Rawlins lifts Bulldogs over Trojans

Oak Ridge's girls' basketball team played a superb first half and led Folsom 37-32 on Saturday in the championship game of the Folsom-Vista Winter Classic. In the second half, however, Folsom came back with an even better half, taking the lead in the third quarter and extending that lead in the fourth quarter to win going away, 75-61. Kendra Alameda was the all-tournament selection for the Trojans, while Ava Rawlins and Sophia Mindermann were named co-Most Valuable Players from the tournament for the Bulldogs. Oak Ridge left the tournament with a 3-3 tournament, while the Bulldogs are 7-0. Rawlins had an incredible performance against Oak Ridge, leading all scorers with 31 points. Mindermann scored 32 in Folsom's semifinal 79-41 win over a very good Pleasant Valley team. "The difference in the game was our press in the second half," Folsom High coach Lynn Wolking said. "Once we got a couple stops in the second half and then you see that pressure turn up a bit on Oak Ridge and they start retreating more. Whenever we play Oak Ridge, it's more pressure and stress than fun, but once we got that confidence and got an eight-point lead the whole game changed." Wolking might be right, but the Bulldogs had an eight-point lead 25-17, in the second quarter after a seven straight points from Rawlins, a run ended by a three-pointer with 4:53 to play in the half. In this instance, however, the Trojans came roaring back with a great run, finishing the quarter by outscoring the Bulldogs, 20-7, to take a 37-32 lead into halftime. The Trojans did it with perimeter shooting, as they hit five of their seven threes in the second quarter, four coming in the final four minutes. Leah Harris hit two and freshman Vanessa Johnson hit two, while Audrey Hernandez also hit a pair of two-point shots for the Trojans. "If Oak Ridge shoots like that nobody's going to beat them," Wolking said of Folsom trailing at the half. "Chances are that kind of great shooting is not going to stay with any team, though." One difference in Oak Ridge's lineup in the second half was that Ella Cottrell did not play, which made a difference in the game, as not only is Cottrell a good defender, but also scored a career-high 28 points two days earlier in Oak Ridge's win over Woodcreek. She only scored two points before spraining her ankle in the first half and did not return. Dixie McLanahan's first points of the game, a three-point from the top of the key, put Folsom out in front 44-42 with 4:44 to play in the third quarter. A pair of free throws by Alameda tied the game at 44, but Folsom finished the quarter on a 12-5 run to lead 56-49 after three, starting with a bucket by Rawlins. McLanahan and Rawlins ended the quarter with eight points, while Lily Bingaman hit two of her three three-point shots in the pivotal quarter. "Having Ella go down early put a wrinkle into our game plan, but we had some people step up and do a good job in the first half," Oak Ridge coach Steve White said. "In the second half, we broke down mentally and made errors that allowed them easy shots and they took advantage of that. Our rebounding also needs to improve." Folsom outscored the Trojans, 19-12, in the fourth quarter, as the Trojans couldn't close the gap. Following Rawlins 31 points for the Bulldogs, McLanahan finished with 14, all coming in the second half, while Bingaman scored nine and Aryn Bright scored eight. Mindermann only scored five points, but the Bulldogs still put up 75 and won the game. "That's a testament, first of all, for missing Ava Rawlins for two years," Wolking said. "You saw what she could do and what she means to this team. Also, we've got a lot of different players who can have good games. Sophia scored 32 against Pleasant Valley. Erin had a double-double in a game earlier this season. Lily scored 24 in a game. A game or two later Dixie put up 20. We've got a lot of players who can score." Harris led the Trojans with 17 points. Johnson scored 11, while Ava Edwards and Alameda scored eight. The Trojans were disappointed to lose the game, but are hoping to take some positives from the game. "I applauded the energy and effort the team played with today," White said. "It's been a rough season so far in that area, which is not what I expected this year, so I hope we can build on that. We've been at this for four weeks now and if we started playing like this from the beginning outcomes can change." While the Bulldogs are done until after Christmas, Oak Ridge host its annual Toss-Up Tournament beginning Friday and Saturday and ending on Monday.