Folsom falls in state title game, 58-55

The Folsom High varsity basketball team lost the CIF Division 1 State Championship game to Damien on Friday, 58-55, but despite the loss the team is still one of the best ever to play at the school. The team is the third in school history to reach the state championship game, joining the state champion 1985 team, as well as the runners-up in 2014. "They will be remembered as one of the best teams to ever come through Folsom High," Folsom High coach Mike Wall said. "Maybe of all the teams I've coached, this group maximized their potential the most. We got everything out of the size, speed and strength we had by playing the right way. That's what this team will be remembered for." The Bulldogs played with Damien and proved they belonged on the floor with them, but a 10-0 run to start the third quarter turned a one-point lead into a nine-point deficit with 3:40 to play. "That 10-0 run coming out of halftime was brutal and we never quite recovered," Wall said. "Turnovers hurt us, and we never got any shots for two or three minutes. We had a couple of really tough missed shots and that ended up being the run that killed us. And rebounding; it's hard to win a game when you're giving up 11 offensive rebounds and getting only two. That was the difference. They got a lot of extra shots and we didn't. They shot 30 threes and we only shot 18. They got 12 more bites of the apple and that was the difference." The dreaded stretch of going minutes without scoring cost the Bulldogs the game. The run in the third quarter happened twice in the game, as Folsom held its biggest lead, 20-16, with 5:41 to play in the second quarter before Damien scored 11 straight points in about two-and-a-half minutes to take a 27-20 lead. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they ended the half scoring the last eight points to take a one-point lead into halftime, 28-27. Damien's biggest lead came with 2:16 to play in the third quarter when they led, 44-31. Folsom outscored the Spartans 24-14 over the remaining 10-plus minutes of the game, but ran out of time in the end after Jovan Dulay hit a three-pointer to make it 58-55 with only seconds remaining. "I'm super proud of the effort these guys gave, not just tonight but all season," Wall said. "They battled all the way to the end, but just ran out of time. This won't take away from all the good times we had. "The season was a lot of fun. The road trip to L.A. was a blast. They played their butts off and really showed that they belonged and could play in a game like this. The trips in the van, the hotels … the fun stuff. It was a fun group to be around. I'm going to miss my seniors. I'm proud of them and I can't wait to see what they're going to do at the next level. "The seniors were heavily involved and promptly displayed in last year's section championship. They've really embodied what we're trying to do as a program. It's not always easy because I'm demanding, but they showed what can happen when you play the right way. They are a model of how to play the game of basketball." Jovan Dulay and Parks Weaver led the Bulldogs with 16 points each, while Jack Shull finished with nine. "It was an amazing season," Dulay said. "I love all of my teammates and I'm grateful for them. This was my dream season, but it didn't end the way we wanted it to. We might not be the biggest team or the fastest team, but if you play basketball the right way and trust each other and trust your coaches and play for one another you can go a long way." Shull added, "I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else. These guys are so special. It's sad that we're never going to play another game together. Just thinking about it hurts. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to play with everyone and grow as individuals and teammates and come together as a team. It was a great opportunity." Weaver, the only underclassmen in the starting lineup, enjoyed playing with the seniors. "I learned a lot from these guys," Weaver said. "Being able to play with them last year and again this year really helped me develop as a player."