The Fall River High School boys basketball team faces McDonell Central Catholic in the WIAA Division Five State Semifinals this morning at the Kohl Center in Madison. Fall River is champion of the Trailways West while the Macks took the Cloverbelt West Crown. You can hear the game on 1430 ESPN. Coverage begins at 10:20am with the John Deere Pregame Show. The tip set for right around 10:45am. Mike Throndsen & Tim Haldiman will have the call.
Click HERE to listen to the audio stream of the game.
Here’s the WIAA D5 Preview
ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD: Top-seeded Newman Catholic will be experiencing the State Tournament for the first time following the Fighting Cardinals’ 66-54 win over Gibraltar in the Seymour Sectional final. They are the runners-up to Marathon in the South Division of the Marawood Conference this season. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Fighting Cardinals recorded runner-up finishes in Division 3 in 1993 and in Division 2 in 1999 as a former member of WISAA. Second-seeded McDonell Catholic will appear at State for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, not including 2020 when the tournament was canceled because of COVID-19. It’s the seventh appearance for the Macks overall. They won the State championship in 2016 and finished runner-up in their most recent appearance in 2021 and in 2018. They earned their tourney berth this season with a 58-56 win over Solon Springs in the sectional final held at Amery. The Macks are the champions in the Western Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this season. Fall River, the #3 seed in the bracket, makes its second appearance at State. The Pirates lost their Division 4 semifinal match-up in their first appearance in 2000. They outlasted Heritage Christian with an 82-75 overtime win in the Watertown Sectional final to advance to the State semifinal round. The Pirates are the champions in the West Division of the Trailways Conference. Fourth-seeded Royall returns to State for the first since the Panthers’ only other appearance in 2010, which resulted in a loss in the Division 4 semifinals. They posted a 58-40 victory over Wauzeka-Steuben in the sectional final played at Wisconsin Dells to earn their trip to the Kohl Center. The Panthers finished third in the Scenic Bluffs Conference this season.
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