River returns to No. 1 option after leading scorer injured

This week, we celebrate the teams from Clark County that have made it to state basketball tournaments.

Today, we start a three-day series, during which we’ll have small stories on all nine teams that are still playing this weekend.

By Saturday night, we will know who is going to the quarterfinals, which teams will be advancing to the final destinations.

For 4A and 3A teams, that would be the Tacoma Dome.

For 1A teams, that would be mean a trip to the Yakima SunDome.

Today, we feature the three boys teams from the 4A and 3A ranks: Camas, Columbia River, and Union.

Thursday, we feature the three girls teams from the 4A and 3A ranks: Camas, Prairie, and Skyview.

Friday, we go small-school, with three stories from the 1A ranks: King’s Way Christian boys, La Center boys, and La Center girls.

The Columbian plans to send reporters to all nine games Friday and Saturday.

Jasinsky helps lift Camas boys to state for first time since 1964

Top-ranked Union boys’ strength found in its depth

The Columbia River Chieftains are without their player of the year.

Good thing for the Columbia River Chieftains that they have their player of last year.

Nathan Hawthorne is excited about the challenge ahead of him and his teammates Saturday in the first round of the Class 3A state boys basketball tournament. Columbia River will take on top-ranked Rainier Beach at Bellevue College.

Hawthorne just wishes the Chieftains could be at full strength. Joey Bean, this season’s 3A Greater St. Helens League player of the year, is out with a fractured left ankle.

Columbia River coach David Long said that others have been stepping up in Bean’s absence. The Chieftains won the game to qualify for state without Bean before losing two seeding games in the bi-district tournament.

Of course, one of the guys stepping up is a guy accustomed to the spotlight. Hawthorne was the 3A GSHL player of the year last season.

This season, Hawthorne has been more of the traditional point guard, distributing the ball.

Since Bean’s injury, though, Hawthorne and Spencer Long have been scoring more.

“It’s about sharing the load,” Hawthorne said. “All year, it’s been a team effort. That isn’t going to change because one player is out.”

Bean injured his ankle in the first round of the bi-district tournament. He had hoped to return — before getting word that it was a fracture.

“That was one of the worst things I could hear,” Bean said. “I was in such disbelief. Shock.”

Bean is still a big part of the team, at every practice, on the bench cheering during games.

“My role now is support them and have 100 percent faith in them,” Bean said.

The Chieftains know that no one off of their campus believes they have much of a chance against Rainier Beach, which is in south Seattle. That’s OK by them.

“I’m extremely excited getting to play not only one of the best teams in the state, but one of the best teams in the nation,” Hawthorne said. “Put your best up against the best there is. Nothing’s more exciting that to see what you can do at that level.”