TACOMA — By no means were the Camas Papermakers interested in making the Tacoma Dome a one-game pit stop.
Making it to the Tacoma Dome for the first time makes for a great story, but Camas is here to continue writing its own story.
“Everyone had that belief,” said senior Theo McMillan. “We had that belief in practice after we beat West Valley (last week). We’re here and we’re here to win. There’s nothing else we’re here to do but win.”
And win, the Papermakers did on Wednesday, a 62-57 victory over Tahoma to be one of eight teams left in the tournament.
Speaking of history, it’s the first trip to the state quarterfinals for the Camas boys basketball program since placing eighth in the 1962 Class A tournament. The Papermakers last played at the final state venue in 1964 when the Class A tournament was held at the University of Puget Sound Fieldhouse.
And that historical fact left a surreal feeling for sophomore Beckett Currie.
“We all talk about making history,” he said. “We want to make history. We’ve wanted to make history since last year, to be a part of that group that will last from now until we’re all old and can look back, it’s really special to be a part of something like that.”
The win sends Camas (19-7) to Thursday’s quarterfinal against top-seed and defending 4A state champion Curtis at 10:30 a.m. It’s a rematch of the bi-district semifinal game nearly two weeks ago where Camas lost 79-46.
Already, Currie said, the mindset is different for Thursday’s rematch.
“They’re a beatable team,” he said. “I know that sounds ridiculous. When you watch that film (from the Feb. 16 loss), one of the things that stands out is how bad we were at movement. Curtis’ defense is like drowning. It’s suffocation. It stops all movement at the source. We have to fight through that pressure to match their physicality. If we match their physicality, when they punch in the mouth, we have to punch back harder.”
Getting to the quarterfinals wasn’t easy, either, Wednesday against a Tahoma (19-7) team that rallied back to take its first lead since the first quarter with 6 minutes to play. In fact, the fourth quarter featured six lead changes and three ties.
“That’s the most fun part — the back and forth,” McMillan said. “All of our guys did a great job leading, from the bench to the fans to the band. That’s how we pushed through.”
Both teams struggled from the outside all game combining to go 7 for 40. Tahoma went 1 for its first 14 until consecutive 3s by Kevin Williams gave Tahoma a 47-46 lead with 6 minutes to play.
But Camas took what the opposition gave them all game — interior scoring. All but eight of its 30 first-half points came in the paint, and that trend continued the final 16 minutes, led by McMillan.
He finished with a game-high 24 points on 12 of 19 shooting, and added six rebounds. Currie added 18, as he and McMillan scored nine of the final 11 Papermaker points. Currie’s top-of-the-key 3 with 1:07 to go gave Camas a two-possession lead — and its largest lead of the fourth quarter.
Now, Camas turns the page to Thursday with the same mindset it had Wednesday.
“When you come into a game expecting to win,” Currie said, “ … it turns into something where ‘Yeah, it’s a team you have faith in.’”
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CAMAS 62, TAHOMA 57
CAMAS — Beckett Currie 18, Konnor Limnell 0, Matthew Chilian 0, Jace VanVoorhis 6, Theo McMillan 24, Josh Dabasinskas 6, Jamison Carlisle 4, Channing Nesland 4, Ethan Harris 0. Totals 28 (4) 2-4 62.
TAHOMA — Logan Sherles 0, Kevin Williams 8, Harry Torres 0, Treyson Ikeomu 0, Jayden Stephens 7, Adam Davis 23, Logan McGough 5, Dalton Brown 14, Carter Stonerock 0. Totals 23 (3) 2-6 57.
CAMAS 17 13 14 18 – 62
TAHOMA 15 8 16 18 – 57
