CAMAS — What will Camas and Union do for an encore?
Perhaps it’s only fitting that the newly crowned co-4A Greater St. Helens League champions in boys basketball need a tiebreaker game to settle the top two seeds into this weekend’s 4A bi-district tournament. Fitting, too, given the electric atmosphere, playoff-intensity, standing-room only crowd that fueled the Papermakers’ 80-77 home victory Tuesday night.
Now, both teams will do it all again Wednesday on a neutral floor. Tip-off at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Heritage High School.
What’s at stake less than 24 hours after a wild start-to-finish game is simple: determining the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds into Saturday’s bi-district games.
Both Camas and Union are guaranteed home games, but the No. 1 seed has an easier path to regionals. The No. 1 seed, which hosts Graham-Kapowsin on Saturday, gets a winner-to-regional game Saturday; the No. 2 seed must win three to reach regionals.
Senior Carson Frawley knows as great of a win as Tuesday was, the job isn’t done.
“We had to win this one to win another,” he said. “Everybody is just as excited for (Wednesday).”
Not long after doing media interviews post game Tuesday, Frawley was back on the Camas High School gym floor working on free throws. Frawley had a team-best 20 points — including nine in the fourth quarter — as one of four Camas players to be in double figures. He also went 1 of 3 at the free-throw line in the final seconds in a one-possession game with 11.9 seconds left. He was fouled twice on 1 and 1 opportunities; his second free throw made it a three-point lead, and allowed for one final shot for Union.
On the ensuing possession, Bryson Metz drove the length of the floor with 6.1 seconds left, but a game-tying 3-pointer was off the mark, sending the Camas student section to rush the floor in celebration.
An exclamation point to an atmosphere unlike any other, Frawley said, which fueled players.
“I think for all of us, it was the craziest atmosphere we’ve ever played in,” the senior said. “I’m pretty sure every single seat was packed. For us to pull out a big win like that to get a co-league championship, that hasn’t been done since 10 years ago, but before that, it was the 1960s. There’s not a rich basketball culture here; it’s a good thing we’re starting it.”
Union topped Camas 72-60 in the teams’ first go-around in January. Tuesday, Camas (18-2) led from start to finish, had a double-digit lead by the halfway point of the first quarter, and jumped on Union (15-4) again to start the second half to take its largest lead of the game at 67-47 at the 3:19 mark of the third quarter.
Big plays on offense and defense was key during that stretch that led to Camas’ big lead. Beckett Currie, a freshman, had eight points in 2 minutes. Junior guard Theo McMillan had back-to-back steals and lay-ins to make it a 20-point advantage. He also finished with eight assists.
“I love defense,” McMillan said. “Everybody complains about points, so getting a steal and bucket means a lot to me, and my teammates, too.”
But back came Union behind a 13-0 run over a 3-minute, 14-second stretch. That continued in the fourth quarter when Union cut a 13-point lead down to two with 11.9 seconds to play.
Yanni Fassiliss had a game-high 22 points for Union, including 12 of 15 at the free-throw line. Metz added 18.
CAMAS 80, UNION 77
UNION — Jamison Limbrick 7, Bryson Metz 18, Evan Eschels 9, Porter Hill 12, Yanni Fassillis 22, Josiah Baldassare 10. Totals 26 (3) 23-27 77.
CAMAS — Beckett Currie 12, Josh Dabasinskas 17, Theo McMillan 6, Carson Frawley 20, Sam Perry 3, Stephen Behil 16, Jamison Carlisle 5. Totals 32 (10) 4-6 80.
