Girls basketball: Marin Catholic pulls away to claim second State title

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Marin Catholic players celebrate as Marin Catholic girls basketball head coach Kayden Korst presents them with their championship trophy after defeating Mater Dei Catholic 48-38 at Division III State Championship game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)

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SACRAMENTO >> When the going got tough, Marin Catholic’s girls basketball team got tougher. The Wildcats surged ahead in the second half and then dug in against Mater Dei Catholic to clinch their first State Championship since 2002.

“To play basketball in this arena, that hyped us up. And to win the championship is the cherry on top,” said senior Izzy McFadden, who scored a game-high 21 points to power Marin Catholic’s offense during Friday’s 48-38 victory over Mater Dei Catholic (21-14) in the Division III title game at the Golden 1 Center.

First-year head coach Kayden Korst said she was just 6 months old when Marin Catholic won its only other state title 23 years ago, led by Brooke Smith, Adrienne Payne, and Nickie Warren. Rick DeMartini, who coached that team, has been an assistant coach and encouraging voice for this year’s squad.

“Once we started the playoff run and when I saw the NorCal bracket, I knew this team could get to the State Championship,” DeMartini said. “It’s like fate. These kids deserve it.”

The Wildcats (26-11) reached the NorCal Regional playoffs each of the past three seasons, including a D-II regional semifinal appearance in 2023.

“This year, we all felt a different level of confidence,” Wildcats senior Jocelyn Gigounas said. “We done a good job of playing as a team.”

For McFadden, winning the championship came with an extra bit of personal satisfaction.

“I watched my brother (Jack) play here in the state championships seven years ago (with University) and they lost,” McFadden said. “So to win the championship means a lot.”

McFadden drilled one of her four 3-pointers with less than 3 minutes to play to spark a decisive 15-2 run. Meanwhile, the Wildcats locked in on defense to shut down the Crusaders, the Southern Region champions from Chula Vista.

“We got one extra possession, one extra rebound. That was key,” Korst said.

Gigounas anchored a gritty Wildcat defense that kept the Crusaders in check. Gigounas hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds, including nine defensive boards, and hit a pair of 3-pointers during an eight-point evening.

“These girls put together a great possession and locked in on defense,” DeMartini said.

Cecelia Biernat had eight points and three rebounds for the Wildcats, who also got five points and four rebounds from Brooke Spagnuolo, and five points from freshman Simone Claxton.

The Wildcats were coming off a hard-fought 65-54 victory over Justin-Siena in the NorCal title game on Tuesday. Similar to that game, Marin Catholic came out a little slow to open Friday’s contest, but rallied behind 30 percent 3-point shooting.

A pair of 3-pointers from McFadden gave the Wildcats a 9-7 lead in the first quarter. Spagnuolo and Gigounas also hit long-range shots from deep in the wing, sticking with the game plan that got Marin Catholic to the state title game.

Mater Dei Catholic rallied with some big shots of its own with a five-point run to close out the first half with a 21-20 lead.

The momentum swung in the Wildcats’ favor as the Crusaders were struggling in the second half without Promise Martin, their leading scorer all season, who was hampered by foul trouble. Martin went to the bench with her third foul 3 minutes into the third quarter.

Martin was held to just one point, well off her 15-point average. That placed the offensive burden on Jordyn Worley and Jarika Chan, who led the Crusaders with 15 points each.

Marin Catholic went back to its strong hand to break out of a cold spell early in the third quarter. The Crusaders led 26-22 in the third. Then McFadden and Gigounas hit back-to-back 3-pointers to seize a two-point lead before Worley tied the game briefly at 28 apiece.

Biernat drove across the lane for a layup to give the Wildcats a 30-28 lead, which they never surrendered. Marin Catholic got a pair of free throws from McFadden and a 3-pointer from the wing by Claxton to close out the third with a seven-point advantage.

“We trust in each other,” Marin Catholic senior Sienna Frazier said. “KK [Korst] trusts us and encourages us to keep shooting. We trust KK and we kept shooting.”

Claxton and Biernat opened the fourth quarter with a pair of baskets as the Wildcats took their biggest lead of the game, 39-28. Crusaders coach David Monroe was forced to put Martin back in the game but she quickly picked up her fourth foul and returned to the bench.

A 3-pointer by Chan closed the gap to just five points with 4 minutes, 27 seconds left to play, before Marin Catholic reeled off a five-point run to seal the win. All that remained for the Wildcats was to celebrate with a victory song.

“I don’t think any of us thought at the start of the season that we’d be doing this,” Korst said.

Marin Catholic’s championship season wasn’t a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination. The Wildcats struggled through a four-game skid in December that included losses to University and Redwood. The Wildcats went 0-3 against rival Redwood this season, including a 45-27 loss in the MCAL playoffs.

“We had some tough losses, and we struggled with sickness during the MCAL tournament. But once we played University in the North Coast Section playoffs at Kezar, and saw all the parents and teachers and fans supporting us, we felt the love,” Korst said. “From that point on, it was ‘One more win, one more, one more.’”

Girls basketball: Marin Catholic pulls away to claim second State title

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