California high school basketball: Damien outlasts Folsom 58-55 to grab Division 1 state title

SACRAMENTO — Damien (La Verne) outlasted Folsom 58-55 on Friday to grab the Division 1 state title at Golden 1 Center.

The Spartans used a 10-0 run out of the halftime locker room to erase a 28-27 deficit and create enough separation that enabled them to hang on despite a late Bulldogs' rally.

Damien (32-7) held Folsom (29-7) scoreless for the first 4:22 of the third period wile Zaire Rasshan and Elijah Smith combined for 10 points and a 37-28 edge before a Joven Dulay 3-pointer stopped the bleeding.

"We knew this was going to be a game of runs," Damien coach Mike Le Duc said. 

Folsom coach Mike Wall said that run and the rebounding disparity — Damien held an 11-2 offensive rebounding edge — proved to be too much to overcome.

"That 10-0 run coming out of halftime was brutal and we never quite recovered," Wall said. "It felt like the roof caved in all at once. Then we just ran out of time."

Damien held a 44-38 lead heading into the final period, but a Will Hakes basket and Parks Weaver 3-pointer pulled the Bulldogs to within two at 45-43. The Spartans, however, were able to keep Folsom from grabbing the equalizer and separated in the latter half of the quarter as Smith converted an old-fashioned three-point play and Rasshan buried a 3-pointer for a 55-47 edge. 

After Rasshan hit 1 of 2 free throws with under 10 seconds remaining, Dulay nailed a triple but Damien didn't have to inbound and celebrated its championship.

Smith and Rasshan each had 18 points for Damien while Eli Garner added 15.

Weaver, a sophomore, and Dulay led Folsom with 16 each. Jack Shull added nine for the Bulldogs.

The teams played to a 14-all tie through the first eight minutes. After a Damien bucket to open the second frame, Weaver went on a personal 6-0 run and a 20-19 Folsom lead.

Damien answered back with nine straight points on a Murray 3-pointer, baskets from Smith and Garner before Cameron Murray Jr. added four more points as the Spartans held the Bulldogs scoreless for more than three minutes. 

But in a half of runs, Folsom finished the second period on an 8-0 burst with Shurr knocking down a shot before Dulay converted an and-one and canned a triple for a 28-27 edge heading into the locker room.