St. Margaret's girls basketball program is the CIF-SS Division III Champion after a dominating 57-41 victory over Murrieta Valley High Friday afternoon at Toyota Arena in Ontario.

The No. 12 in Orange County ranked Tartans led Murrieta Valley 31-26 at halftime before outscoring the Nighthawks 17-5 in the third frame to take complete control of the game. St. Margaret's kept Murrieta on the back foot all evening, dominating in rebounds (36) and 4 blocked shots.

Freshman Jayden Witten delivered a game-high 19 points while Taylor Francois notched 12 points and led all players with 13 rebounds in the win. Lia Wohlgemuth, who has been stellar for the Tartans all season, had 11 points, including three 3-pointers, which place her in the Southern Section's all-time Top 10 with 83 on the season.

Defensively, Addie West was a ball hawk, tallying three steals and shutting down the Nighthawk's leading scorer and holding her to nine points. Annika Tufo recorded eight rebounds while also contributing 11 points to the Tartans' offensive effort.

"I am so excited that these kids were able to experience the thrill of becoming champions last night, but I am even more excited to see how they use the life lessons from this season and apply it to their lives to become champions in the real world," said head coach Josh Markum. "Their character is ultimately what led us to a CIF Championship, and that same character will make them champions in life."

The win marks the Tartans' second CIF Southern Section title in four seasons and caps a 26-7 2025-2026 campaign. St. Margaret's awaits the start of the Southern California Regional Tournament, slated to begin March 3.

Go Tartans!