Camas fends off Sumner, will play for another district girls basketball title, 3 takeaways

Top-ranked Papermakers rattled in second half, but hold on for 49-41 victory over No. 4 Spartans in district semifinals at Federal Way

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - For all the smooth-sailing stretches top-ranked Camas has had in recent weeks, the Papermakers got a stern reminder Wednesday of how tough playoff basketball can be.

From a team with which they should be very familiar.

The Papermakers survived a grueling Class 4A District 3/4 semifinal with No. 4 Sumner, 49-41, at Federal Way High School, and will now play for back-to-back district championships Saturday at Tacoma Community College.

Camas led by as many as 16 points early in the third quarter, only to see Sumner come roaring back and cut it to 46-41 in the final minute behind Lainee Houillon, who tallied 11 of her game-high 17 points after intermission.

"We kind of survived it, more than anything," Camas girls coach Scott Thompson said.

Seniors Riley Sanz and Reagan Jamison led Camas with 13 points apiece

Here are three takeaways from the Camas-Sumner game:

---

BUILDING BIG LEAD

Camas prides itself on skill, teamwork and deft passing - all triggered by junior point guard Keirra Thompson.

The Papermakers closed the final 2:08 of the first quarter on a 9-0 run - with four different players scoring - to grab a 17-9 lead.

And the easy buckets - many coming off cuts to the hoop - kept coming as Camas built a 28-15 advantage with 3:20 to go in the first half. Sanz had 11 of her points in the first half.

"That is a great basketball team," Sumner girls coach Katie Hyppa said. "They have a lot of skill."

---

SUMNER DIALED IN DEFENSE

Addison Harris' two free throws just 48 seconds into the second half gave the Papermakers their biggest lead - 34-18.

And then they were put into a deep freeze.

Camas did not score a field goal in the third quarter. It went nearly seven minutes without scoring. Heck, it went three consecutive possessions without hitting the rim on any shot.

"We were trying to figure out different ways to get people the ball, open up bigger gaps … but ultimately Sumner was pushing us out of the things we wanted to do," Scott Thompson said. "It felt, in many ways, we were trying to unload the playbook to try and find better shots and good looks."

Another key statistic - the front-line Camas duo of Addison Harris and Keirra Thompson combined to score 13 points on 3-of-20 shooting.

"One of the things we pride ourselves on is we play hard," Hyppa said. "We might not hit every shot, but we play hard ... and we changed the course of the game in the second half."

---

REAGAN JAMISON KEPT IT ON TRACK

As Sumner kept biting into the Camas lead - and applying more pressure - it was Jamison who made the decisive play midway through the fourth quarter.

Her steal, basket - and three-point play with 4:37 remaining pushed the Papermakers' lead to 43-32.

After that, she also hit a free throw - and buried a 12-foot jump shot to answer Sumner spurts.

"I thought Reagan was great all night," Scott Thompson said. "When she was able to get to the rim, good things happened for us."

---