Washougal in elite eight of Class 2A tourney in Yakima, while Camas prepares for 4A quarterfinal in Tacoma Dome
The Washougal Panthers weren’t playing around.
“We didn’t come this far to only come this far,” Washougal girls basketball coach Britney Ervin said Wednesday after her team won in the Class 2A state tournament’s round-of-12 elimination game at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
“We didn’t want to turn around and go home.”
The Camas Papermakers felt the same way about the 4A girls tournament in the Tacoma Dome.
The Papermakers and Bellarmine Prep Lions know a lot about each other. The two teams played each other three times this season. On Wednesday, in the most important matchup of the three, the Papermakers rallied in the third quarter to take command, then held off the Lions to advance to the quarterfinals.
Both of those teams will play again on Thursday.
Two other Clark County squads saw their seasons come to an end in the round-of-12 elimination games.
The King’s Way Christian boys fell to Freeman in the Class 1A tournament in the afternoon. And the La Center girls lost in the afternoon to Colville.
The Union boys (Class 4A) and Hudson’s Bay girls (Class 2A) did not play on Wednesday. Those teams had already qualified for the quarterfinals and will play Thursday.
Class 4A girls
Camas 59, Bellarmine Prep 53
Reagan Jamison did it again.
With an injury sidelining Addison Harris, it has been Jamison who has been stepping up her scoring in helping the Papermakers to the elite eight.
On Wednesday, Jamison recorded a double-double with 19 points and 17 rebounds. She made three 3-pointers and also had three assists.
Bellarmine Prep led by eight early in the third quarter but Camas went on a 19-4 run to take the lead, take command.
Camas coach Scott Thompson said his team was struggling with its shooting in the first half. The Lions then got going early in the second half.
“They punched us in the nose a little bit,” Thompson said.
Timeout Camas.
“We came out of that timeout and put a big-time run on them. We hit five 3’s in that run,” Thompson said. “When Reagan got a couple to go down, it kind of took the lid off for all of us. The energy in the room changed. Everything just started to go our direction.”
Camas would eventually build the lead to 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Keirra Thompson made three 3-pointers and finished with 15 points for the Papermakers.
Camas beat Bellarmine Prep in the regular season, then Bellarmine topped Camas in the bi-district tournament. In this one, the winner would qualify for the quarters while the loser would go home.
Camas, the No. 9 seed, is still in Tacoma, preparing for Thursday’s game against No. 2 Sumner at 2 p.m.
Class 2A girls
Washougal 47, White River 31
The Panthers made sure there was no doubt Wednesday, jumping out to a huge first-half lead to advance to the quarterfinals.
Jaiden Bea had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Samantha Mederos had 11 points and a team-high four assists. And Savea Mansfield had 10 points and five steals.
Washougal’s defense recorded 12 steals while forcing 20 turnovers.
The Panthers led 27-13 at the half.
“Our girls who have played in big games stepped up and led the team,” Ervin said. “Our leaders looked confident. They were poised and ready for the pressure. They were making good decisions and taking good shots. That makes it easier for everyone else.”
Washougal is making its first state tournament appearance since winning the championship in 2019. The Panthers just missed out on going to state in 2020 and there was no tournament last year.
The Panthers, the No. 7 seed, will face No. 8 Burlington-Edison at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in a quarterfinal game at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
Class 1A boys
Freeman 58, King’s Way Christian 41
It was a four-point game going into the fourth quarter. Then it was all No. 4 Freeman, knocking out No. 12 King’s Way Christian.
Taylor Wells scored 13 points for Freeman, leading a balanced attack. Four players reached double figures for Freeman.
Giovanny Evanson continued his hot hand for King’s Way Christian. He scored a game-high 28 points and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Class 1A girls
Colville 39, La Center 26
La Center kept it close for a quarter, but No. 7 Colville ended up being too strong the rest of the way.
Mckenna Reggear had 11 points, nine rebounds, four steals, and three assists to pace Colville to the quarterfinals.
Kylee Stephens led La Center with 18 points. Gianna D’Eilimo had three steals for the Wildcats.
