Camas boys basketball team clinches 4A state berth with 79-59 win over Sumner

CAMAS — To fully appreciate where they are now, the Camas boys basketball team can look to the past as a reminder.

The Papermakers defeated Sumner 69-49 in the Class 4A bi-district quarterfinals on Saturday at home, which also sealed a third consecutive 4A state tournament berth for the program.

Prior to the 2022-23 season, the Camas boys made just one state appearance since the 1960s. In a three-year window, the Papermakers have broken through that ceiling and made state their expectation.

“Camas has always been known as a football school before the past four years,” senior Jace VanVoorhis said. “It’s honestly the standard now.”

VanVoorhis, who scored a game-high 29 points with seven 3-pointers Saturday, led a resurgent Papermakers team that maintained a double-digit lead from midway through the second quarter onward, despite multiple rallies from the hot-shooting Spartans.

Four minutes into the third quarter, Camas’ lead was cut to 54-44 on a 3-pointer from Jalen Hyppa, who led Sumner with 25 points.

The Papermakers countered on a 12-2 run with four players — VanVoorhis, Ethan Harris, Channing Nesland and Cade Washington — scoring over the four-minute span, capped by a VanVoorhis buzzer-beating 3 to give Camas a 66-46 lead entering the fourth.

“That was a great stretch,” VanVoorhis said. “Basketball is a game of runs, you’re going to get punched in the mouth, it’s always how you respond. We gotta stay composed — composure and adversity has been something we’ve struggled with all year — so, just being able to fight through those small moments.”

A balanced Camas scoring attack that also featured Harris (16 points), Washington (11 points) and Nesland (10 points) only told part of the story.

The Papermakers wear black warm-up shirts that display “95%” in red type. As the Papermakers explain, it serves as a reminder of how each and every player can impact a game without the ball in their hands the majority of the time they’re on the floor.

“Basketball, a lot of people think you’re gonna have the ball all the time,” Camas senior Nyima Namru said, “but really, it’s the 95 percent of the game when you don’t have the ball, so that’s what we focus on. The rebounding … running the floor, we feel like those things we do as a team are really going to take us to the next level.”

By doing all the little things, the Papermakers have embodied that mantra this season.

“For the playoffs, a lot of people got to step up,” Namru said. “And today, I’m super proud of the whole team. Everyone stepped (up) in their own ways, role guys hitting their shots (and) playing hard. That makes me happy to see the progress we’ve (made).”

By advancing to the 4A bi-district semifinals against Olympia on Tuesday, Camas (18-4) can continue to bolster its résumé for state seeding purposes.

The Papermakers have already made a strong case for a high seed on paper by losing just one game in Washington this season. A win like Saturday is further proof of a team that has a high ceiling — and growing expectations.

“It’s a great win,” Namru said, “but we’re not satisfied.”

CAMAS 79, SUMNER 59

SUMNER — Colton Kelley 2, Carson Schmidt 14, Jalen Hyppa 25, Owen Liedtke 2, Jace Andino 2, Goose Frederick 4, Austin Collins 4, Jerius Isabell 0, Andy Hobson 0, Gavin Lee 6. Totals 22 (6) 7-12 59.

CAMAS — Carter Morgan 0, Cade Washington 11, Nyima Namru 5, Jace VanVoorhis 29, Channing Nesland 10, Sami Mustafa 2, Max Rayan 0, Ethan Sobolik 0, Ethan Harris 16, Landon Frost 6, Kellen Dufner 0. Totals 30 (13) 6-9 79.

Sumner               13             17             16             13—59

Camas                 22             20             24             13—79