Mount Notre Dame rolled to their second state basketball title in the last three years by beating Solon 56-36 in the championship game of the girls’ Division I state tournament at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Cougars (25-3), ranked fourth in the state, never trailed in the game and dominated unranked Solon (23-4) from the opening tip and never looked back.

Mount Notre Dame bolted to a 12-1 first quarter lead after Solon failed to score in the final 5:27 of the quarter and led 21-14 by halftime.

The Cougars took command in the third quarter and eventually opened up leads as large as 23 points in the fourth quarter.

Senior Katie Paganelli scored a game-high 15 points and collected six rebounds for the Cougars.  Lee Stephens and Kendall Hackney added 12 points each.  Mount Notre Dame shot just 38.6 percent for the game but forced Solon into 22 turnovers, converting them into 26 points.  Solon shot 29.7 percent from the field.

Mount Notre Dame won a state title in 2004 and was runner-up last season.