Cardinals claim the title

MADISON – If it wasn’t already clear, this is a special group at Bangor.

The school of 180 just outside La Crosse won its third state title of the year, and it did so in impressive fashion. The Cardinals’ 91-67 win over Chippewa Falls McDonell in the Division 5 boys basketball state championship game at the Kohl Center claimed the school’s first state title in the sport.

In the fall, the Bangor football team won the Division 7 title. Last week the girls basketball team took home the Division 5 title.

In boys hoops, Bangor finished 27-1 with 15 straight wins. The final 14 came by double digits.

Caleb Miedema led the charge. The senior guard turned his ankle in the first half but came back in the second and finished with 25 points. He hit 7 of 14 shots and went 3 for 6 from threepoint range. Sophomore forward Grant Manke added 19 points and 13 rebounds. Drew Johnson, a senior guard, added 12 points.

Senior guard Luke Reader dished out 11 assists, a Division 5 single-game record. The performance raised his tournament total to 16, three better than the previous record for the division.

Reader’s was one of a handful of records for the Cardinals. Among the bunch are D5 marks for most points scored in a title game and tournament game, most points in the tournament (164) and most points in an 18-minute half (47).

McDonell finished 18-11. The Macks got 24 points from senior forward Hayden Baughman and 16 from junior forward Charlie Bleskachek.

McDonell, however, never led. This was Bangor’s day, just as it has been all year.

“The school spirit is at an all-time high,” Reader said. “Every day there’s people in the community, you go out and see them and they’ll say congrats on football because they haven’t seen you since. … The community support, it’s awesome.”