The #5 seed Madison Bulldogs upset the #1 West Central Trojans in the Region 3A tournament on Friday, March 4th at the Elmen Center. The Bulldogs led for most of the game in a 75-69 win to advance to the SoDak 16.
The Bulldogs built a 17-8 lead in the first quarter and ended the quarter leading 20-13. That lead doubled to 30-16 with 5:30 to play in the half. West Central then finished the quarter on a 17-9 run to cut the lead to 39-33 by halftime.
Madison was able to keep the lead in the six-to-10 point lead throughout the third quarter. The Bulldogs ended the third quarter leading 60-52. Braden Dierickx hit a three pointer for the Trojans to cut the Bulldog lead to 61-55 with 6:36 to go. West Central pulled within three points, 72-69, after two free throws by Dillon Jackson with :44 left in the game. The Bulldogs, however, made three free throws to seal the victory.
West Central shot 34% (22-64) from the field, just 18% (5-28) from three-point area, and 83% (20-24) from the free-throw line. Madison finished the game shooting 55% (24-44), 47% (9-19) on three pointers, and 69% (18-26) from the free-throw line.
Four players finished in double figures. Grafton Stroup had 20 points and four rebounds. Jackson had 14 points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and three assists. Jacob Krempges had 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Wilson Droge finished with 11 points and three rebounds. Dierickx added eight points, five rebounds, and three steals.
The Trojans season ends a record of 17-5.