Karen Guo’s celebration was subdued.

Tara Garretson and Kristen McCann didn’t hold back.

Their reactions were polar opposite after their final badminton tournament matches Saturday, but they won the same thing -- state championships. Desert Vista’s Guo capped an undefeated season with a two set sweep of her opponent, Hamilton’s Drishsti Panse, in the Division I state singles final at Independence High School.

The scores were 11-9, 11-2. Garretson and McCann continued the strong badminton tradition of Mountain Pointe, winning a very competitive match (15-13, 15-13) against Chandler’s Alexis Mee and Qindeel Kanwar to claim the 2014 state doubles title.

It was the first and last state doubles tournament Garretson and McCann will play. The Mountain Pointe friends, who met in middle school, are seniors.

McCann’s softball duties with her travel team kept her from playing in previous state badminton tournaments and only participated in 11 doubles matches with her partner this season. But she wasn’t going to let her teammate down this season.

Garretson and McCann were seeded fifth in the state doubles tournament and upset the No. 1 seed in Saturday’s semifinals, upending Hamilton's Elle Millon and Ashley Huynh 15-11, 8-15, 15-10. Chandler’s Mee’s all-around game and the steadiness of Kanwar helped them stave off one game point after another in their first game against Mountain Pointe.

                    (First place finishers Tara Garretson and Kristen McCann of Mountain Pointe join the rest of the badminton teams that medaled Saturday at state. Photo by Jose E. Garcia/aia365.com) 

Finally, on the ninth game point, a Chandler hitting error gave Mountain Pointe the game. In Game 2, Mountain Pointe trailed 9-5 and 13-10 in Game 1 but rallied to win the final game.

The power game of Garretson and McCann, a pitcher, was on display throughout the match.

“I’m flabbergasted,” Garretson said. “This is overwhelming.”

Rick Carter, Mountain Pointe’s 15-year tennis coach, took over the badminton program this school year as well.

“(Garretson and McCann) had fun this season,” Carter said. “And that’s half the battle.”

Chandler is coached by a badminton coaching legend, Lois Emshoff, who is in her 50^th season coaching badminton in Arizona.

             (Chandler coach Lois Emshoff is in her 50th season coaching badminton in Arizona. Photo by Jose E. Garcia/aia365.com)

She started her career at Dysart and has been at Chandler for the past 43 seasons. Like Garretson and McCann, Guo won her first title also. Guo got off to a slow start, and Panse took advantage, getting within two points of winning the first game.

But Guo regrouped to win the first game 11-9 and was in control in Game 2, allowing Panse to score only two points.

“All of the hard work in the offseason paid off,” said Guo, who dropped only two games this year and finished 26-0. 

                 (Desert Vista's Karen Guo stands on the medal podium along with the state's singles badminton medal winners. Photo by Jose E. Garcia/aia365.com)

Saturday’s state medal winners

Singles

First place: Karen Guo, Desert Vista

Second: Drishti Panse, Hamilton

Third: Areta Buness, Xavier

Fourth: Samantha Berg, Red Mountain

Doubles

First: Tara Garretson-Kristen McCann, Mountain Pointe

Second: Alexis Mee-Qindeel Kanwar, Chandler

Third: Ellie Millon-Ashley Huynh, Hamilton

Fourth: Hayden Jones-Aitzya Alvarez, Westwood