CHICAGO, ILL. - The Madison College men's basketball team thought they had done enough to buy a few more minutes of life Saturday afternoon, provided they get one more stop on defense. Unfortunately, with 2.9 seconds left, Wilbur Wright College found enough time to attempt a last second shot, which they hit from 40 feet out to claim a 96-93 win in an North Central Community College Conference classic.

The WolfPack were the first team to seize control of the game, racing out to a 14-4 lead in the first four minutes. A little of four minutes later and the Rams had assumed a 19-18 advantage in the early stretches of a 47-24 surge that culminated in a 16-point lead. At halftime, the differential stood at 56-48.

Matching its largest deficit of the night at 77-61 with about twelve-and-a-half minutes remaining, Madison College began its final push. Sophomore Deshawn Black's basket-and-a-foul kick-started a 21-5 run to pull the game back to even at 82-all. The momentum continued as the 'Pack took a four-point lead, which it quickly squandered to fall behind by as much with two minutes to play. In the final minute, second year guard Tyree Young buried a three-pointer, and after a Wilbur Wright (11-6, 4-0) free throw, freshman Kye Burcham knocked down a game-tying shot in the lane. That set up the final sequence as the Rams inbounds pass was caught shy of half-court, and quickly fed ahead to where guard Antonio Newman hoisted it towards the basket just ahead of the buzzer.



For the second consecutive game, Madison College featured five double-digit scorers, led by Young's 21 points. The former Nicolet HS athlete was 8 for 11 from the floor, 2 for 3 beyond the three-point arc, and 3 of 7 at the free throw line. Young also led the team with seven assists and five steals.

Freshmen reserves Marcus Riser and Burcham scored 19 and 15 points, respectively. They combined to shoot 12 of 17 overall and 8 of 11 from the charity stripe. Burcham, a graduate of Madison Memorial, added five boards and an assist, while Riser, a product of Racine Case, pitched in with two blocks, a rebound, and a steal. 

Also surpassing the ten-point threshold were Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, natives Black and Sean Suchomel. Black tallied 14 points and Suchomel a dozen. Both aided in the WolfPack's 48-22 advantage in points in the paint. The two teams combined to shoot 65 free throws, converting 50 of them, including a 26 of 29 effort by the Rams. Wilbur Wright also connected on seven more 3-pointers and reeled in six more rebounds.

The loss ends a six-game win streak for the WolfPack in the head-to-head series, which now stands at 13-4 in favor of Madison College. 

Up Next:

Madison College (11-6, 1-3) remains on the road for a N4C contest Wednesday, January 17 against Harper College (2-17, 0-4). The Hawks have dropped ten consecutive games dating back to November. The WolfPack leads the all-time series by a narrow 11-9 margin, thanks to a sweep of last season's two matchups. Tip off is at 7:00 p.m. at the Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

The game will be streamed live at MadisonCollege.TV, as well as via the Madison College Athletics Facebook and YouTube pages.

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