KENOSHA, Wis. — Parkside men's basketball extended its early-season surge on Saturday afternoon, grinding out a 77-70 win over Winona State at DeSimone Arena to earn its third straight victory and move to 3-1. The Rangers, who had never beaten the Warriors before Saturday, used timely shot-making, balanced production and a breakout performance from senior Paxton Warden to hand Winona State (1-3) its third consecutive loss.
The opening 20 minutes brought a tight, back-and-forth battle that featured seven ties and nine lead changes. Winona State leaned early on Ryan Heise, who scored 13 first-half points on 5 of 8 shooting, while Tyler Mason added nine more before the break. But Parkside countered with efficient perimeter shooting and a strong push in the middle stages of the half. Warden knocked down two threes in the opening period and redshirt sophomore Jake Dunham delivered an instant spark off the bench with eight first-half points on a perfect 3 for 3 start, including two threes. Parkside shot 50 percent in the first half (14 of 28) and hit 5 of 10 from deep to take a 40-33 advantage into the locker room.
The Rangers maintained control early in the second half, stretching the lead to nine multiple times behind strong interior play from Luka Mateski and Fawaz Surakat. Mateski battled through heavy attention to finish with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Surakat posted 14 points, went 6 of 8 at the line and tied Mateski for the team lead with eight boards. Parkside's ability to get to the line proved crucial, finishing 21 of 26 as a team.
Winona State refused to go away. Heise continued his standout performance, finishing with a game-high 23 points on 9 of 13 shooting, including 2 of 3 from deep. Mason added 18 points and five assists, while Gavyn Hurley provided 16 points, five rebounds and four steals. The Warriors shot 46 percent overall and chipped the deficit down to a single possession several times, including at 55-54 with just over 12 minutes to play.
Each time the game tightened, Parkside responded. Warden delivered the biggest answers of the afternoon, hitting three second-half threes and scoring 13 of his 22 points after the break. His deep three with 4:51 to play pushed Parkside's lead back to six, and he followed with a driving layup and another transition finish to help the Rangers regain breathing room. Warden's 22 points came on 7 of 17 shooting, including 4 of 7 from beyond the arc, and he added six rebounds and three assists in the best performance of his Parkside career.
Josiah Palmer added nine points and seven assists while running the offense, and Braden McGlothlin added six points, six rebounds and four assists in 32 high-energy minutes. Parkside outrebounded Winona State 39-24, including a 12-5 edge on the offensive glass, and held the Warriors to just six made threes on 20 attempts.
In the final minute, the Rangers clinched the win at the line. Warden hit two key free throws with 18 seconds left, and Mateski sealed it with two more with seven seconds remaining as Parkside closed out its first-ever victory in the all-time series.
Parkside now takes the upcoming week off for Thanksgiving before returning to DeSimone Arena next Saturday, Nov. 29, for a 3 p.m. CT matchup with Edgewood. To keep up with the Rangers throughout the season, visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
