The Hudson’s Bay Eagles call it their Yo-Yo defense.
It left the Camas Papermakers saying Oh-No.
The Eagles held league-champion Camas to six points in the first quarter, then five in the third, and held off a late rally Saturday night for a 64-53 victory in the championship game of the Class 3A District 4 boys basketball tournament.
Hudson’s Bay earned a first-round bye in the upcoming bi-district tournament and will host a game Friday. Camas, the No. 2 seed, plays Wednesday in the first round against Kennedy of Burien at Clover Park High.
It is the second consecutive district crown for the Eagles, who went 5-15 three years ago.
“We’ve come a long way,” said senior Darius Goldman, who led four Eagles in double figures with 18 points. “I gotta give it up to all the guys. We played hard and did what we had to do.”
That included a changeup to the defensive scheme.
The last time the two teams faced each other, Camas got the better of Hudson’s Bay’s full-court press and won by 27 points en route to the 3A Greater St. Helens League title.
The district tournament is something different, though. So the Eagles used a different tactic, going with the “Yo-Yo,” a variation of the 3-2 zone.
Through three quarters Saturday, the Papermakers were 8 of 34 from the floor and trailed by 18 points.
“I think we startled them with it,” Goldman said. “They weren’t really ready for it. We jumped on them and kept the defensive effort the whole game.”
Bay senior Tra Ponder said the Eagles were surprised, too.
“We didn’t know we were going to run Yo-Yo until today,” he said. “We were practicing the press all week.”
Bay coach Andy Meyer said another key to the win was his squad’s ability to score against Camas’ defense. The Eagles pushed the pace when they felt it was there, but also played disciplined half-court ball, with crisp skip passes to find the open teammate.
Goldman made 7 of 11 shots for his 18 points. Ponder also was 7 for 11, scoring 17. Derrick Brooks added 13 points, and Mehdi Berrissoul scored 10. Point guard Ingo Arrozal worked the offense with seven assists.
Bay used a 14-2 run to end the first quarter to take the lead for good. Camas cut the deficit to six points by halftime, but the Eagles rolled to a 17-5 third-quarter advantage.
The Papermakers had one more charge in them, though.
Jacob Kaler, who led his team with 22 points, connected on a 3-pointer in the final 90 seconds of the game to get within seven at 56-49.
But Bay would score the next four points to put the game out of reach, to clinch another title.
