This Friday, February 28, Rosarys basketball team is set out to go to CIF for the Southern Section Championship for the first time since 2017. Many girls are happy or nervous, but they’re overall excited to see what happens at the game.
This season has been filled with sweat, tears and definitely a bunch of laughs for these Royals. With this being the first time in eight years that Rosary competes for Southern Championships, the current team is excited to leave their mark on Rosary’s history.
Coach Aragon gave us his insight on what the season was like, saying, “We started off really strong then when we got to league play, we struggled. We did not know if we would even make the playoffs. But the girls did enough, and God gave us a second chance. The girls really embraced their second chance and played really, really well. As our Captain Kate Duarte ’26 said in one of our team prayers, ‘It is through HIM and for HIM’ that we have been able to accomplish reaching a CIF Championship game.”
Through dedication and faith, Royals competed and got a spot on the CIF court. Captain Kate Duarte has been on Rosary’s varsity basketball since her freshman year and tells us about her excitement on making it to CIF for the first time: “I am really enjoying the weeks and days of preparation leading up to Friday. It is nerve-wracking playing in a big stadium, but the team and I have to come together and overcome the nervousness to play our best and come out with a win. All of the support from our Rosary sisters and parents has helped us too. They bring great energy. The team has been getting ready for this game and is ready to show up and play some great basketball.”
With many girls and parents driving out to the game, Royals on the court will surely have the loudest student section!
Sophomore Kaiya Watties also spoke on her take with the team season, saying how she has enjoyed this season and bonding with her teammates: “We’ve grown such a deep bond where not only we are teammates but also sisters. I’m super excited to compete in the CIF Championship because we have all worked so hard to get here and I wouldn’t want to be here with any other team. It’s been such a blessing to be able to play this year and get this far in CIF. Go Royals!”
Sophomore Sophie Lickl spoke similarly and added her high praise to the team’s work ethic: “I am so proud of my teammates and how far we have come, considering being a team of mostly sophomores. We work hard every day and have fun doing it. As Coach Yoon always says, ‘We want to be the longest playing team in Orange!’ Which we are slowly achieving, as deserved. This season has been so exhilarating with crazy wins and crazy losses. But no matter the outcome, we always keep our heads up and show our Rosary pride. These girls are some of my best friends and I’m so happy to have grown closer with them through the sport. So, for all the Rosary sports, let’s keep working hard and GOOOO ROYALS!!”
Overall, this season has been filled with a wide range of emotions; but, whether high or low, Rosary is always cheering these girls on to push on to the best of their abilities. Be sure to wish these girls luck on Friday’s game!
