Gaining valuable experience

The Camas High School boys basketball team lost its lucky charm down the stretch Saturday.

The Papermakers led by six points heading into the fourth quarter, but a 23-9 run by Prairie during those final eight minutes propelled the Falcons to a 51-43 victory in Camas.

“We played hard,” said Camas head coach Skyler Gillispie. “In the end, we made too many mental mistakes that Prairie was able to capitalize on and win the game.”

The Papermakers looked good in the second and third quarters. Anthony Fallin chased down a loose ball, put it off the glass for two points, drew a foul shot and made it for a 3-point play to tie the game.

Tyler Hallead also snagged a loose ball and put it up for two points. Austin Dubbay drove to the hoop for two, and Austin Vaughan tipped in a miss by Fallin.

Camas led by six points in the second quarter, before Prairie cut it back down to one with a foul shot, a steal and a basket just before the buzzer.

Trent Johnson opened the third quarter by making two foul shots. He then stole the ball and threw it all the way down to the other end of the court before being pushed out of bounds. Fallin caught up to the bouncing ball and put it in the basket for two.

Fallin took the ball to the hoop with reckless abandon several times for baskets, foul shots and a team-leading 15 points. A few times, it looked like he was going to crash into the wall trying to make a shot or keep the ball in play.

“I just wanted to win. Coach told us to be aggressive, so I was just taking it to the hole,” Fallin said. “It feels good to be able to get those shots off. I just need to make more of those. Hopefully, they fall the next time when we need them.”

Johnson swished a 3-pointer from the wing that gave the Papermakers a 30-22 advantage late in the third quarter. Johnson and Dubbay each delivered 10 points in the game.

“The third quarter was great,” Johnson said. “In the fourth quarter, our lack of experience showed. We were rattled, and we lost our momentum.”

Prairie nailed a huge 3-pointer with five minutes left the game to get back within one point. The Falcons also converted 10 of their 12 shots from the foul line. Many of those trips came off baskets for 3-point plays.

Camas, on the other hand, couldn’t buy a bucket during those last few moments of desperation.

The Papermakers did pick up their first league victory of the season Thursday. They defeated Hudson’s Bay 49-33. Dubbay and Johnson both scored 8 points, Fallin and Zach Eagle each added 7, and Kyle Friend and Hallead both had 6.

“We got the monkey off our back, and got the win we needed to get,” Gillispie said. “The morale of our team is good. Obviously, there is some frustration. But every game, they go out and play hard. That’s all I can ask for.

“We want to take our moments of brillance, be accountable for our mistakes and work on them in practice,” he added. “I think that is going to be a big difference for us in the second half of league.”