TACOMA — Teague Schroeder relished how far the Camas girls basketball team has come.
Haley Hanson looked eagerly toward what’s ahead.
The season came to an end for Camas with a 45-34 loss to Sunnyside in the 4A state tournament consolation round Friday at the Tacoma Dome.
But Friday’s loss in the fourth-place semifinal won’t be what Schroeder remembers most about her senior season. Rather, the program’s first trip to the state tournament in the Tacoma Dome will be what sticks.
“It definitely met my expectations,” she said. “To play three games in the dome, that was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget.”
Schroeder is among four seniors whose legacy at Camas will be leading the program to its first Tacoma Dome trip. That group also set a foundation for players such as Hanson, a sophomore, to build on.
“The seniors and everyone who has been with this program has set the standards of what we’ve wanted to accomplish,” Hanson said. “I think we’re going to strive to accomplish this dream again.”
Camas (17-10) relied on 3-point shots throughout Friday. Twenty-two of the Papermakers’ 44 attempts were beyond the arc. But Camas made just six 3-pointers and finished the game 10-for-44 from the field (22.7 percent).
Sunnyside (18-6) gradually widened a 23-17 halftime lead to 37-26 after three quarters. Emily Maldonado led all scorers with 16 points, including four 3-pointers.
Hanson led Camas with nine points. She will be among the next class Schroeder believes will continue to elevate the program.
“They’re not going to want to let anyone down,” Schroeder said. “They’re going to work hard in practice. They’re going to see what we accomplished and have that goal.”
And as Camas prepared to leave the Tacoma Dome after Friday’s game, Schroeder took one last moment to reflect on the program’s best season.
“We’ve definitely set a legacy,” Schroeder said. “Especially at Camas, girls basketball hasn’t been something to look at. We made a lot of history here.”
SUNNYSIDE 45, CAMAS 34
SUNNYSIDE (18-6) – Chastitiee Garza 10, Morgan Duim 0, Alexis Garcia 0, Brielle Newhouse 0, Adriana Salmeron 2, Ashlee Maldanado 8, Destiny Salinas 3, Emily Maldanado 16, Jessica Mendoza 2, Lexi Skyles 4, Rebekah Valle 0, Mercedes Zavala 0. Totals 14 (7) 10-10 45.
CAMAS (17-10) – Jordyn Wilds 1, Meghan Finley 5, Jillian Webb 0, Teague Schroeder 6, Haley Hanson 9, Hannah Booth 0, Marianna Payne 0, Maggie Wells 0, Emma Jones 5, Madison Freemon 4, Stephanie Knight 0, Courtney Clemmer 4. Totals 10 (6) 8-10 34.
Sunnyside 12 11 14 8 – 45
Camas 6 11 9 8 – 34
