Johnson and Johnson may be the name of the "No Tears" tagline liquid soap, but many fans of the Wildcats' version had tears streaming down their cheeks after Friday night's 67-65 nerve racking loss to New Richmond in the boys' basketball WIAA Region Semi-Final in River Falls.

Eli Johnson and Preston Johnson will both be playing football in college and the next loss would be their final official basketball game.

"I did not want it to be my last game," said Preston Johnson. "I gave the best effort I could, but they (New Richmond) just made the plays when they needed to."

"Preston's effort plays were the best numbers all year," said River Falls Head Coach Zach Turpin. "He left it all on the floor and there is nothing for him to hang his head about. We're not even in that game without Preston."

The “effort plays” Coach Turpin was referring to are plays like taking charges, diving on the floor for loose balls, and deflections.

Preston Johnson had nine defensive deflections on the night.

"That's a big number for one game and it means he was getting after it every single possession," said Turpin. "There's no urgency like March playoff basketball."

The urgency could be felt in the gym with a big-game atmosphere correlating with extra bleachers brought in for the New Richmond student section to accommodate the over-flow crowd. It was a "white-out" for the Tigers students. The Wildcat students chose a "safety-theme" version donning neon vests and hard hats.

They were symbolically needed down the stretch, as watching the end was like tight ropewalking on a steel girder beam 300 feet in the air.

March urgency, as Coach Turpin described it, could also be felt on the broadcast. Kevin Westhuis had analyst duties Friday night. He described the game as knuckle-gnawing. Play-by-play man Russ Blasius said he couldn't remember if he'd ever gnawed his knuckles, but he described it as an old-fashioned barn burner.    

The Wildcats led 30-27 at halftime. There was a total of nine lead changes with the final one coming at 4:05 left in the second half.

With the Wildcats leading 55-54, New Richmond senior guard Abe Monson drove down the left side of the lane. Monson missed the tough runner over a couple defenders and the Wildcats' Austin Stellrecht grabbed the rebound.

Four of the five Tigers scurried back on defense.

"We know Graetz (Brody) just dribbles through everybody in transition," said New Richmond Assistant Coach Karen Stellrecht. "He's so quick, so we were telling everyone to always get back as quickly as possible."

Nick Stellrecht, Coach Stellrecht's son and cousin of River Falls' Austin Stellrecht, didn't listen to her advice, not on this possession.

Nick Stellrecht swatted the ball out of his cousin's hands and laid it in for the 56-55 lead.

The ensuing Tiger possession, Monson drove the lane once again and made a highlight dish to senior center Jack Charbonneau. New Richmond led 58-55 with 3:36 remaining.

After a Wildcat timeout, Coach Turpin dialed up a dandy play. Cal DuMond received a pass at the free throw line and Graetz cut to the basket on the left side like his hair was on fire. DuMond, reminiscent of old school Bill Walton big man passing, hit Graetz back door. Tigers were still on top, 58-57 with 3:13 remaining.

The very next trip down the court, Monson was at it again, this time with a three-pointer from the left corner. Monson finished with 10 points and four assists. Monson's three gave the Tigers a 61-57 lead with 2:34 left.

Not to be outdone, Graetz drove the left baseline with the speed of a springtail bug and returned the favor with a sweet pass to DuMond for the lay in. The Wildcats cut the lead back to two, 61-59 with 2:12 remaining.

The very next possession, Monson tried to pass across the top of the key to senior Aidan Eckert, but Preston Johnson smothered the pass with his left hand, made the steal and went the length of the court with a tough straight-on bank shot off the glass over Eckert. Johnson, along with Graetz, finished with a team-high 15 points. Johnson's bucket knotted the score up at 61-apiece with 2:01 remaining.

The Tigers were 7 of 17 from the three-point line and all seven made threes came in the second half; the last one was a 24-foot bomb on the right-side from senior Connor Raleigh with Preston Johnson right in his face. Raleigh scored a game-high 22 points, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. In three games against the Wildcats this season, Raleigh pumped in 51 points, shooting 10 of 21 from three (48%). Raleigh's three with 1:29 to go gave his Tigers a three-point lead, 64-61.

The Tigers were burning some clock on the next possession and Preston Johnson fouled Eckert with 53 seconds left. The left-handed Eckert hit one of two from the line and led 65-61.

Twelve seconds later, the Wildcats' DuMond launched a 24-foot rainbow missile of his own from the left side. The DuMond bomb tickled the twine, and the home gym exploded. With 41 seconds remaining, the Wildcats cut the deficit to just one, 65-64.

The New Richmond roster is jam packed with 11 seniors. Senior guard RJ Amundson was intentionally fouled by Graetz and went to the line for the one and one. With screaming Wildcat students wearing neon vests screaming in his sightline, Amundson calmly drained both free throws to give the Tigers a 67-64 lead.

Up by three, New Richmond Head Coach Ryan Leis opted to foul Preston Johnson with nine seconds left. Johnson rattled home the first free throw attempt but missed the second one. Amundson corralled the rebound and was fouled.

This time, Amundson, missed the front end on the one and one. With seven ticks on the clock left, Eli Johnson retrieved the rebound with most of the Tigers prowling back on defense. Eli Johnson made the outlet pass to Preston Johnson who frantically dribbled up the right side of the court.

"I knew I didn't have enough time to get to the rim," said Preston Johnson, "and I kicked it to the corner."

Wildcat junior Tanner Bottolfson was camped out on the baseline and received the pass. New Richmond's Eckert came flying in for the block like a hawk trying to snatch a fish out of the lake. Bottolfson, like a quarterback eluding a charging defensive end and stepping up in the pocket, pumped faked and Eckert swung and missed hurdling out of bounds. As the ball left Bottolfson's fingertips, the final buzzer sounded and every arm in the gym was half-raised awaiting the outcome. If the shot went in, Wildcat fans raised them in victory. If the shot missed, New Richmond would do the same.

Bottolfson's shot clanked off the front of the rim, right on-line, just an inch short of a swishing victory.

"Tanner has more confidence than anybody I know," said Preston Johnson. "His shot looked good the whole way, but sometimes it just doesn't fall."

Bottolfson fell to the floor, his eyes point-blank range to the floor. The New Richmond students flooded the floor in their white apparel to congratulate their team. It looked like a winter storm blizzard of snow.

The Wildcats finished their season with a 67-65 loss and a final record of 13-12 on the season.

"I told Tanner to keep his head up," said Preston Johnson. "He had one heck of a year and next year he's going to make an even bigger step forward."

Bottolfson finished with nine points and was 3 of 7 from behind the arc on the night. DuMond finished with 12 points including two threes. Graetz had seven assists to go along with his 15 points. Austin Stellrecht chipped in with six points. Eli Johnson finished with eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds.    

 "After the game I thanked our seniors, Eli, Preston, and Lincoln (Tremain) for all their contributions," said Turpin. "We had such a great group of guys, and I thanked all of them for all they gave to our program."

The Wildcats have 13 varsity players returning next season.