing fifth place at Saturday’s Class 4A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome.
Harrington scored a tournament-high 34 points, including two game-tying free throws with no time left in the first overtime, as the Mustangs went on to win their third straight state contest after losing by 30 points to the eventual champion Federal Way in the first round.
Redmond finished the season with a 19-10 record and captured their first state trophy since 2001, when it finished eighth.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Redmond athletic director John Appelgate said of the Mustangs’ season. “They’re a team that had their ups and downs, they had their challenges early in the season, but every time they faced adversity they came out stronger. It brought a school together, and not just the school, but the community. It’s been a great ride.”
For Harrington and the Mustangs, they could not have scripted a better ending to an unforgettable season.
The Redmond-Lake Stevens game was the most hotly-contested game of the state tournament, featuring 11 ties and 17 lead changes. Harrington had a chance to win the game in regulation with a pull-up jumper as time expired. The senior guard’s shot fell just short and the game remained tied 53-53 at the end of regulation, setting up the ultimate chance for redemption.
HARRINGTON’S HEROICS
Lake Stevens shot a lights-out 4 of 4 during the first overtime period, including a clutch shot by guard Mike Schneider that put the Vikings up 62-60 with 4.2 seconds on the clock.
With their backs to the wall, Redmond coach Jeff Larson chose to put the ball in the Harrington’s hands. Harrington drove to the hoop and was fouled with no time left.
“We were in double-bonus so we tried to draw a foul if we could,” said Harrington on the final play of the first overtime period. “I was trying to get to the rim and they fouled me.”
The senior calmly swished both attempts, tying the game at 62 and extending the Mustangs’ season.
“I’ve never had to do that in my life,” Harrington said. “I didn’t want my senior year to end that way, standing at the line by myself. It was a good feeling to knock them down.”
The lanky guard had been hitting pressure shots all year, but Harrington made sure he delivered one more clutch performance.
“What he’s done all year is special, but I don’t know how many seniors in high school can stand at the free throw line with no time on the clock and make two shots,” said Redmond head coach Jeff Larson. “I couldn’t have done that. He’ll remember that forever, but it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving kid.”
The Mustangs were able to stop Lake Stevens in the second overtime as the Vikings shot 0 for 6, and just as fitting, Harrington scored six of his team’s eight points in the second overtime to give Redmond the gutsy win.
Harrington made 14 for 14 from the line, setting a new tournament record. Senior Justin Alexander added 13 for the Mustangs with Will Ellis contributing seven during his final game.
Lake Stevens standout Sean Stickney, who was charged with a technical foul late in the second overtime for arguing a call, scored a team-high 27.
SUPER SENIORS
After Friday’s 44-38 upset win against Mariner that put the Mustangs in the consolation finals, Larson said that Saturday’s game was for the team, most specifically the nine seniors playing in their final game, wearing the green and gold.
“I’m going to miss them so much, and that has nothing to do with basketball,” Larson said. “The basketball is what brought us together. I told them that I’m not their coach anymore, but they have a friend for life.”
After taking turns hoisting the fifth-place trophy, the seniors took time to reflect on what it has meant to be able to play with this select group of athletes, many since elementary school.
“I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys,” said Harrington, who earned second team all-state honors. “I mean, I’ve been playing with them since fifth grade. There’s nothing better than to go out my senior year with these guys.”
Added Ellis, “It’s been great. With nine seniors, all of them have been like my best friends throughout high school, since sixth grade basically.”
Larson admitted that this group of seniors was able to work collectively as a whole better than any group he’s coached during his career.
“It is the most coachable group of guys I’ve ever been around,” Larson said of this year’s graduating class. “They simply did what you asked the best that they could. This group of kids is what you want the future to be about. It’s why you teach, why you coach — they’re going to be so successful.”
SUPERFANS
One of the key attributes that separates Redmond’s basketball programs from other schools is their fans. Throngs of Superfans came to support the Mustangs every game during the four-day tournament, filling more seats during the team’s consolation games than many schools had for winner’s bracket contests.
“I told the student body at an assembly that the basketball team is not going to the state tournament, but Redmond is going to the state tournament,” Larson recalled. “They support us so well, and we want everyone to know that we love and appreciate their enthusiasm.”
And the players themselves knew that their fans played an instrumental role in the Mustangs’ incredible run.
“They’re the craziest fans I’ve ever played in front of,” said senior Abdul Tufa. “There’s always like 300 fans there, even if we’re playing the worst team in the league. Without them, I don’t think we go this far. They’re a big part of our team.”
