Prep girls’ basketball: Folsom stuns St. Mary’s with last-second shot by Kamryn Mafua
For the past two months, Kamryn Mafua has been dealing with an ankle injury. Wednesday night was her return to the court.
The return was short and sweet. The Folsom High School sophomore played one minute in the first half and had to come out. The pain in the ankle was too much.
But with 4.6 seconds left on the clock and the Folsom girls’ basketball team inbounding the ball from behind the basket, it was her time. The Bulldogs trailed by one against No. 3 seed St. Mary’s of Stockton in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division l semifinal. Mafua’s coach called on her to make a play. At 6-foot-2, her size was critical when Folsom freshman Ava Rawlins threw the ball up on the final play.
Mafua caught it and hit nothing but net as time expired. The 55-54 win marked a milestone for second-seeded Folsom. It was first win by a Sacramento-area team against St. Mary’s since Sacramento Charter beat the Rams in the section playoffs in 2007.
“We never really run that play,” Mafua said on the final sequence. “(In that moment) it was the perfect play. Right before we ran it, I knew I had to make it. I was nervous, but I was hoping Ava would throw a good pass. It was perfect and the ball came right to me. … I didn’t go in the whole time and then (during the last timeout) they asked me to run the play. I got hurt when they put me in for the first two minutes of the game.”
Folsom coach Lynn Wolking went back and forth on what play to run. He said they went through four different plays before settling on a lob to Mafua. It worked and it’s the reason why Folsom conquered the section’s biggest giant, which had won 13 section championships in a row, including 20 of the last 23.
“This is the biggest win I can remember,” Wolking said. “What a great game. Nobody deserves to lose that game. My team is so special. We talked about (how big this win was) after the game.”
The coach added, “This is a statement game. Folsom is at par with St. Mary’s now. And we aren’t going anywhere. We have young talent and so do they. We talked to the coach before the game about scheduling (this game) for the regular season. This win puts us on an even higher level.”
Wolking was the happiest person on the court. He jumped up and down for joy as his team celebrated. He joked afterward he hugged 20 different people. This win meant something to him because when he started at the school 11 years ago, the Bulldogs lost 29 league games in a row.
He credits former Sacramento Bee Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American McKenzie Forbes for helping jumpstart the success of the program. Forbes was called after the game to take part in the celebration.
“It’s been a long road,” Wolking said. “The first three years were difficult. We lost 29 league games in a row. Once we got to .500, here comes McKenzie Forbes and then the program really took off. She was on FaceTime after the game. She is feeling our love tonight while she is on the east coast. This (win) is for everybody that has been investing their time into our program. We take our basketball seriously here.”
All season, Wolking raved about his depth and it showed. Senior guard Makayla Jackson had a team-high 15 points. Chelsea Ching finished with 12 and hit big shots down the stretch. Rawlins had nine points and Charlotte Climenhage added seven.
When Jackson first started in the Folsom program, she looked up to older players Paisley Specht and Charity Gallegos, who both graduated last year. Now Jackson is the senior leader on a young Folsom team. She’s embracing her role.
“The older girls taught me how to lead,” Jackson said. “Charity and Paisley were (two girls) I looked up to. I carried on their leadership. We have a team with a bunch of young players and I wanted to step up for them. I have great teammates. They’re amazing girls. We have great team chemistry. We have no drama and we all get along.”
Jackson added, “I’m so proud of everyone. Beating St. Mary’s is a wow moment for us.”
The Bulldogs’ (26-2) season is far from over. Folsom will face Sierra Foothill League rival Oak Ridge for the D-l championship Saturday night at Golden 1 Center. It will be the fourth time the teams have faced off this season.
This one will be for all the marbles.
“How appropriate for the rivalry,” Wolking said on playing Oak Ridge for the section championship. “It’s going to make it even more emotional for the loser.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 3:15 AM.