MADISON, WISC. - The Madison College men's basketball team did not enter Thursday's Region 4 Division II Tournament Quarterfinal with much, if any, momentum after losing the last six games of the regular season. That all seemed to go away as soon as the ball was tipped inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium as the #6-seeded WolfPack exploded for a 103-84 victory over #11-seed Carl Sandburg College. The third win over the Chargers this season gives the WolfPack 

Madison College, which not made more than nine 3-pointers in each of its last eight games, was hot from long range early, making four of its first six attempts in the game's opening seven minutes. Trailing 14-9 when sophomore guard Cullen Rauls, back after missing the previous eight contests, sank the team's fourth and fifth treys to bookend a 12-0 run and give the WolfPack a 21-14 edge.

The differential hovered in the single digits over the next five minutes until back-to-back Carson McCormick three-pointers made it 37-27. The Janesville, Wisconsin, native sank another with 30 seconds left, putting the home team up 12 before a defensive rebound and timeout set up his longtime teammate Jackson Bertagnoli for a long 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to make it 47-32. 



Carl Sandburg College (18-13), despite some hot long-distance shooting of their own, was never able to close the margin to single digits the rest of the game. A Ceegan Rauls layup with 12:44 to go ended a quick 7-0 burst to give the WolfPack its first lead of 20 or more at 66-45. Despite feeling like the game was well within hand, the Chargers sank four 3-pointers over a two-minute span, closing the gap to 89-74 with four minutes remaining. Madison College didn't flinch, and eventually produced points on five consecutive possessions down the stretch before earning the 19-point victory.



Sophomore JP Pleasant posted 23 points, a team-best six rebounds, and five assists. The 6'5" native of Beaumont, Texas, was 8 for 14 from the field, sank both of his three-point tries, and made 5 of 10 free throws. Pleasant now boasts seven games with 20 or more points.

McCormick made all five of his field goals from beyond the arc, and added a pair of free throws for 17 points. The five triples marks the first time in seven games with that many, and gives the freshman sharpshooter six games this season with at least that many. He also set a new career-high with seven assists.

Fellow first year guard George Whaley IV registered 14 points and seven assists. He knocked down a pair of three-pointers as part of an efficient 5 for 8 shooting effort, while adding two free throws. 



Cullen Rauls and Bertagnoli both added a dozen points off the bench, as both hit two 3's and five shots total. Amir Ford was tops with seven rebounds.

Madison College enjoyed one of it's most efficient and productive offensive games of the season, setting a new season-high for three-point percentage (62%) and recording their second-highest overall shooting percentage of the season (63%) on 39 of 62 shooting. Their 13 three-pointers marks the eighth game with double-digit makes from distance. And they racked up 27 assists - one off their season-high - and recorded an assist on 69% of their field goals made.

The WolfPack owned advantages of 14-5 in points off turnovers, 17-2 in second chance points, 50-30 in points in the paint, 11-4 in fastbreak points, and 43-7 in bench scoring.

Up Next:

Madison College (19-9) moves on to play #3-seeded South Suburban College (21-10) in the Region 4 Division II District B Tournament Semifinals on Sunday, March 2. The Bulldogs defeated the WolfPack on February 11 by a 78-64 final to increase their lead in the all-time series to 4-1. This will mark the second postseason meeting after SSC eliminated the Pack in last year's Region 4 Tournament with a win in the quarterfinals. Tip off is set for 6:00 p.m. at the RVC Physical Education Center in Rockford, Illinois.



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