Once they were teammates, now they are rivals.

They helped establish a girls high school basketball dynasty at Auburn Riverside, combining for three state titles.

Now one is a Cougar, the other a Husky.

Mercedes Wetmore and Katie Grad – former Raven stars and longtime best friends – met as opponents for the first time last Sunday, squaring off at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle for the Pac-12 women’s basketball’s version of the Apple Cup.

“It was a little different,” Grad, a redshirt junior guard with WSU, said after the game, a 60-56 Huskies’ victory. “It’s weird guarding her.”

“It’s just funny. It’s great to be able to play against your best friend at this level,” said Wetmore, a UW sophomore guard. “It’s just a great experience.”

Wetmore finished with three points, six rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes. Grad came off the bench to collect three rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes of action.

For Grad and Wetmore, their friendship and love for basketball began when they were kids living on the same street on Tapps Island.

The duo bonded through competition, nurtured by countless athletic contests at the nearby clubhouse.

“We played a lot with our brothers there,” Grad recalled. “We’d go down there and play basketball, even pickle ball. We were always on the same team.”

Despite the age difference – Grad is two years older – they played for the Riverside Select AAU program, honing their skills and preparing to play for Auburn Riverside.

By the time Grad joined the Ravens’ varsity squad as a freshman, it was obvious she was more than an average player.

A four-year letter winner at Auburn Riverside, Grad earned All-South Puget Sound League honorable mention honors as a freshman and second-team honors as a sophomore.

As a junior in 2007, Grad was named the league’s co-MVP while leading the Ravens to their first state title.

In 2008 as a senior, Grad led the Ravens to their fourth consecutive state tournament appearance. The Ravens beat Kennedy 48-40 for their second 3A title.

Grad was honored that season as the state tournament MVP. She also was named the state Player of the Year by the Tacoma News Tribune and was an all-state first-team selection by the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

As a senior, she won the SPSL MVP outright.

By the time she graduated in 2008, Grad owned the Ravens’ record book, setting 12 school girls basketball records.

Meanwhile, her best friend was waiting in the wings for her shot.

“Of course I looked up to her,” Wetmore said. “She was just a tremendous player. She’s so intense on the floor and has great character off the floor.”

Wetmore also proved to be gifted on the floor.

She was named a second team all-league player as a freshman in 2007. She would make the All-SPSL first team the next three seasons.

She was an integral part of the 2007 and 2008 state championship teams and, as a junior, led the Ravens to a fourth-place finish at the 4A tourney.

In 2010, as a senior, Wetmore helped the Ravens win their third state title, guiding the team to a perfect 29-0 record, punctuated with a 56-52 win against Mead for the state title.

She was named the SPSL co-MVP as a senior and selected MVP of the state tournament.

“She’s a great player and a great athlete,” Grad said. “She’s one of the most competitive kids I’ve ever met in my life, that’s for sure. She’s not going to back down to anyone. That’s one thing I admire about her. She’s very, very competitive.”

Grad and Wetmore wanted to play on the same college team but knew they eventually would go separate ways.

“I think once we got into high school, we knew we’d end up playing in college against each other, and the rivalry would be there.”

Once at WSU, Grad was forced to redshirt her freshman season because of a foot injury that required surgery.

As a redshirt freshman in 2010, Grad appeared in each of the Cougars’ 30 games, averaging 18.2 minutes per game and 3.7 points and 3.3 rebounds a game. She was named an All-Pac-10 academic honorable mention in 2010 and 2011.

In 2011, Wetmore began her collegiate career at the UW, playing in 26 games and starting two. As a sophomore this season, Wetmore cracked the starting lineup and is averaging 7.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

Despite living at opposite ends of the state, however, Grad and Wetmore remain close as ever.

“We talk multiple times per week, even when I’m in Pullman,” Grad said. “Anytime I come home, even if it’s just for a weekend, we always see each other.”

“We’re still very close. She’s one of my best friends,” Wetmore said. “We talk every couple of days. I really miss her.”