I won’t ever forget last year and that always drives me as a coach to be better, but this definitely feels good,” Prescott head coach Nick Johnson said after the game. “At the start of the year, this was our goal to get to a sectional, and here we are.”

Last year’s demons have officially been exorcized.

After last year’s state-ranked Prescott Cardinals team which boasted a 22-3 overall record had its season come to an abrupt, shocking end in the Division 3 regional semifinal at home against Osceola, those in and around the program counted the days until this year’s postseason began.

Since that cold March evening just more than a year ago to the day, Prescott had its eyes set on a Division 3 regional championship and a sectional tournament berth. After defeating Somerset 93-75 in the semifinal, the Cardinals accomplished those goals with an 88-73 win at home against state-ranked Northwestern on Saturday night.

Prescott claimed its first regional title since the 2019-20 season in large part because it paired a lockdown defensive performance as a team with potent nights offensively from junior Dallas Wallin and seniors Jordan Malmlov and Brandon Stuart.

“I won’t ever forget last year and that always drives me as a coach to be better, but this definitely feels good,” Prescott head coach Nick Johnson said after the game. “At the start of the year, this was our goal to get to a sectional, and here we are.”

While Prescott’s offense continues to get well-deserved attention, its defense is the reason the Cardinals will be playing in a sectional semifinal game instead of watching one from the sidelines.

Despite struggling offensively in the opening five minutes against Northwestern, Prescott built a 9-4 lead. The Cardinals missed multiple layups and couldn’t get jumpers to fall, but because of their suffocating man-to-man defense, Northwestern barely got on the board.

“Our man-to-man defense clicked in that River Falls game and since then our defense has been unbelievable,” Johnson said. “If you want to win big games in the playoffs, you’ve got to play man-to-man defense and it was phenomenal tonight. I couldn’t be more proud of our kids.”

Prescott’s defense remained stifling against a Northwestern team that went into Saturday night’s game with a 23-2 overall record. The Tigers averaged more than 80 points per game this season and finished the year as the ninth-ranked Division 3 team in the state, according to the final Wissports.com coaches’ poll.

Prescott held Northwestern to just 22 first-half points, the Tigers’ second-fewest of any half this season. Only No. 1 West Salem held Northwestern to fewer points in a half this year (19).

While the Cardinals remained stout defensively through the opening half, the offense eventually picked up and that’s when Prescott stretched its lead. The aforementioned trio of Malmlov, Wallin and Stuart all finished the first half in double figures, which led to Prescott’s 39-22 advantage at the break.

Part of Prescott’s offensive spark was Stuart, who used crafty post moves on the low block to create space and finish at the rim. Stuart finished the game with 18 points, eight rebounds and a steal while shooting 9-13 from the floor.

“Brandon has committed to play down low. He’s been unguardable at times and we’ve committed to getting him the ball,” Johnson said. “He’s so good on the block and we’ve got to keep going to him because he’s been one of the reasons we’ve had success in the last month.”

Stuart’s early success demanded extra defensive attention on the low block. When Northwestern sent help, Stuart found Malmlov for open three-pointers and Wallin who regularly slashed to the rim and finished with ease.

Prescott’s dynamic offense stretched the lead to more than 20 points throughout the second half which ultimately led to the Cardinals’ 88-73 victory over Northwestern. Stuart spoke about the development of his post moves that helped Prescott win a regional championship.

“In AAU I went into the post a lot and worked with a couple of coaches over the summer and it’s helped a lot,” Stuart said. “After I score once or twice down there they have to come double or else I’ll score again. If they do (double), it’s a kick out or pass to a cutting teammate for a layup.”

Wallin led Prescott in scoring with 27 points on 9-15 shooting from the floor. He also had 13 rebounds, two assists and was 8-10 at the free throw line. Malmlov tallied 26 points, three rebounds, nine assists and two steals and was 6-16 from beyond the arc.

Prescott advanced to the Division 3 sectional semifinal against Osceola on Thursday, March 9. The two Middle Border Conference foes met twice this year and split the regular season series. The rubber match winner will advance to a sectional final on Saturday night.

“When the season started we knew it could potentially be a third matchup with Osceola and here we are,” Johnson said. “We’ll prepare and we know it’s going to be a hell of a battle. If we can’t guard them or stop them we’re going to be in trouble. But they’ve got to guard us too, and I like how we’re playing right now.”

After Prescott won the regional championship, Northwestern head coach Nolan Graff told Stuart they’re capable of competing against West Salem, which the Cardinals would likely see in the sectional final if they defeat Osceola. Stuart spoke about that interaction and the upcoming matchup with the Chieftains.

“I think it will be a close game the whole way and will be a similar style to the last time we played,” Stuart said. “Northwestern’s coach thinks we can run with West Salem, so I think that sectional final would be a really good game. I think we could possibly make it to state.”

Prescott will face Osceola in the sectional semifinal on either Wednesday, March 8, or Thursday, March 9, depending on weather conditions. River Falls High School has been selected as the neutral site with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.