River Falls couldn’t rally late as its season ended against eventual state champion Wauwatosa East 56-48 in the Division 1 WIAA state boys basketball semifinals on March 6.

JT Dougherty stepped up on the big stage for the Wildcats (21-3) in Oskosh with a game-high 25 points. He hit six of nine three-pointers to keep his team in the game. Dougherty also grabbed seven rebounds and dished three assists.

The Wildcats started slow as the Red Raiders (23-3) jumped out to a 9-0 lead but trimmed the lead before halftime, 26-22. In the second half, the Wildcats captured the lead a few times, but the Raiders rallied ahead in the end.

Besides Dougherty’s 25 points, Zac Johnson scored 13 points and went 3-4 from three-point range. Johnson also had six assists and two rebounds.

Michael Schurman added five points and garnered 13 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Jacob Landgraf chipped in three points and a rebound off the bench. Liam Dougherty finished with two points, an assist and a block. Chris Chapin had three rebounds and an assist, and Ethan Campbell notched a couple rebounds off the bench.

Brain Parzych led the Red Raiders with 19 points, six steals, and five rebounds. Jay Hinson Jr. added 13 points and four rebounds.

Turnovers cost the Wildcats with 15 while the Red Raiders had only four. The Red Raiders had 10 steals as a team, disrupting the Wildcats’ offensive flow.

River Falls ended a season where it reached the program’s first state tournament since 2005. The Wildcats advanced to state by edging DePere 53-52 on Feb. 27. The Wildcats also won the Big Rivers Conference outright.

Wauwatosa East wins it all

The Red Raiders went on to sweep the state tournament doublehead on March 6 with a win over Kimberly in the state championship game.

Wauwatosa East pulled away in the second half to beat Kimberly 62-44. Alex Singleton led the Red Raiders with 20 points, and Hinson added 11 points. The Red Raiders won their first state title since 2008.

Photo by Gaylen Bicking.