MALTA, ILL. - The Madison College men's basketball team shook off some rust before rallying for a narrow 87-83 road win in Region 4 play against Kishwaukee College on Tuesday to open the 2025-26 season's second half. The WolfPack, who earlier in the day jumped two spots to #11 in the latest NJCAA Division II Poll, trailed by double digits in the first half before taking advantage of 40 trips to the free throw line to secure a third straight win, while also staying unbeaten in region competition. Carson McCormick led the way with his fifth game of 20 or more points this season. The victory is the ninth in the last ten meetings against the Kougars, who lead the all-time series 17-11.

Kishwaukee College (4-10) held the upper hand early as they built a 25-12 lead over the first ten minutes. A 14-2 surge by the WolfPack narrowed the gap to a single point after a pair of Noah Compan free throws with 4:42 remaining. After tying the score at 29-29 with a three-pointer by Isaiah Robinson, Madison College was outscored 12-3 over the final 3:20 to trail 41-32 at the break.

In the second half, the visitors again faced a large deficit as they trailed 51-37 nearly five minutes in. The WolfPack continued to chip away, using an 18-6 stretch to make it a two-point game with just over 11 minutes to go. A tough layup by Cam Williams with 7:10 remaining gave Madison its first lead of the game at 66-65. With both teams in the double bonus, the game was likely to be decided at the free throw line, and it was. George Whaley IV sank a pair of throws to tie it at 83-83 with less than a minute to play, and a careless pass near mid-court as the Kougars brought the ball up without any pressure turned the ball back over to the Pack with an over-and-back call. The next possession resulted in two made free throws by McCormick, who would make 4 of 6 attempts at the stripe in the final minute to get the lead. Sophomore Jackson Bertagnoli came through with a steal of an inbounds with 5.3 seconds remaining to seal the win.



McCormick racked up 28 points to match a season-best. The guard from Janesville, Wisconsin, was 6 of 9 from three-point range as part of an 8 for 14 effort overall. He also added six free throws, to go along with three rebounds and two assists. 

Williams, a 6'2" guard from Verona, Wisconsin, came off the bench to drop in 17 points, more than half of which came from a perfect 9 for 9 effort at the free throw line. He also added four field goals, three rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots, and a steal.

Whaley rounded out the double-digit scoring with ten points. Sophomore transfer Noah Compan had nine points and led the team with a career-high 12 rebounds. 

Madison College shot 42% from the field (24-57) and from beyond the arc (8-19), while also taking full advantage of a 31 for 40 (77%) result at the charity stripe. Both the free throw makes and attempts were the highest so far this season.



Up Next:

Madison College (12-1) returns to H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium for the first time in 2026 on Saturday, January 10 to battle in-state and Region 4 foe Blackhawk Technical College (0-15). The WolfPack defeated the Talons twice last season as the two programs renewed their rivalry following a 40-year hiatus. Madison College leads the all-time series by a 16-2 count. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. and can be live streamed at MadisonCollege.tv.

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