The Madison College men’s basketball team battled back multiple times in the NJCAA Region 4 semifinal game against South Suburban College on March 2, but fell just short in a 91-86 loss.
A game-opening 15-2 run gave South Suburban a big early lead, but Madison College didn’t back down. The team rallied to pull within 17-14 with 11 minutes left in the first half and tied the game 27-27 later in the period.
South Suburban managed to regain the lead and held a 43-38 halftime lead before pulling away to a 53-45 lead minutes into the second half.
Once again, Madison College fought back. Pulling within two points two different times, trailing 53-51 with 12:45 left in the game and 61-59 with 9:10 remaining.
But another scoring burst by South Suburban put them on top 68-59 with 7:45 left, and they sank enough of their free throws late in the to hold Madison College at bay.
With the loss, Madison College finished the year with a 19-10 record, a dramatic 10-win improvement from its 9-18 season a year ago.

Madison College 103, Carl Sandburg College 84
Hot shooting from behind the three-point line gave Madison College the boost it needed to end a six-game losing streak and beat Carl Sandburg College, 103-84, in Region 4 Division II Tournament Quarterfinals on Feb. 27.
The WolfPack hit four of its first six 3-point attempts in the opening minutes of the game to help them take a 47-32 halftime lead. Madison College made 13 three-pointers, converting on a season-high 62 percent of them.
Five players scored in double figures, led by JP Pleasant’s 23 points. He also added six rebounds and five assists. Carson McCormick added 17 points, George Whaley IV had 14 points and Cullen Rauls and Jack Bertagnoli both scored 12.

College of DuPage 81, Madison College 68
A 23-4 run late in the first half gave College of DuPage a lead and the momentum it needed to beat Madison College, 81-68, on Feb. 20 and hand the WolfPack its sixth-straight loss.
Pleasant and Bertagnoli both scored 18 points to lead Madison College. Whaley scored 15 points, while Theo Scholfield posted 11 points.

Milwaukee Area Technical College 86, Madison College 69
A first half scoring drought was too much for Madison College to overcome in an 86-69 loss to host Milwaukee Area Technical College on Feb. 18. Runs of 20-4 and 15-2 gave Milwaukee a 51-25 halftime lead and control of the game.
Bertagnoli scored 18 points to lead the WolfPack, while Whaley scored 16 points, Pleasant added 14 and Will Dietrich had 12. Whaley also had 10 rebounds to post his third double-double of the season.

College of DuPage 77, Madison College 69
An eight-point halftime Madison College lead evaporated in the second half as College of DuPage beat the WolfPack, 77-69, on Feb. 15.
Pleasant led Madison College with 20 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Whaley scored 18 points and McCormick had 11 points and were the only other WolfPack players in double figures.

Rock Valley College 77, Madison College 60
A strong second half by Rock Valley College ended Madison College’s hope of an upset as the WolfPack fell, 77-60, on Feb. 13.
Rock Valley outscored Madison College, 45-31, in the second half to secure the win.
Only two players scored in double figures for the WolfPack. Pleasant led the team with 16 points, while Jevon Campbell added 10 points.