MADISON, WISC. - Saturday's Region 4 matchup between Madison College and Prairie State College featured 11 ties and nine lead changes before the
#23-ranked WolfPack escaped with a thrilling 63-60 victory inside
H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. Sophomore guard
Cullen Rauls converted a layup with 1.2 seconds remaining (watch two angles of the game-winning basket in story photo above) as part of an and-1 situation that broke a 60-60 tie and propelled Madison College to it's seventh straight win. The victory was also the first in four meeting with the Pioneers, who still hold a 3-1 lead in the all-time series.
Prairie State College (3-7) held the advantage for much of the opening nine minutes of the first half; however, the differential remained within two possessions. The WolfPack pulled even at 15-15 thanks to a
Ryen Jones three-pointer and two
Cullen Rauls free throws. The lead changed hands several times four minutes when PSC was in front. A Pioneers triple with 1:21 remaining made it a five point game until Madison College ended the half with a flurry of action that resulted in back-to-back layups from freshman
Ceegan Rauls to bring the differential to 36-35 at the half.
The WolfPack came out strong to start the second half, scoring seven straight points to assume a 42-36 advantage. With the game even at 44-44,
Cullen Rauls drained a three-pointer off an assist from
Amir Ford to give Madison College a lead they would hold for the next eight-plus minutes. A 6-0 push put the visitors ahead 58-56 as the clock approached four minutes to play, and two possessions later, the elder Rauls made a layup to tie the score at 58-58. A pair of free throws from sophomore forward
JP Pleasant gave the home team a one-basket lead that held for nearly two-and-a-half minutes until PSC's Antonio Phillips buried a jumper with 19 seconds remaining.
Madison College called a timeout to set up their offense, which saw guard
George Whaley IV make a bounce pass to Rauls left of the arc and then fake a hand off towards the left wing. Rauls then spun back to the right and began to attack. The transfer was able to split a pair of Pioneers defenders and score through contact with 1.2 seconds to go. After converting the free throw, the 6'7" Ford was able to deflect the attempted inbounds and come up with the loose ball to let time expire as the WolfPack improved to 7-0 against Region 4 competition.
Rauls, a native of Fall River, Wisconsin, led the WolfPack with 21 points on 6 of 16 shooting that included a 3 for 8 effort from long range. He also drained all six of his free throw attempts en route to his second game with 20 or more points. A transfer from Western Technical College, Rauls also dished out a career-best eight assists.
Jones was the only other double-digit scorer for Madison College as the Lawrenceville, Georgia, poured in a career-best 17 points and collected seven rebounds. The 6'5" forward sank all three of his 3-pointers in the first half and finished 5 for 13 overall and 4 for 4 at the free throw line.
Pleasant was tops on the glass with eight rebounds, while also coming through with two blocked shots.
Madison College shot 34% (20-58) overall and made 9 of 23 (39%) from distance. They also converted 14 of 21 (67%) free throws. Prairie State College finished 45% (27-60) from the field, 7% (1-13) from beyond the arc, and 50% (5-10) at the stripe. The Pioneers held a 36-22 edge in interior scoring, while the Pack was plus-24 from three-point range. The WolfPack also owned a narrow 13-10 lead in points off turnovers after committing seven fewer miscues.
Up Next:
Madison College (8-1) will complete the 2024 portion of their schedule with a pair of road games after a week off. They play at Blackhawk Technical College (2-3) on Wednesday, December 18. The WolfPack defeated the Talons by a
105-69 final on November 20 as the teams renewed their in-state rivalry after a 40-year hiatus. Madison College is 15-2 all-time against BTC. Game time is at 7:30 p.m. in Janesville, Wisconsin.
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