The 4A Greater St. Helens League’s last postseason berth felt like first place to the Battle Ground boys basketball team.
After beating Camas 55-40 in a third-place tiebreaker Friday at Evergreen High School, the Tigers didn’t just celebrate keeping their season alive.
After winning just one league game last season, Battle Ground celebrated a return to respectability. The Tigers earned that by eliminating a Camas team ranked No. 10 in the WIAA’s RPI rankings.
“This was a season-changer,” junior KeAndre Hunter-Holliday said. “Everyone said we would not be in the playoffs and that Camas was above us. We proved everyone wrong.”
Battle Ground (11-10) will face Auburn Mountainview, the No. 8 team from the North Puget Sound League, in a bi-district play-in game Monday in Olympia.
Tigers captain Elijah Parker will cherish that road trip.
“I’m excited to go with all these guys knowing I’m the only senior,” he said. “This is going to lead them onto the rest of their careers.”
Parker led Battle Ground with 12 points while Brendan Beall and Colin Barton each added 11 off the bench. But the real star was a Tigers defense that held Camas to single digits in each of the first three quarters.
“Honestly, the key was just physicality,” Parker said. “We haven’t been doing too well lately … But tonight we were just feeling it. Go out there, kick some (butt) and have some fun.”
Battle Ground extended a 12-8 lead by outscoring Camas 14-6 in the second quarter. Barton and Hunter-Holliday each had acrobatic finishes at the hoop during that run – Barton absorbed a hard foul to convert a 3-point play; Hunter-Holliday used a spin move in the lane.
Battle Ground stretched the lead to 37-23 after three quarters, then stayed out of reach by making 11 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter.
The teams each finished 3-5 in league play, splitting their season series. Battle Ground won 67-62 on the road Jan. 12, but Camas got revenge 17 days later 57-48.
Isaiah Sampson scored 18 points to lead the Papermakers, whose season is over at 13-8.
BATTLE GROUND 55, CAMAS 40
BATTLE GROUND – Vincent McCormic 9, KeAndre Hunter-Holliday 7, Brendan Beall 11, Colin Barton 11, Kaden Perry 5, Elijah Parker 12, Scott Hatch 0. Totals 17 (6) 15-19 55.
CAMAS – Connor Shira 0, Jack Glickbarg 1, Kyle Allen 5, Shane Jamison 4, Carson Bonine 5, Ben Cooke 2, Gabe Mukobi 2, Isaiah Sampson 18, Zach Chilian 0, Tre Carlisle 3. Totals 15 (2) 8-15 40.
B.Ground 12 14 11 18—55
Camas 8 6 9 17—40
