From dreamers to varsity seniors

From Prune Hill to Camas High, Tanner Fogle, Alex Glikbarg, Logan Miller and Bryan Nguyen have been connected by their love for basketball.

They started playing together in 3-on-3 street ball tournaments while growing up and called themselves the Camas Dream Team.

More than a decade later, they have matured into Camas High School seniors with still one big dream — to play basketball in the Tacoma Dome.

“It feels great to get to this point as varsity seniors. I know we’ve all worked really hard for it,” Glikbarg said. “We’ve grown up together in this game. We’re more than friends, we’re a family.”

With that kind of connection comes trust, loyalty and respect, on and off the court.

“Playing with these guys from the first grade all the way up, we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Fogle said. “It’s just fun to be playing with your brothers again. Senior year, this is what we’ve all been dreaming about.”

Fogle, Glikbarg, Miller and Nguyen are close with fellow seniors Nathan Chilian, Levi Gilstrap, Hayden Hunsaker and Cooper McNatt. Together, they want to mold the juniors and sophomores into future leaders.

“We’re not too worried about wins and losses. We’re just determined to get better every game,” Miller said. “If we do that, I think everything will work itself out at the end of the year.”

“I think our chemistry is just getting stronger and stronger, so each game will get better and better,” Nguyen added.

Camas made some noise in the season opener Dec. 2, at Prairie High School. Glikbarg scored five points in a row, and Miller added a three, to get the Papermakers within one point of the Falcons in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.

“It was a big three, but I thought the momentum switched when we started locking down on defense,” Miller said.

“There were times when we had a lot of adversity,” Glikbarg added. “They hit a couple big shots and their crowd was getting into it. It kind of tested us to see how we would react, and I feel like we did a good job.”

Prairie scored six straight points to secure a 60-53 victory.

The next day, Camas traveled to Kentlake and won 64-42. The Papermakers jumped out to a 24-12 lead in the first quarter, and then went on a 20-3 outburst in the third.

Camas defeated Black Hills 53-40 Tuesday. Fogle scored 12 of his team-leading 17 points in the first half. The Papermakers sealed the victory by going on a 21-10 surge in the fourth quarter. Glikbarg went 7-for-8 from the foul line during that stretch to finish with 11 points.

The road trip continues Friday, at Richland, and Saturday, at Post Falls, Idaho. Camas hosts Central Catholic Tuesday, at 7 p.m.