BATTLE GROUND — The longer term took form Wednesday evening for the Camas ladies basketball program.
Sparked by contributions of sophomores Lauren Hood and De’Chaiya Light, the Papermakers avenged two earlier losses to Union, beating the Titans 63-56 in a 4A bi-district semifinal recreation.“We were a young team going into this season,” Camas coach Scott Thompson mentioned. “I don’t feel like we’re young any more because we’ve had so much experience. But these experiences shape us into the team we are today.”
Hood offered Camas with an early spark, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 14 of her game-high 20 factors within the second quarter as Camas constructed a 39-25 lead.
“It was a super good feeling,” Hood mentioned. “My teammates got me set up really well, so that was super nice. It was just our defense stepping up that got us going on offense.”
Thompson mentioned protection is an enormous a part of Hood’s recreation. However for the final month, she has developed a scorching streak along with her exterior taking pictures.
“Lauren has been a consistently great player for us all season,” Thompson mentioned. “But recently, she’s been really hot from the 3-point line. Adding to her already great defense, her already great poise and ability to handle the rock, now she’s also become a lights-out shooter.”
The new-shooting was contagious because the Papermakers hit 11 3-pointers as a workforce, seven of which got here within the first half.
Within the second half, the Papermakers turned to their protection to fend off a second-half cost they knew was coming.
“We knew we had to keep our composure because we knew they were going to come out with everything they had,” senior Keirra Thompson mentioned. “We were putting all of our effort onto the defensive end. So we were like ‘We gotta bear down and play some defense.’ ”
On the heart of that effort was Light, whose eight rebounds and hard protection slowed the Titans’ comeback effort.
Union acquired with six at 54-48 early within the fourth quarter earlier than a 3-pointer by Thompson put Camas again up by 9, and Union couldn’t get any nearer than seven the remainder of the way in which.
“(Gentle) just has one of those motors that’s something you can’t teach,” Scott Thompson mentioned. “She just goes. And that’s what she did. She went after that ball time and time again, made winning plays down the stretch, multiple offensive rebounds that allowed us to keep running that clock. I thought De’Chaiya absolutely changed the game with her effort and energy.”
Keirra Thompson completed with 16 factors and 6 assists, and Sophie Buzzard added 12 factors. Haywood led Union (20-3) with 19 factors and Janessa Chatman added 14.
Camas (19-5) advances to play Auburn within the bi-district championship recreation on Saturday in Auburn. However extra importantly, they have been ready wipe away the dangerous style of two lopsided losses to Union earlier this season.
“I think we’ve been ready for this game ever since we played them last,” Keirra Thompson mentioned. “I think we’ve been hoping for this game to try to get them again and know what we were going to do. So coming out in the game, we came out the best energy we’ve had.”
Scott Thompson mentioned usually he wouldn’t need to face the identical time 4 occasions in a season as a result of each groups turn into so accustomed to one another.
However he mentioned the extraordinary environment each groups skilled on Wednesday shall be useful to each squads shifting ahead.
“I didn’t have any problem with running this matchup a fourth time because I knew it make us better for the state tournament, regardless of win or lose,” he mentioned. “When you play some of the best teams in the state, it brings out the best in you, and we learned a lot about ourselves today.”
Then the coach paused and added: “So bring on Game Five.”