Class 4A first round: Camas girls find third-quarter spark, settle district rivalry score with Bellarmine Prep
TACOMA - In what has unexpectedly turned out to be an up-and-down season, Camas girls basketball coach Scott Thompson has noticed a trend with his team.
The deeper the hole, the better it fights.
And the Papermakers crawled out of one Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the WIAA Class 4A girls basketball championships to keep their season alive.
Without standout forward Addison Harris (foot), it was Reagan Jamison who came up big - 19 points, 17 rebounds - in the Papermakers' 59-53 state first-round victory over Bellarmine Prep at the Tacoma Dome.
It was the third meeting between the two up-and-coming West Central/Southwest District rivals - one that could extend for some time.
And the Lions came out and converted two quick baskets, starting the second half on a 5-0 run to grab a 26-18 lead.
Moreover, the Papermakers just seemed dead in the water energy-wise.
So, Thompson called timeout - and Jamison was the one to bring the squad back to life.
She sank corner 3-pointers on back-to-trips to spark an 8-0 spurt to tie the game at 26-26 at the 4:41 mark.
"It just lifted everybody," Thompson said. "The bench started to get louder. ... It felt the defense started to get sharper, the rebounding started to get better.
"The positive energy that came off those (Jamison shots) was bigger than the shots themselves."
Camas made five of its eight 3-pointers during a 3:10 span in that quarter to take the lead for good.
And when the Papermakers began the fourth quarter on a 13-3 run, suddenly it was the Lions who were looking for answers.
"Emotions started getting the best of us," said interim Bellarmine Prep girls coach Kabre Keller said. "But we will be back here next year."
Keirra Thompson added 15 points for Camas. Kiara Stone led the Lions with 17 points, with Jada Travis chipping in with 16, and Taylor Teeple scoring 12.
Next up for Camas: Second-ranked Sumner, which beat the Papermakers badly in the district semifinals.
"They're a great team," Jamison said. "We've got to bring our all tomorrow."
