St. Margaret’s girls basketball beats Murrieta Valley for CIF-SS Division 3 title ...Middle East

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ONTARIO — The two-handed bounce passes set up open teammates. The 3-pointers found the bottom of the net. And the multiple defenses created confusion.

The St. Margaret’s girls basketball team played its style Friday to continue its rise.

Freshman Jayden Witten scored a game-high 19 points to lead four players in double-figures, Taylor Francois had seven assists and Addie West played lockdown defense as the Tartans defeated Murrieta Valley 57-41 in the CIF-SS Division 3 final at Toyota Arena.

As the final seconds ticked away, St. Margaret’s coach Josh Markum substituted out starters Witten, West, Francois, Annika Tufo and Lila Wohlgemuth. The players hugged teammates on the bench before racing onto the court to celebrate.

“The thing that stood out to me the most today was the character of the kids,” said Markum, who guided the Tartans to the Division 5AA title in 2023. “Sometimes we’re hitting 3s. Sometimes we’re getting backdoor (baskets). Sometimes we’re just gutting out gritty wins.”

“Their resilience, their effort, their fight (and) their ability to settle in quickly, I was really impressed by,” the fifth-year coach added. “I loved the way that our kids loved each other.”

Francois, a four-year starting point guard for the Tartans (26-7), challenged for a triple-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Wohlgemuth, a four-year starting guard, scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers to push her season-total to 83. She ranks in the section’s all-time Top 10 for 3-pointers.

Tufo, who returned this season from a knee injury, had 11 points and eight rebounds.

West tallied three steals and led the triangle-and-two and box-and-one defenses that helped limit high-scoring Valerie Lauritzen of Murrieta Valley (20-12) to nine points.

Witten, a forward, sank a 3-pointer with about a minutes left in the half that helped St. Margaret’s lead 31-26 at intermission. The Tartans outscored Murrieta Valley 17-5 in the third to take control.

“At this point, we’re all veterans,” Wohlgemuth said of her team’s experience.

St. Margaret’s advanced to its third section final in four seasons after being ranked seventh in the 32-team bracket. The Tartans placed third in the Pacific Coast League and entered the playoffs ranked No. 12 in Orange County.

“It’s been so fun to see our growth,” Francois said. “Every year we’ve gone up a division.”

The Tartans’ season continues next week in the CIF Southern California Regional.

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