In one of the biggest games in Middle Border Conference play this year, Parker Nielsen’s 35-point, 10-rebound double-double effort led the Cardinals to an 82-80 double-overtime victory.

Tied at the lead of the MBC, the Cardinals and Tigers are at the front of the league with only a few games to play.

The Cardinals seemed to lead almost all game as the battled to stay ahead of the Tigers. Prescott took a seven-point lead after scoring their first 15 points before the Tigers stormed back and went ahead 24-20. Prescott fought back and the top teams of the MBC went into the half tied at 30 points.

The Tigers and Cardinals played hard through the second half, each answering buckets with baskets. With just under seven minutes to go in regulation, Nielsen led the Cardinals to a 58-50 lead.

The Tigers hit some three-point shots as they battled back but the Cardinals kept pushing their lead. With just over 40 seconds to play, Nielsen sunk a pair of free throws to take a four-point lead. 31 seconds on the clock and another Tiger shot from outside fell and the Cardinals lead was shrunk to just one, 68-67. Jordan Malmov was fouled and sunk both attempts from the charity stripe to go ahead by three.

New Richmond’s Joe Kidder answered the call with another make from outside the arc to end regulation.

The Cardinals jumped ahead by four with two quick buckets. The Tigers fought back and took a short lead but Nielsen tied it up at the free throw line before the Tigers held the ball for the last shot attempt. A missed shot attempt brought another period of high-level MBC hoops.

Nielsen drove to rim and scored first in the second overtime period. After New Richmond hit a free throw, Mason Holte’s pair of free throws brought the Cardinals ahead by three. Some more free throws on both sides found the Cardinals ahead 82-80. New Richmond got the ball back and Jared Doffing was tasked with using his length to contest Kidder’s last shot attempt. Doffing succeeded and the Cardinals were victorious.

“At times during this game, Parker was unguardable,” Coach Nick Johnson said. “He took over throughout the second half. The way he leads the team in all aspects of his game is what was most impressive, though. Our team handled so many tough situations throughout the game. Many times, overcoming big shot after big shot by New Richmond. Our players never cracked and kept on fighting. It was impressive to see.”

With nine wins in their last 10 games, Prescott seems to be picking up momentum at just the right time in the season.

“I think we are close to hitting our stride. We need to continue to stay disciplined and understand how big every possession is. I’m very proud of the strides we’ve made over the last few weeks,” Johnson stated.

“We’ve got some big games coming up and we’ll need to continue to play well if we want to win these last four regular season games.”

The Cardinals put themselves in the situation to succeed later in the season by making sure they played tough competition with as many opportunities as they could.

“Playing a challenging schedule definitely helps win big games like against New Richmond. In and out of conference, we’ve had some very tough opponents. It’s great to have the players put into as many pressure situations as possible throughout the season. This only helps us come playoff time,” Coach Johnson said.

Doffing also registered a double-double, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Dylan Malmov added another ten points and Jordan Malmov registered nine in the win last Tuesday night.

The Cardinals kept their momentum Friday in an 81-47 drubbing over Osceola at home.

Fifteen different players from Prescott entered the game and registered statistics.

Nielsen’s hand stayed hot and he scored an efficient 30 points, missing only two field goals and one free throw.

Doffing chipped in 14, Jordan Malmov another 12 and Walker Lenz registered 9 points on four of six shooting.

The next day, Gale-Ettrick-Trempleau came to town and Prescott won, 71-59.

With four players scoring in double digits, Doffing had 14, Jordan Malmov scored 11 and Lenz chipped in 10. Nielsen scored 29 and averaged over 30 points in the three games last week.

Doffing and Holte led the Cardinals on the boards to combine for 16 rebounds.

Nielsen dished out six assists while Doffing, Lenz and Holte each notched 4.

The Cardinals are back in action at home against Somerset Thursday, who has a 7-3 MBC record this year.

Photo by John McLoone.