Victories out of the chute for Camas

The Camas High School boys basketball team secured victories on back-to-back nights during the first week of the season.

The Papermakers defeated Prairie 69-61 Nov. 30, in the CHS Warehouse. Isaiah Sampson scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Tre Carlisle added 12 points, Carson Bonine chipped in 10 and Gabe Mukobi netted nine.

Bonine nailed three 3-pointers in the first half for the Papermakers. The Falcons rallied for a 48-47 lead going into the fourth quarter, before a 29-16 swing helped Camas secure the victory. Not only was it the first varsity win for new head coach Ryan Josephson, but also for several Papermakers playing in their first varsity game.

“You could see that there were a lot of nerves, and there were a lot of simple mistakes that happened in their first run in the game-time environment, but the guys continued to play through it and they just played basketball,” Josephson said. “When things broke down, they showed they have good basketball IQ and were continuing to make plays through the adversity and confusion on the court. That was really encouraging.”

The next day, the Papermakers travelled to Portland and defeated Wilson High School, 71-55. Sampson and Carlisle each scored 13 points, Mukobi added nine, Bonine and Ben Cooke both chipped in eight, and Shane Jamison finished with seven.

Camas led by as many as 22 points in the second quarter. Wilson rallied to within seven in the third, before Camas closed out the quarter on a 9-0 run and never looked back.

“Wilson showed a lot of pride. There was a moment where they really jumped on us,” Josephson said. “That’s a good opportunity for us to grow. Guys can either break under that pressure or they can get it together, and that’s exactly what happened. Our guys got right back after it and showed resolve.”

Although this was a good start for the Papermakers, they know there’s a long and winding road ahead. They are taking things one day at a time, and one game at a time, and trying to get better.

“It’s great to see that the guys don’t think they have arrived yet. They know that we have tough competition coming up,” Josephson said. “They come to practice and they’re ready to learn.”