The Camas boys basketball team lost a lot of games early in the season, but the Papermaker never lost faith in each other.
Safe to say, the Papermakers have turned around their season.
Jake Hansel scored 26 points Tuesday night and Tanner Fogle hit a 3-pointer with 7 seconds left, lifting Camas to a 58-56 victory over Evergreen in a key Class 4A Greater St. Helens League game.
Just as important for the Papermakers (8-7, 5-2 4A GSHL), they have remedied those first few weeks of the season when they started 0-6. They have won eight of their past nine games, with the only loss coming against first-place Union.
“One of the reasons we scheduled those tough non-league games was to get that grit, to get a killer instinct,” Hansel said. “The biggest thing for us is we were still ‘up’ after every loss.”
They refused to be defeated by the record.
“Those six losses, we were leading in five of them,” Camas coach Skyler Gillispie said. “We weren’t closing.”
They are now.
“The kids believed and trusted us coaches, and we trusted and believed in them,” Gillispie said. “Things just started clicking.”
Hansel and Fogle noted the team’s assists have been increasing, an indication of the teamwork on display.
“It’s fun now,” Fogle said. “We know what we’re doing.”
“Now we’re finding ways to win,” Hansel said.
Such as Tuesday at Evergreen.
The Papermakers led most of the game, but the Plainsmen just kept coming back, tying the game with 34 seconds left on a lay-up from Christian Huerta. A turnover gave Evergreen a chance, but a missed shot put the ball back in Camas’ possession.
Hansel had a rare miss, Matt Murphy grabbed his 12th rebound of the game — the eight offensive board — and the ball found its way out to Fogle, who swished a 3-pointer with 7 seconds remaining.
“I could see it going in through the follow-through,” Fogle said of his first varsity game-winner. “It felt good.”
“It was pure,” Hansel said.
Camas fouled Greg Washington in the backcourt, setting up a 1-and-1. Washington made the first free throw, missed the second one on purpose. Evergreen chased down a long rebound but the final shot was blocked by Hansel.
Hansel is known more for his offense, though. He finished 11 of 16 from the floor, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range for his 26 points.
Tyrus Hosley, who had 12 points for Evergreen, scored with 53 seconds left to get to within two points. After a missed Camas free throw, Huerta tied the game.
Camas, though, is in the business of closing games nowadays.
Fogle swished his final shot, and the Papermakers are making believers out of the rest of the 4A GSHL.
CAMAS 58, EVERGREEN 56
CAMAS — Jake Hansel 26, Tanner Fogle 12, Ethan Unger 3, Cooper McNatt 2, Alex Glikbarg 11, Brock Fielding 0, Matt Murphy 4, Bryan Nguyen 0. Totals 24 (8) 2-6 58.
EVERGREEN — Payton Monda 5, John Hansberry 6, Tyrus Hosley 12, Elon Freeman 8, Greg Washington 20, Shawn Johnson Jr. 3, Christian Huerta 2, Dustin Nettles 0, Jacob Patrick 0. Totals 21 (8) 6-10 56.
