Over the past week, the Camas High School (CHS) boys basketball team has made an impressive mark in CHS history. The Camas boys traveled north alongside the girls basketball team to Tacoma to participate in the Washington State Basketball Championship, where they placed 6th. 

For the boys, this is the first time they have appeared in the Washington State Championships since 1963, where they placed 8th, making this the most successful season in the program’s history. 

After a devastating end to last year’s season in an upset two-point loss against Graham Kapowsin in overtime, returning players would not let anything get in their way of making the Tacoma Dome.

A win last year against Graham Kapowsin would have secured the CHS boys a ticket to the Tacoma Dome. 

“Seeing everyone’s face in the locker room after that loss, I know it couldn’t happen again,” said senior Theo McMillan. 

The Papermakers have dealt with adversity throughout the season, losing key players to sickness and injuries. 

“Watching from the sideline was difficult,” said sophomore Jace Vanvoorhis, who missed five games due to a wrist injury.

Despite these added obstacles to their success, the boys team persevered, made it all the way to state, and ended with a 20-9 record, even winning the league for the first time since 2011.

Going into the Tacoma Dome, the Papermakers were seeded 10th and expected to be quick first-round exits matching up against the 7th-seeded Tahoma. With an upset 62-57 win for the Papermakers, their state championship dreams were still alive. The next day Camas lost in the Quarterfinal matchup to the 2022 Washington State Champions and now 2023 State Champions as well, Curtis High School.

Although the loss to Curtis High School took CHS out of the running for a State Championship, they still can make history. The following day, CHS took down 6th-seeded Skyline High School in a 20-point win which granted them a game on Saturday against 5th-seeded Gonzaga Prep, where they would play for 4th or 6th place. The boys broke a few records in the win against Skyline High School. Theo McMillan surpassed the CHS record for most rebounds in a game with 19, while Beckett Currie surpassed the most points in a season which was previously 550 for about 50 years.

Regardless of a win or loss against Gonzaga Prep, CHS would bring home a trophy. Although the Papermakers could not stay on top against Gonzaga Prep, they ended the long week of basketball with a 6th-place trophy, the first State Championship trophy the CHS boys basketball team has brought home since 1963.