GALESBURG, ILL. - The Madison College men's basketball team continues to find ways to win games, which they did again on Saturday with an 84-72 defeat of Carl Sandburg College in a Region 4 showdown. Five players scored in double-figures for the WolfPack, who controlled the paint en route to its third straight win overall and fourth win in as many games against a region opponent. The win is also the first for the Pack against the Chargers after falling in the first six head-to-head meetings.

Carl Sandburg College (3-3) jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, and held the advantage until midway through the first half when the WolfPack engineered a 12-2 run to take a 20-18 lead on a layup by forward JP Pleasant. The teams traded ties and leads over the next five minutes until freshman Kaden Coppage drained a long jumper in the final minute to give the visitors a 29-26 edge at halftime.

The strong play continued into the second half, which opened with a lengthy 21-8 surge that ended with nine consecutive points and a 50-34 lead after a George Whaley IV layup as the clock went inside of ten minutes remaining. After a Carson McCormick three-pointer on the next possession, the freshman guard came up with a steal that led to a Ryan Jones dunk and an 18-point advantage. The differential remained in the teens the remainder of the game, getting as high as 19 and as close as 10 in the final minute.



Pleasant, a 6'5" forward from Beaumont, Texas, led the balanced attack with 20 points, to go along with a team-high nine rebounds and three assists. He connected on 10 of 17 field goal attempts to match his career-best output for the second time this season.

Second year guard Cullen Rauls was right behind with 19 points, nearly half of which came from the free throw line as he was a perfect 8 for 8. The transfer from Western Tech made 5 of 9 shots with one 3-pointer, while also racking up four boards and two assists.

Jones was 6 for 10 overall and 3 for 4 at the charity stripe for a career-high 15 points and his third consecutive game scoring in double-figures. The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native, also accumulated six rebounds and a career-best five assists.

First year guards McCormick and Whaley both poured in 12 points each. McCormick drained a pair of three-pointers and dished out a team-high six assists. Whaley also had one triple, to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, and a team-best four steals.



Madison College dominated the glass with a 43-29 differential that helped lead to a 9-3 edge in second chance points and a 48-24 advantage in interior scoring. The WolfPack also finished with a 22-12 lead in points off turnovers. The visitors shot 54% (33-61) to mark the team's second straight game shooting that percentage or better. They were also 4 of 12 (33%) from long range and 14 for 19 (73%) at the line. The Chargers finished 23 of 62 (37%) overall, 9 for 30 (30%) outside the arc, and 17 for 23 (74%) at the line.

Up Next:

Madison College (4-1) returns home for the first of four straight inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium on Wednesday, November 20 when they host new in-state and Region 4 foe Blackhawk Technical College (0-2) out of Janesville, Wisconsin. This will be the first meeting since the 1984-85 season with the Talons, who brought back varsity sports in 2024-25. The WolfPack are 14-2 all-time against the Talons. Tip off is at 7:30 p.m. and can be live streamed at MadisonCollege.TV.

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