Bulldogs pull out exciting OT win over McClatchy, 65-63

The fans in the stands that showed up for Folsom High's second-round playoff game against McClatchy on Friday night witnessed an excellent high school boys' basketball game. Two evenly matched teams battled it out for 32 minutes before a last-second shot by the Bulldogs tied the game and sent it to overtime. Once there, it was another last-second shot by the Bulldogs to win the game 65-63. The win sends the Bulldogs into Tuesday's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal game at Sheldon High. The game was close from start to finish. Folsom led 6-0, its biggest lead of the game, while McClatchy's biggest lead was less than that. Folsom led by one point after the first quarter; McClatchy led by three points at halftime and Folsom led by three points heading into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs trailed 58-56 after a steal and layup with 1:27 remaining by Noah Hargrave. Parks Weaver missed a shot at the other end, but Jovan Dulay got a steal to give the Bulldogs another chance, but he missed a layup with 33 seconds remaining. McClatchy missed a three-point attempt, giving Folsom the ball with 15.8 seconds remaining. Will Hakes, in the lineup for about the last three minutes of the game because Jack Shull was out injured, certainly wasn't Folsom's first choice to take the game-tying shot, but the ball ended up in his hands. "The play wasn't drawn up for me, but they overcommitted to Jovan and I got the ball," Hakes said. "I probably should have gone off the glass, but in the moment I just put the shot up and thankfully it rolled in." Hakes' shot bounced off the rim and looked like it would bounce away, but just caught the inside of the rim and dropped through to tie the game at 58 and send the game to overtime. Weaver hit a three-pointer in overtime and later added two free throws to give the Bulldogs a 63-60 lead. McClatchy's Jordan Boyce knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game. Folsom turned the ball over on their next possession, but McClatchy's Kai Bradford missed two free throws, giving Folsom another chance. Weaver's three-point attempt was blocked and McClatchy grabbed the ball with 15.9 seconds remaining. "We wanted to trap them and force them to give it up," Wall said of the team's defensive strategy. "We had the split and he tried to get through but our big man (Hakes) was standing right there where he was supposed to be because it was a zone. He blocked the shot and off the races we went." Added Hakes, "I was just playing help defense on my guys, team defense. My teammates grabbed the ball and Jovan made the right play throwing it down the court and we finished off the game." Dulay found a streaking Weaver, who had a clear path to the hoop for the game-winning layup as time expired. "It feels so good," Weaver said. "Jovan was pushing the ball and I was wide open and he was able to pass it and I got the easy basket that got us the win." It was a great finish to an incredible game. "The game was about as intense as it can get," Hakes said. "This is why you play basketball." Added Weaver, "It was a battle. It was close the whole way; nobody ever got a big lead. It was a crazy environment. It was a great game to play in." Wall has been involved in many games like this as Folsom's long-time coach. "That's high school basketball," Wall said. "Both teams made a lot of errors. They missed two free throws at the end. We didn't shoot free throws or the ball well from the field like we normally do. You've just got to keep grinding. "I can't say enough about Will Hakes' performance. He had that tip-in and one there late in regulation. He made the last-second shot that I didn't think was going in. I think I lost a full year off my life with that shot. Then he made the block. "McClatchy is a good team. They're speed bothered us; their length inside bothered us. We're fortunate to score two more points than they did. Parks had a rough night, but he got the big three-pointer in overtime and then had the game-winning basket. Both teams deserve a lot of credit. We persevered tonight." Weaver and Shull led the Bulldogs with 16 points, while Alec Day scored 13 and Dulay finished with 11. Hakes chipped in all six of his points in the fourth quarter. Hargrave led McClatchy with 16 points. PJ Parker scored 10 and Gene Castillo and Boyce both scored nine.