CAMAS — The Camas girls basketball team is more about substance than style.
The Papermakers don’t play with a lot of flair. But their high-pressure stingy defense is always in fashion.
And defense is the substantial reason Camas is headed to the Class 4A District 4 championship game after beating Union 47-41 on Thursday.
The Papermakers allowed just 11 first-half points, stole the ball 16 times and kept Union out of sync in a game Camas never trailed.
And now No. 2 seeded Camas (18-3) heads to the district title game against top seeded Skyview (17-4) on Tuesday knowing its defense gives it a puncher’s chance.
“Defense is the best offense, and if you’re resilient you can get lots of turnovers and turn them into points,” junior guard Meghan Finley said. “There’s always opportunity on defense.”
Finley was willing to hit the hardwood or slide into a scrum on Thursday. She had a team-high four steals to go with seven points.
Emma Jones and Stephanie Knight each had 12 points for Camas, which doesn’t have a high-scoring star on offense.
But when The Papermakers jumped to a 7-0 lead on Thursday, they dialed up pressure in their half-court defense.
“That’s really what has been carrying us all year, our defense,” Camas coach Scott Preuninger said. “Offensively we struggle at times, but it was really nice to get off to a good start.”
Camas has no senior starters and only one on the roster. How would the Papermakers handle Thursday’s loser-out game?
“I think we learned that we can get through anything,” Finley said. “No matter what the situation is, we can pull through. We’re strong, we’re confident and we’re composed. We have what it takes to beat a team in a pressure situation.”
Trailing 24-11 at halftime, Union opened the second half on a 8-1 run. But the Papermakers answered with a 6-2 run and took a 31-21 lead into the fourth quarter.
Courtney Cranston single-handedly kept Union in the game down the stretch. She scored Union’s first nine points of the fourth quarter.
But Camas answered each of Cranston’s baskets by converting at the free throw line. The Papermakers were 14-for-17 at the line in the fourth quarter.
The closest Union got was 45-41 with less than 10 seconds to play. By then, the No. 3-seeded Titans were resigned to seeing their season end at 11-10.
Camas, meanwhile, has its sights set on the district championship game Tuesday at Battle Ground. In Skyview, the Papermakers will face a team that went 12-0 in the 4A Greater St. Helens League. But in their last meeting on Feb. 2, Camas lost 48-44 but nearly overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit.
And with a postseason win under their belts, the Papermakers are eager for Skyview and a subsequent game against a Seattle-area team with a regional berth on the line.
“We grew tonight,” Jones said. “Everyone wanted the same goal. Everyone wanted this for each other, for our school, our community and for everyone who supported us along the way.”
Preuninger knows his team isn’t always the most polished or precise. But he’ll never doubt their poise under pressure.
“We’re young and we get caught up in the excitement,” he said. “But when it came time to make plays, we made plays. That’s what they’ve been doing all year.”
CAMAS 47, UNION 41
UNION — Laura Beard 0, Mailia Aguigui 8, Michelle Chin 3, Rebekah Barney 3, Avery Hoyt 0, Emily Takayoshi 2, Samantha Lewis 0, Kili Anderson 4, Abby Forsyth 5, Sarah Trostle 2, McKenzie English 1, Courtney Cranston 13. Totals 13 (4) 11-15 41.
CAMAS — Meghan Finley 7, Jordyn Wilds 0, Haley Hanson 4, Noora Monghate 0, Emma Jones 12, Madison Freemon 6, Stephanie Knight 12, Teague Schroeder 2, Courtney Clemmer 4. Totals 14 (2) 17-23 47.
Union 5 6 10 20–41
Camas 14 10 7 16–47
