Newman Catholic holds off McDonell to capture WIAA Division 5 boys basketball state championship

MADISON − The text message was clear and to the point when it arrived on Mason Prey's phone following Newman Catholic's semifinal win over Royall on Thursday.

"It was from one of my trainers," Prey said. "And he said, 'They only remember you for the next one.' "

Prey and the Cardinals made sure their team would forever be in the WIAA record book Saturday, riding a stellar defense and big games from Prey and Conner Krach to a 66-54 victory over Chippewa Falls McDonell in the Division 5 championship game at the Kohl Center.

It's the first state title for the boys basketball program and the 13th overall WIAA state title for the school.

Prey, who scored 18 points and had eight rebounds, said the text helped him realize the gravity of the situation heading into Saturday's final.

"That one really hit me, because if we lost today then no one would realize we made it to state," Prey said. "To be in the record book and to be the D5 state champ is just an incredible feeling."

Newman Catholic led 36-22 at the half with Krach a main catalyst. The 6-foot-2 senior forward scored 16 points, including a pair of trifectas, and his hustle and intensity was evident in setting tempo for the Cardinals defense.

McDonell's Canan Huss erupted in the second half and scored 15 points over the first 10 minutes to get the Macks close. A 3-pointer and subsequent foul and free throw from Eddie Mittermeyer pulled McDonell within 46-44 with 8:13 left in regulation.

Newman Catholic held firm and 3-pointers from Isaac Seidel and Jackson Pfender and free throws from Prey extended the lead back near double digits. A steal from reserve Thomas Bates that led to a bucket in transition in the final minutes from Krach punctuated the win.

Newman doesn't go deep into its bench, so the play of Bates was key throughout the second half of the season, according to Newman Catholic coach Jeff Waldvogel.

"Bates started half the year, but we see the importance of him coming off the bench," Waldvogel said. "He can play the big, he can play the 2 ... but he’s so physical and we can put him on anybody. One of our strategies was to take away (Mittermeyer) and contest Canan (Huss). And he was an important part of doing that. And that's why we're here and got the victory."

Krach finished with 21 points and also had eight rebounds, with Prey adding 18 points and eight rebounds. Seidel also had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Cardinals.

Huss led McDonell with 28 points and 11 rebounds with Mittermeyer adding 17 points.

"Defensively we tried to pick our poison on who we were going to stop and they had a lot of guys hitting shots," McDonell coach Adam Schilling said. "Right away we were playing with a deficit and it's hard to come back on teams that have a lot of seniors and obviously they have a lot of great chemistry. Fighting our way back from that can be a tough thing. But we were able to make it a more competitive game in the second half."

Newman Catholic advanced to Saturday's final with a hard-fought 52-42 victory over Royall on Thursday.

"(Playing McDonell) was a little different than Royall," Krach said. "We knew we were more of a fast-break team and we were glad they wanted to run it with us. But it came down to defense. We knew we would be able to score but we just wanted to make sure we wanted to stop their best players."

Newman has won the last two state titles in 8-player football. The girls basketball team has won three titles (2002, 2010 and 2011) and the girls volleyball team has won four titles (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016).

Other titles for Newman Catholic were in boys track and field (2006, 2007) and girls track and field (2009).

"We kept fighting," Waldvogel said. "When they made some baskets to get close, we came down and got a quick basket underneath and we got a stop and came down and scored again. Those plays were important. It happened because of that great defense. This team played great defense all game and that’s why Newman Catholic is state champs and taking the gold ball back to Wausau."

Waldvogel took over the Newman Catholic program right before the season started and was able to get the senior-heavy team to buy-in to his vision.

"It hasn’t hit me yet but I’m really thankful," Prey said of winning the state title. "Coach came in and we didn’t know who our coach was going to be until late in the off-season, so me and Isaac were a little worried. But coach came in and he saw this group of seniors and he saw how close we were and he did a fantastic job and I’m really grateful for that."

Newman Catholic 66, Chippewa Falls McDonell 54

McDonell 22 32 – 54

Newman Catholic 36 30 – 66

McDonell: Galvez 4, Huss 28, Misfeldt 5, Mittermeyer 17. 3-pt: Huss 3, Misfeldt, Mittermeyer 3. FT: 9-12. Fouls: 13.

Newman: Krach 21, Gustafson 6, Pretty 18, Pfender 6, Seidel 15. 3-pt: Krach 3, Prey 2, Pfender 2, Seidel 3. FT: 8-13. Fouls: 12.

This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Newman Catholic wins WIAA Division 5 state basketball title