by Matthew Davis

River Falls boy basketball players will remember the extra effort to claim this season’s Big River Conference title amid the COVID19 pandemic.

“The title is a symbol for our players to hold on for as a memory,” Wildcats head coach Zac Campbell said. 'Regardless of how we fared this year, they put together a championship effort in sacrificing the typical teenage life in order to give themselves the best chance to play as possible.”

The Wildcats (17-2, 10-2) did it in style, beating defending champion Chippewa Falls 104-71 on Feb. 9 behind big games from Zac Johnson with 27 points and JT Dougherty with 26 points. They helped the Wildcats bury 18 three pointers in the route.

Dougherty went 6-11 from three-point range, and he had nine rebounds and four assists. Johnson hit 3-8 from three-point land and finished with five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Jacob Landgraf unleashed five three pointers on 5-6 shooting and finished with 17 points. He also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Ethan Campbell buried a couple threepointers, going 2-3 from the arc, as he posted eight points. Liam Dougherty also hit a three among his 13 points, and he had three rebounds and an assist.

Michael Schurman grabbed eight rebounds, dished six assists, blocked two shots, scored one basket, and got one steal. Chris Chapin finished with four assists, five points, a steal, and a couple rebounds.

River Falls built a 58-39 lead in the first half and added to its lead after halftime.

Joe Reuter led the Cardinals (13-9, 6-6) with 32 points and five rebounds, and Jacob Walczak posted 19 pints and four rebounds. No other Cardinals reached double figures, and the team finished with 18 turnovers versus 16 assists for a negative assist-to-turnover ratio.

The Wildcats completed a season sweep of the Cardinals, having beaten them 75-59 on Jan. 15 at home. It started a 10-game winning streak for the Wildcats through the end of regular season amid a challenging Big Rivers slate.

“Our league was so strong this year, Campbell said. 'Every team in our league was above .500 outside of our conference. There are a minimum of six scholarship basketball players in our league right now and to come out on top of that, speaks to the quality of team play that we have.”

River Falls finished out conference play with its 10th-straight win on Feb. 11 with a 59-40 win at Eau Claire North (11-7, 5-7). Johnson led the Wildcats with 19 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Schurman added 14 points, three rebounds, and an assist.

JT Dougherty hit the Wildcats’ lone three pointer that night as he finished with 1 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and an as sist. Liam Dougherty added nine points, fou rebounds, and an assist.

River Falls led 27-22 at the half and pullec away in the second half. Only two Huskie; reached double figures — Chad Kron with 1 i points and Kyle Greenlund with 11 points.

The Wildcats opened regional play oi Tuesday as the top seed. Regional semifinal; take place on Friday at 7 p.m. Regardless o the Wildcats’ postseason results, they a I read; have a big achievement in an unusual season “I'm not sure any of us truly grasp how dif ficult things have been on teenagers who havi been asked to set aside so much in a vulnera ble stage in their lives,” Campbell said. “Thi championship is special,but the commitmen to each other is what will make them better ii the end.”