The shot clock was winding down on Skyview, so the Storm found their standout Demaree Collins.
The only problem was that Collins was out on the Storm logo by halfcourt.
With no time to do anything else, the senior launched a high-arching shot toward the basket.
Splash!
“When a guy makes a buzzer-beating, shot-clock shot from halfcourt, maybe it’s your night,” Skyview coach Matt Gruhler said.
The shot was an emphatic exclamation point on a 62-44 win for the Storm over Camas in a 4A Greater St. Helens League boys game Tuesday at Skyview.
And it was nothing new for Collins, who watched the shot go through the net while lying on the floor.
“Yeah, I did it last year against Union,” Collins said.
The victory left Skyview and Camas tied at 3-1 atop the 4A GSHL standings. It also avenged a 69-66 loss for the Storm at Camas last week when the Papermakers erased a 14-point deficit in the second half.
“Last week in the second half, we came out and they kicked us in the butt,” Collins said of the Papermakers. “So this week, we came out hard, and we came prepared. We came out in the second half and kicked their butt right back. So credit to our team.”
Skyview took its first lead early when Gavin Perdue’s 3-pointer gave the Storm a 5-3 lead. They would not relinquish the entire night, although the Papermakers made their runs.
Skyview opened a 30-12 lead in the second quarter before Camas cut it to 33-23 at halftime.
Two quick baskets in the second half got the deficit to 33-27 before Skyview pushed the lead back to 43-30.
But Camas again fought back to get within 45-40 after three quarters.
With Collins contributing 13 points, the Storm then outscored Camas 17-4 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Purdue added 11 points for the Storm, and Malakai Weimer had 10. Beckett Currie had 18 for Camas, and Jace VanVoorhis added 12.
Gruhler said from watching film of the last meeting with Camas, the Storm made plays that contributed to the Papermakers’ rally.
That was not the case on Tuesday.
“You could see it in their eyes,” Gruhler said of the Storm. “Last time I thought … for small stretches we had a little bit of a deer-in-the-headlights look (when Camas made a run). This time, the eyes were more determined. Like, we know what we need to do and we can execute it. And then we did.”
Now, the Storm’s eyes are firmly fixed on the road ahead – two league games with Battle Ground and Union before perhaps another meeting with Camas, if the two teams remained tied for first place in the league.
But after battling some top-ranked teams like Glacier Peak, Davis of Yakima, Kamiakin and West Valley of Yakima, the Storm believe they are in a good position to make a strong run in February.
“We’re playing great,” Collins said. “We’re just getting the hang of playing as a team. We’re working on stuff. We’re ready. We’re ready.”
