The Skyview girls basketball team used one offensive surge and a whole lot of grit to win itself a district championship on Thursday.
The Storm struggled to hit shots most of the night, except for a decisive stretch in the third quarter that created just enough separation to beat visiting Camas 47-43 and capture the District 4 championship. With its third win in four games against the Papermakers, Skyview locks up a spot in the Class 4A state regional playoff round.
“We worked together and played our hearts out and we’re ready to go up north (for the regionals),” Skyview senior Genevieve Lo said.
Camas must forget this one quickly, needing a home-floor win over Battle Ground on Friday to extend its season.
Thursday’s game ultimately came down to Skyview’s defense standing tall in the fourth quarter, making sure its third-quarter offense was enough to win the game.
A 12-point burst midway through the third quarter gave the Storm an 11-point lead. HJ Adams hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, and Lo scored in transition and also buried a 3-pointer in the run.
“We moved the ball well and were able to get open shots and we nailed them,” Adams said.
The run didn’t finish off the Papermakers, though. Camas went on an 8-1 run over the final 1:09 of the quarter to close within four points.
The fourth quarter was all about defense. Skyview scored on its first two possessions to go up by eight points, but did not score again until free throws in the final seconds sealed the win.
Camas post Nikki Corbett, who finished with a game-high 19 points, scored all six points for the Papermakers in the fourth quarter. But Camas couldn’t convert on five late possessions with a chance to tie or take a lead.
Skyview coach Jennifer Buscher said the rebounding of sophomore posts Sydney Friauf and Ashlee Comastro was critical.
“All season we’ve depended on our defense and rebounding and tonight was another night when we depended on our defense,” Buscher said.
Adams said there was no panic during the frenetic final few minutes.
“I was confident in our team. We’ve been in this situation multiple times so we knew how to pull it off,” Adams said.
Lo finished with 12 points, Comastro scored 10 and Adams eight, all in the third quarter.
Despite committing 10 turnovers in the first quarter, Camas led 23-22 at halftime when Brenna Khaw beat the buzzer on a drive into the key.
Thursday’s game was the fourth battle this season between the Storm and the Papermakers, and the third in a week, meaning their were no surprises.
“This has been brutal,” Buscher said. “(Camas) is a very, very good team. I’m very proud of my team.”
SKYVIEW 47, CAMAS 43
CAMAS — Meghan Finley 4, Brenna Khaw 8, Emma Jones 2, Nikki Corbett 19, Rachel Gray 0, Courtney Klemmer 0, Mia Hunt 0, Teague Schroeder 6. Totals 16-49 (3-10) 8-11 43.
SKYVIEW — HJ Adams 8, Riley Friauf 1, Sydney Friauf 6, Hannah VanNortwick 6, Genevieve Lo 12, Kirsten Johnson 3, Ashlee Comastro 10, Maddie Lord 1. Totals 14-55 (4-13) 15-23 47.
Camas 6 17 14 6—43
Skyview 7 15 19 6—47
