Rocklin upends Folsom in SFL showdown

Few teams entered the week hotter than the Folsom High School boys basketball team. The Bulldogs trampled their way through the first half of Sierra Foothill League play and were winners of 17 of their last 18, including a 17-point victory over Rocklin in an SFL opener. Rocklin had a lackluster start to SFL play, dropping two of its first four, but returned to its winning ways in the last week. Monday night, the home crowd fueled the Thunder in avenging their earlier loss with a gritty 62-56 triumph over Folsom. The win reinserted the Thunder into the SFL title race and the battle for the top seed in Division II for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. Coach Steve Taylor was not surprised by Rocklin's fourth consecutive win. He said the football players and transfers were still getting up to speed at the beginning of league play, and now the Thunder are hitting their stride. "We weren't the same team. We're just a tougher, more cohesive group now," Taylor said. "I think you're seeing who we really are; it's just taken time. Every team is slightly different. I knew this team would be better as we went along, and they've proved me right." One transfer is Ely Willis, who came to the Thunder from crosstown rival Whitney. Willis said the first matchup with Folsom was his first game of the season and he knew at the time the final score wasn't indicative of the talent Rocklin has. "After that first loss, we just wanted to get them back," Willis said. "We are hungry for all the games but this game? We really wanted this one and we just let it out. It felt good to get that dub and let some anger out." Rocklin's defense stole the show in the second half, holding the Bulldogs to three points in the final three minutes. The Thunder suffocated Folsom with their pressure, forcing several turnovers and missed shots. "Coach Taylor likes to fire us up, especially on the defensive end. He's always making us compete, he always wants us to do our best no matter what," said Rocklin senior Connor DeLaby. "He told us to impose our will on them on the defensive end and I thought we did that. We all stayed connected, we communicated on the defensive end, and we locked them up." DeLaby said the win is just the confidence booster Rocklin needed heading into the second half of league and he feels it will be dangerous down the stretch and heading into the postseason. "Coming into the second half of league, we are definitely more confident," DeLaby said. "We lost to Jesuit in a close overtime game. We lost the first game to Folsom, but we just are coming into the second half more hungry. We all want this. We all want to defend our league title, make a long playoff run and go as long as we can." All five Rocklin starters scored at least eight points, and ball movement was key for the Thunder down the stretch. Mark Lavrenov led all scorers with 17 points, while Willis scored 16. Connor Bow scored 10. Alec Day was the lone Bulldog in double figures with 12. Chase Rawlins scored nine points for Folsom. The loss was the first blemish in SFL play for Folsom (18-3, 7-1 SFL), which looked to bounce back Wednesday against Davis. The Thunder (14-8, 6-2 SFL) looked to keep their momentum rolling Wednesday night at Oak Ridge.