Kara Jenkins might only have scored one point for Auburn Riverside during the Washington State 4A girls basketball championship overtime win against Mead of Spokane, 56-52, last Saturday at the Tacoma Dome. But what a point it was.

Jenkins, a 5-foot-8 senior guard for the undefeated Ravens, had her usual game until the overtime period, cleaning up the glass with six rebounds and wreaking havoc with her defensive intensity. Playing her role as she usually does.

With 16 seconds left in overtime, however, Jenkins found herself at the charity stripe, with the Ravens leading by three points.

“I was there (my) sophomore year at the end of the game,” Jenkins recalled. “This year I was there again, but a little more confident, even though I missed the first one. Coming back for the second one, I knew I had it in me, to make it and guarantee the win.”

Jenkins’ shot gave Auburn Riverside a four-point lead and secured the win over 23-6 Mead.

“It was everything we expected it to be,” said Ravens coach Terry Johnson. “Mead is an awesome team. They have great players, they’re well coached and they play with a lot of heart. No surprise that the game was like that. I don’t think we played great, but we did what we needed to do and the kids stepped up when they needed to.”

It was the third state title in four years for the Ravens, who finished 29-0. Auburn Riverside won the 3A title in 2007 and 2008, and was fourth in the 4A tournament last year.

“Obviously, last year was a letdown, but winning it this year is just the cherry on top,” said Ravens star player Mercedes Wetmore. “I really wanted this win for the other kids who haven’t been there. It’s an amazing feeling being a state champion. Not many people can say that.”

Wetmore, the University of Washington-bound senior, was selected as the tournament MVP. She finished the game with 17 points and nine rebounds. Katherine Cooper, a 6-foot junior wing, added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and was selected to the first-team all-tournament squad.

Although the game ended with a burst of excitement, the opening quarter gave no clue of the drama to come.

Both teams came out the gate cold, with Riverside shooting just 10 percent from the field on 1-of-10 shooting. Mead fared even worse with a 0-for-10 performance. Mead’s 7-3 lead after the period came courtesy of its 7-of-8 free throw shooting.

Even the usually steady duo of Wetmore and Cooper struggled to find their shots in the first half. Wetmore entered halftime with just three points on 1-of-12 shooting, with Cooper contained to five points.

The Panthers held a slim lead at the half, 23-22.

“We really talked (during halftime) about getting the ball inside, and number two, we talked about finishing stronger,” Johnson said. “I thought we were pretty tentative in the first half. So it was really little adjustments in the way we were playing, not necessarily changes in our game plan.”

In the third quarter, Cooper seemed to find her comfort zone, scoring nine of her 20 points.

“I’m a junior now, so there was more pressure on my shoulders to score and help hold the team together,” Cooper said. “In my freshman year, we had six seniors on the team, so I was more the underdog just out there playing and contributing when I could. Now I had to step up, and I put all that I had out there. With the help from Mercedes, we pulled it out.”

Coming into the fourth quarter, however, Mead still had the advantage, 35-33.

The Ravens pulled together in the fourth, however. Auburn Riverside opened with a tough defensive stand in the initial Mead possession. The Panthers, stymied on their first attempt to score, responded on the next play, with Taylor Ingebritsen hitting a 3-pointer to put her team up 39-35.

The Ravens took the lead with less than six minutes left in the game, with sophomore Jalea Crump’s three-point play bringing the score to 42-39.

Despite its renewed intensity, Auburn Riverside was unable to put away the Panthers. Senior Jazmine Redmon fed junior Kalee Junkermeier who hit a jumper to tie it up 49-49 at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Cooper and Wetmore stepped up. And aided by the departure of Redmon, who fouled out in the opening seconds, the Ravens were able to build enough of a lead to allow Jenkins the chance to put the game away.

“We have confidence in all of our girls,” Johnson said.

“I’m just excited that our team stuck together and fought the whole way,” Wetmore said. “Our team stuck together the whole year. … (Winning) 3A was tough, but 4A was tougher. No one thought we could do it at 4A. But we proved we could do it at 4A, too.”

The Ravens’ Brooklynn Hinkens finished with seven points, with Crump and Jelisa Pretz adding six points apiece. Mackenna Clark had five points and Taylor Wofford finished with six rebounds for Auburn Riverside.

The Panthers were led by Junkermeier’s 19 points, with Redmon adding 15 points.