Fall River’s quest for state comes up short; McDonell Central Catholic advances to state final

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - After a dominant first half from Fall River, McDonell Central Catholic clawed their way back, to edge out a 66-62 win over the Pirates to advance to the Division 5 WIAA boys basketball state championship.

With 48 seconds left to go in the game, Fall River senior Colin Vieth had a go-ahead jumper to give the Pirates a one point lead.

Mack’s Aidan Misfeldt would answer with a three that would put McDonell Central Catholic up two with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. Fall River didn’t have the same luck with their three-point attempt in the final 10 seconds. Cullen Rauls missed a corner three, and their final attempt down the stretch would come up short. Shavlik Schultz’s inbound pass to Colin Vieth was high, and the clock ran out on Fall River’s hope for a state title.

“This was a special group,” Head Fall River Boys Basketball Coach Arnie Oelke said. “It’s been a family atmosphere in our gym, these kids all get along and every night in practice was just fun, great atmosphere because they worked their tails off.”

Vieth led the way in scoring for the Pirates with 21 points, six rebounds and three steals, followed by Cullen Rauls with 13 points. Fall River finishes the season with a 21-5 overall record.

McDonell Central Catholic will face Newman Catholic in the Division 5 state final.

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