Camas Girls: Papermakers seek to take another step

Faith Bergstrom’s 29-point outing in Camas’ season-opening loss to Kelso is a good indicator of what the junior post has in store this season.

With multiple NCAA Division I offers, the 6-foot-2 Bergstrom is part of the “heart and soul” of a Papermakers team coming off a shared league title and regional berth a season ago.

Returning all-league juniors Katelynn Forner and Jalena Carlisle have even loftier goals this season.

“Last year, we made state but didn’t make the dome,” coach Scott Thompson said. “That took a chunk out of our soul.”

The Papermakers lost 48-34 to Chiawana in the regional round. While league player of the year Haley Hanson and her 13 points per game are gone, Bergstrom is expected to take on a bigger scoring load this season and fellow post Ashley Bauer, a sophomore, is poised for a breakout season.

But more than the individual talent, the Papermakers feel different as a unit. Thompson’s first year was transitional. He wanted Camas to press more and build a style around that. With that philosophy established, it’s a “totally different vibe,” Thompson said.

“You need buy-in and it took a bit of time before they really understood the commitment it takes to be pressure-oriented,” Thompson said. “Now that we’ve been through those hurdles and come out the other side, it just feels like it’s so fun. … The team is fun to be around.”

Camas has qualified for regionals each of the past three seasons. They also won league titles in each of those years.

Related Stories