Sports briefs: Jan. 16

Camas gymnasts off to strong start The Camas gymnastics team won the 4A state championship last season with a score of 184.85 points. This year, the Papermakers are even deeper and are already close to hitting last year's championship-winning numbers. At the Evergreen meet on Jan. 4, Camas posted a winning team score of 182.95 despite missing juniors Lili Ford and Katerina Braden, who were both injured. Defending state all-around champion Shealyne McGee won the all-around competition with a score of 37.55, and teammate Alyssa Shibata came in a close second. Camas' Lizzy Wing was the winner on the floor exercise with a 9.6, and three Papermakers -- Peyton Cody, McGee and Braden -- tied for first on the bars with a score of 9.2. Camas coach Carol Willson said her team is on track to win a third consecutive state championship. "Work and conditioning need to continue, and we will work on consistency," she said. "We had a total of five falls. I'd love to see 36 routines with no falls. That is our goal." Washougal basketball teams remain undefeated in league Washougal basketball fans are packing gymnasiums to celebrate a string of wins as the Panthers' girls and boys teams remain undefeated in the 2A Greater St. Helens League play. The girls continued their winning ways with a 64-42 home win against Woodland on Jan. 9. The Panthers played tough defense and ran the floor all night. Sophomore Savea Mansfield finished many of the fast breaks with lay-ups, scoring a career-high 22 points. Senior McKinley Stotts added 13 and Sammy Mederos had 10 for the Panthers (8-2 overall, 3-0 league). Washougal will play host to Columbia River, also undefeated in league play, on Friday, Jan 17. The Panthers' boys have jumped to a 4-0 league record (8-3 overall) with a series of convincing wins, including a 67-43 home victory over Hockinson on Jan. 13. Senior Jakob Davis recorded a double-double, and freshman Yanni Fassilis scored 13 for the Panthers. Fassilis had 21 points in Washougal's 67-35 win against Woodland on Jan. 8. Washougal will square off with Columbia River, also unbeaten in league play with a 5-0 record, in Vancouver on Thursday, Jan. 16. Panthers coach A.J. Labree is looking forward to the test. "I think (the Chieftains) are the top dogs until somebody gets them," he said. "We've done a good job of going 4-0. I don't know if I would have predicted it, but I knew we had a shot because we have some talented kids. We are going to go to Columbia River and give it our very best shot." Camas boys basketball gets first league win The Camas boys basketball team scored its first 4A Greater St. Helens League win on Jan. 10, beating Heritage 55-54. Senior Jackson Clemmer led the Papermakers (1-1 league, 5-8 overall) with 16 points, and teammate Christian Lenard scored nine points. Camas wrestlers win Grizzly Alumni Invitational The Camas boys wrestling team took first place at the Grizzly Alumni Invitational, held in Hoquiam, Washington on Jan 11. Papermakers seniors Gideon Malychewski (182 pounds) and Colby Stoller (220 pounds) led the way by winning their weight classes. On Jan. 8, Camas moved to 2-0 in 4A Greater St. Helens League competition by beating Heritage 57-21. The Papermakers fell behind early, but junior Dominic Fujihara turned the tide with a pin at 170 pounds. Six other Camas wrestlers won by pin, including Malychewski, Jacque Badolato-Birdsell, Stoller, Chase Reid, Chris Foley and Diego Bellini.

Related Stories