GLEN ELLYN, ILL. - The Madison College men's basketball team played their way into the 2019-20 NJCAA Region IV Division III Tournament Championship, but fell short of earning the second region title in program history over the weekend. The #3-seeded WolfPack took down #2 Joliet Junior College 91-83 in Saturday's semifinal round to advance to Sunday's championship, where they lost a 73-52 contest to #1 Rock Valley College. Sophomore Earl Lewis and freshman Jason Williams were both named to the Region IV All-Tournament Team. Madison College finishes its season with a 13-16 record.

Region IV Semifinal: #3 Madison College 91, #2 Joliet Junior College 83 (Sat., Feb. 22)

Trailing for most of the game's first 11 minutes, the WolfPack earned their first lead with a Malcolm Reed jumper with 8:33 to play in the half. Madison College regained the lead nearly 90 seconds later when Earl Lewis canned a three-pointer to ignite 20-6 run that put the 'Pack ahead by 12, a differential that was trimmed to 42-32 at the half. Almost six minutes into the second half and Joliet Junior College (13-18) had pulled even at 53-53, however, the WolfPack answered with nine straight points as they worked to build their largest lead of the game at 81-66 with 5:28 to play. A 17-4 burst by Joliet JC brought the semifinal to within a single possession with 1:21 remaining. From that point on, the 'Pack closed the door with a 6 for 8 effort at the free throw line, while the Wolves missed their final four shots from the field.

All five starters scored in double-figures, led by Lewis with a career-high 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting that included a 5 for 9 performance from outside the arc that marked the fifth game this season with at least five made three-pointers. The 6'1" guard also added six rebounds. Williams, a 6'5" foward, made 6 of his 14 shots and hit 4 of 8 free throws for 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists. First year guard Marcus Kartes, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native, made all five of his shots from three-point territory to rack up 15 points and a career-best eight rebounds. Davion Washington, a sophomore guard from Madison East High School, went for 14 points and 10 rebounds for his third career double-double. Second year guard/forward Shamar Newman rounded out the double-digit scorers with a dozen points, while also matching a career-high with a team-leading six assists. The former Milwaukee Hamilton High School athlete had five rebounds, as well.

Madison College took two of three meetings with Joliet Junior College this season, after the two programs split their regular season get-togethers.The Wolves own the all-time record by a 25-8 margin, which now includes one postseason win for each team.

Region IV Championship: #1 Rock Valley College 73, #3 Madison College 52 (Sun., Feb. 23)

Madison College, making their first Region IV Championship appearance since the 2014-15 season, played through a scoreless first four minutes before Rock Valley College went on an 11-0 run to grab an early lead. The WolfPack answered with six straight points, however, the Golden Eagles used a 12-0 burst to key a 33-14 first half scoring differential. Though the second half played much more competitively, the 'Pack trailed by more than 20 points for all but the first 90 seconds of the half.

Lewis, a Madison-native, scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the second as he averaged 23.0 points per game in the postseason. He was 6 of 15 overall, 2 of 8 from long range, and 8 for 10 at the stripe, while also picking up five rebounds, one steal, one steal, and one block. No other players scored in double-figures for the WolfPack, who also received six points and career-bests of 14 rebounds and four blocks from Evansville, Indiana, native, Jason Williams.

Rock Valley College took two of three against the WolfPack this season, and own a 34-17 lead in the all-time series. Sunday's matchup marked the fourth postseason and second championship meeting between the two rivals, and RVC has won the last three. They advance to play Region XII winner Columbus State Community College (18-7) on Saturday, February 29 in Circleville, Ohio, for the NJCAA Great Lakes District Championship and a spot in the NJCAA Division III National Championships in Rochester, Minnesota. 



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