Hold on tight.
If Union’s 68-67 win Friday over Camas is any indication, the 4A Greater St. Helens League boys basketball season is going to be one heck of a thrill ride.
A roller coaster, to be more specific.
For most of the first half, Camas was up. Then it wasn’t.
For most of the second half, Union was up. Then it wasn’t.
And nobody’s pulse settled until after one final twirl. Trevor Jasinsky’s spinning drive gave Camas a shot to win in the final seconds.
But his off-balance attempt was too hard off the backboard. Union grabbed the rebound as the final horn sounded.
Union students rushed the court in their home gym, celebrating a win over their rival.
Union and Camas were picked by coaches as the top two teams in the 4A GSHL. That only added to the drama in the first league game of the season.
“This is the best thing ever,” Union senior forward Riley Hawken said. “With Camas, it’s always intense. They always pack the house. They always bring their ‘A’ game. To get a win like this is unbelievable.”
Unbelievable? Yes, considering the groove Camas was in during the second quarter.
In one 60-second burst, Camas hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions. Suddenly, a close game had turned into an 11-point Papermaker lead shortly before halftime.
“We had adversity the entire game,” Union senior guard Micah Paulson said. “But pulling together like that, you can only get better through close games like this.”
Union found its rhythm after halftime. The Titans went on a 14-2 run over the final 5:12 of the third quarter to lead 51-49.
Union extended the lead to 67-59 on Hawken’s dunk with 3:40 to play.
But the fun was just beginning. Camas pulled within 68-64 after Jasinsky made two free throws with 47 seconds left.
After a Union miss, Jasinsky hit a 3-pointer to make it 68-67 with 13 seconds to play.
Paulson was fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one with 10 seconds left.
He missed the front end. Camas rebounded and got the ball straight to its star.
“I was trying to be aggressive, attack the rim and put pressure on the referees,” said Jasinsky. “But I lost my footing a little bit. I should have gone up a little more into the paint.”
Jasinsky finished with a team-high 22 points. The 6-foot-7 senior was optimistic about his team, which was 4-7 in league play last season.
“Union’s a great team and we’re trying to prove ourselves,” Jasinsky said. “We’re a team that’s finding ourselves still. I’m pretty sure we’ll be playing our best at the end of the season.”
But Friday belonged to the defending league champions. Hawken, who led all scorers with 28 points, said Union doesn’t think about being league favorites.
“We don’t even consider it,” Hawken said. “We just play our game and the standings take care of themselves.”
UNION 68, CAMAS 67
CAMAS (0-1, 1-3) — Jake Hansel 8, Trevor Jasinsky 22, Jordan Anderson 10, Andre De Los Rios 6, Matt Murphy 8, James Price 9, Kantas Zalpys 4. Totals 23 (5) 16-23 67.
UNION (1-0, 3-1) — Cole Weatherspoon 6, Micah Paulson 12, Carson Brucher 2, Nico Bricker 4, Thomas Lampkin Jr. 11, Cameron Cranston 10, Riley Hawken 28, Denis Kirichenko 0, Stephan Ammentorp 0. Totals 26 (6) 10-14 68.
Camas 15 24 10 18—67
Union 13 20 18 17—68
JV—Union 60-58
