With the game still very much in doubt in the closing minutes of Tuesday’s regional championship, Marin Catholic senior Sienna Frazier had one thought in mind: “If I get the ball in my hands, I have to make the shot.”

Justin-Siena had just closed to within three points when Frazier launched a 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes left to play to virtually lock up the NorCal Division III championship. The Wildcats made some big defensive stops and sealed the game at the free-throw line for a 65-54 victory over the Braves.

“This is something our program has been working toward all year,” said the Wildcats’ Izzy McFadden, one of four graduating seniors with Sami Riley, Frazier and Jocelyn Gigounas. “For the seniors this year, this was important because (head coach Kayden Korst) has said every day that this is the a team that can get to State. This is the culmination of all our hard work.”

The Wildcats (25-11) reached the regional playoffs each of the previous three seasons, with first-round losses in Division I in 2022 and 2024, and a D-II semifinal appearance in 2023.“One thing that’s different this season is, in past years we have grit and determination,” McFadden said. “In years past, we had a lot of great players. This year, we don’t have as many players. The focus has been on coming together, coming to practice every day and working hard and staying on goal.”

Marin Catholic, the third seed in Northern California, is back in the state championship game, and will face Southern California champion Mater Dei Catholic, the fifth seed in its region. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday.

“I wanted this win, not for myself, not for the medal, but because it means I get to play another game with my teammates, my family,” said Frazier, who scored 14 points Tuesday.

McFadden led the Wildcats with 16 points and Spagnuolo put up 15 points. Gigounas and Spagnuolo had eight rebounds each.

Marin Catholic’s last — and only — trip to the girls basketball state championship came in 2002, when the Wildcats, under head coach Rick DeMartini, beat St. Bernard of Playa del Ray, 66-48.

“This has taken a lot of hard work to get here,” Korst said. “This team practices hard every day and played hard. Our schedule wasn’t easy, and this game wasn’t easy, so this team deserves the win.”

Korst took the reins at Marin Catholic after Ashley Saia ended her successful seven-year run as Wildcats coach after the 2023 season.

“I can’t put into words how much Ashley and KK have meant to me and to the team,” Gigounas said. “We’ve been building toward this for the past three years. You could see the difference this year in the players. We had more confidence. KK had confidence in us and we have trust in her.”

It’s nearly 100 miles from Marin Catholic in Kentfield to Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, site of Friday’s championship — a long, and very difficult road for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats hit another bump on the path to the championship early in Tuesday’s contest. Jordan Washington staked No. 4 Justin-Siena (30-5) to a 4-0 lead in the first minute before Frazier hit the first of her four 3-pointers and Spagnuolo tied the game at the free throw line. The Braves’ Lauren Keller then soared under the hoop for a reverse layup as she went on a five-point run.

Washington finished with 19 points and the hot-shooting Keller posted 18 points as the Braves kept the pressure on the Wildcats, who beat Justin-Siena 64-55 in the North Coast Section D-II final on March 1.

“I was convinced from the beginning, from the tipoff, that we were going to be OK,” McFadden said. “I just thought stay calm, stay together and stay within ourselves, and we’ll be OK.”

The Wildcats fought through their jitters with back-to-back 3-pointers from Frazier and Cecelia Biernat to take the lead for the first time, 14-11.

Every time the Braves built some momentum, the Wildcats slammed the door shut with a highlight play.

Justin-Siena went on an eight-point run that bridged the first two periods for a 20-18 lead early in the second. But Marin Catholic went back to its playbook with a big shot from Simone Claxton, one of two 3-pointers by the freshman.

That shot sparked a 10-1 run by the Wildcats, but the Braves closed out the first half with a run of their own to cut the gap to just two points — and nearly tied the score before halftime but Caiden Grimmer’s running layup in traffic at the buzzer missed its mark.

Justin-Siena again crafted a run midway through the third quarter for a 37-36 lead, but Marin Catholic answered with another 3-pointer from Biernat, who finished with eight points.

The Braves again took the lead, 50-49, after 1:30 minutes in the fourth, but Spagnuolo worked her way through Justin-Siena’s big timber defense for a layup to put the Wildcats ahead for good. Moments later, McFadden drove through the lane and was fouled on her way as she sank the layup. She missed the ensuing free throw, but was right there to grab the rebound and bank in a jumper for a five-point lead.

But Marin Catholic’s seniors know how quickly a game can turn. The Wildcats saw a two-point lead slip away in the final minute of the 2023 regional semifinals and lost to Central of Fresno, 48-46, on a buzzer-beater.

Frazier calmly took the kickout from Spagnuolo and knocked down the 3-pointer from the top of the arc for a 60-54 edge with 1:50 left to play.

“I knew when I looked up and saw the score and I looked at who we had on the floor and the energy that we had, I knew the game was over,” McFadden said.

High-pressure defense from Gigounas and Spagnuolo in the closing minutes helped handcuff Justin-Siena’s shooters and silence any rally noise from the Braves. A 3-point play from Spagnuolo with 90 seconds to play effectively put the game out of reach.

“I’m super proud of my teammates, the way we competed,” Gigounas said. “Our defense and our rebounding were a focus for us, and we were able to lock in on our defense.”