For the second time in three years, Rosary Academy of Fullerton owns a State girls’ high school basketball championship.

The Royals captured the Division I title with a 75-58 victory over Bishop O’Dowd High School of Oakland on March 8 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, jetting to a 41-28 halftime lead and negating every opposition comeback attempt throughout.

Leading the Royals (27-8) were junior guard Asia Avinger with 24 points and senior center Savannah Felix with 16. Good team free-throw shooting (16 of 19) also helped Coached Richard Yoon’s squad that won the CIF Southern California Regional Division I championship last week.

Previously, Rosary (26-8) won the CIF-SS 2A, D-III SoCal Regional and State D-3 titles in 2017. It is the third straight year that a school from the Orange Diocese or Los Angeles Archdiocese has won a state girls’ basketball title, with Serra of Gardena having  won the Division I championship in 2018.

Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News).

Start your day with Always Forward, our award-winning e-newsletter. Get this smart, handpicked selection of the day’s top news, analysis, and opinion, delivered to your inbox. Sign up absolutely free today!