CAMAS — The top-ranked Class 4A boys basketball team in the state looked worthy of that distinction Tuesday night, dispatching the second-place team in the 4A Greater St. Helens League with ease.
Oh, and a barrage of 3-pointers, too.
Union made 13 of 20 from long range, burying Camas 74-49. The Titans (15-1, 8-0 GSHL) now have a three-game lead in the league with four to play.
Cameron Cranston made five 3-pointers, Micah Paulson connected on all three of his treys, and the Titans got contributions from up and down the roster.
The entire talented roster — not just one or two players — is why Union is where it is today.
Nico Bricker, a reserve, had a big second quarter, helping Union maintain a 16-point lead. He continued his strong play in the second half, spelling Riley Hawken, who was in foul trouble. Bricker finished with eight points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
“My role is to play great defense and hit my guys when they’re open,” Bricker said. “And I know they’ll hit me back. I’m doing whatever I can in there to positively benefit the team.”
The Titans were so hot from outside, it opened up scoring opportunities for guys such as Bricker.
“It cleared out the middle for me,” he said. “I was hitting my guys for 3’s, and they were hitting me for layups.”
The Titans made seven 3-pointers in a 25-point first quarter. Cranston, who finished with a game-high 17 points, had three of them, leading the Titans to a 16-point advantage.
Camas cut the deficit to nine points in the second quarter, but Cranston, Paulson, Bricker, and Thomas Lampkin Jr. all scored to push the lead to 17.
“We know we have a lot of weapons,” Union coach Blake Conley said.
Union took a 39-23 lead into halftime, and the second half was never competitive.
The Titans beat Camas by one point in the first round of league play. They also had a couple other close games. But the Titans have won their last five games by an average of 28.2 points per outing.
“Our practices have been more intense,” Conley said, adding that the players are focused on even the smallest details right now.
Jordan Anderson led Camas with 16 points. Jake Hansel added 13. Trevor Jasinsky had 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Camas (11-5, 5-3) dropped into a tie for second place with Evergreen.
UNION 74, CAMAS 49
UNION — Keithen Shepard 0, Brennan Paulson 2, Cole Weatherspoon 8, Micah Paulson 14, Carson Brucher 6, Nico Bricker 8, Nick Simkins 3, Thomas Lampkin Jr. 6, Cameron Cranston 17, Riley Hawken 6, Denis Kirichenko 4, Stephan Ammentorp 0. Totals 27-53 (13-20) 7-12 74.
CAMAS — Jake Hansel 13, Trevor Jasinsky 11, Jordan Anderson 16, Andre De Los Rios 0, Matt Murphy 0, James Price 7, Kantas Zalpys 2, Ethan Unger 0, Jayce Allen 0, Bryan Nguyen 0. Totals 17-47 (4-19) 11-14 49.
Union 25 14 15 20—74
Camas 9 14 8 18—49
