Every play, every free throw matters.

That’s what it comes down to in order for teams to stay alive in the postseason, according to Redmond junior guard Nate Miller.

The Mustangs won their first game of the 4A Wes-King District Tournament against Lake Stevens, 75-57, but lost their next two to finish their season with a 16-9 record. They lost to Jackson, 48-47, and Glacier Peak, 63-57.

Against Lake Stevens, Mustang Aidan Rolfs tallied 26 points, six rebounds and three steals and Miller notched 13 points and five assists. Redmond had 18 assists and only six turnovers.

In a tightly-contested game against Glacier Peak, Miller had 18 points and Rolfs added 12 points.

“We just have to compete every game,” Miller said following the Glacier Peak game. “It’s really fun, especially playing teams we haven’t played before. It’s a great feeling, running the offense, trying to push the ball and then just make big plays.”

Miller kept things close against Glacier Peak by hitting a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws down the stretch. One of the treys came with 10.4 seconds left in the game to cut Glacier Peak’s led to 60-57.

Redmond led 32-25 at halftime on a Jahi Coleman 3-point buzzer-beater and Rolfs cut Glacier Peak’s lead to 48-43 on a trey to close out the third quarter.

“The last couple weeks, I think everybody’s playing good — off the bench, all our starters, we’re just kind of coming together,” Miller said. “Even though we lost this game, we were right there and we’re gonna come back.”

It’s been a memorable season for Miller alongside his teammates.

“It’s such a great experience and it’s gonna definitely stick in my brain throughout life,” he said.

Nate scored 15 points against Jackson and his brother, Jacob, tallied 13 points.

According to head coach Todd Rubin, it was Redmond’s best regular season since 2003-04 as the Mustangs finished atop the 4A KingCo Crown division with a 9-4 record.