BRODHEAD — With their leading scorer Cullen Walker out sick, the Cardinals needed to step up in a nonconference game against River Valley on Monday, Dec. 19.

In six games, Walker averaged 21.3 points. The next highest scorer was Sam Searls with 12.4 points per game. Not only is Walker a key offensive player, but the team looks to him for leadership, as well.

“It hurt not having Cullen around,” head coach Tommy Meier said. “Not only is he a scorer for us, but he’s a leader and great defender. The kids look up to him, and they fuel off of him. We talked about how it’s not a one-man show, and it didn’t need to be one person that tried to replace him. We were looking at everybody to pick up just a little bit to fill the slack.”

Brodhead did just that, as they defeated River Valley 70-54. Three different players scored in double figures, including a team-high 21 points from Jaxon Dooley.

The Cardinals started in a deficit, as Cameron Hanson scored first for the Falcons. River Valley’s lead — its only of the game — didn’t last long, though. With an assist from Gavin Pinnow, Nathan Engen tied the game at two. Sam Searls’s three then gave Brodhead the lead.

Although River Valley tied the game back up at 10, Dooley and Searls made back-to-back threes for a 16-10 lead. Brody Riese then grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in for two. He was fouled in the process and went to the free-throw line, where he completed the 3-point play.

A bucket from Isiah Olson momentarily broke up the Cardinals’ scoring run, but Riese went to the line again where he made one free throw. On the second attempt, his shot missed, but Riese got his own rebound and put it back in for a 10-point Brodhead lead.

“Offensive boards, we crashed them pretty hard,” Meier said. “We got outrebounded Friday at Clinton, so we really stressed that at practice last night. The kids got after it more and didn’t give up as many second-chance points.”

With Brady Myers third foul of the half, Brodhead received bonus shots from the charity stripe — and would for every foul in the remaining seven minutes of the half.

The Cardinals extended their lead to 22 — the largest of the half — with a pair of threes from Dooley and one from Searls. River Valley cut the deficit by six with their own 3-pointers — one each from Cole Nabbefeld and Adrien Johnson. 

The half ended in favor of Brodhead, though, as Ryan Searls sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 46-25 lead.

Early in the second, Johnson provided some offense for the Falcons, as he forced his way to the basket. He was fouled twice and subsequently went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Dooley and Sam Searls then went on another scoring run, capped by a free throw from Engen, which gave Brodhead its largest lead of the game at 24.

The Falcons quickly cut the deficit to 14. Mason Lomasney completed a 3-point play at the free-throw line, followed by buckets from beyond the arc by Dylan Fradette and Rece Rhoades. Hanson made a reverse layup and grabbed an offensive board for another two. That’s the closest River Valley got the rest of the game, though.

With time running out, the Falcons were forced to foul. The Cardinals remained strong under pressure, going 7-for-9 from the charity stripe to clinch the victory.

Dooley led the Cardinals with 21 points. He was 4-for-4 from the line with three 3-pointers. Sam Searls and Engen also scored in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Nine of Sam Sears’s 13 points came from beyond the arc.

Gabe Bockhop had a pair of threes for Brodhead in just his second game back from injury. Bockhop broke his arm in the Cardinals’ 14-6 loss to Prairie du Chien in Level 3 of the Division 5 football playoffs.

“This was his second game back. Tonight, we were just trying to get him up to basketball speed,” Meier said. “He did a nice job for us. The game is quick for him right now since he’s five or six games behind a lot of these guys. Our offense is more free movement, so he’ll learn to play with his teammates, no doubt. He’s going to help us out a lot this year.”

Hanson and Nabbefeld each had 13 points to lead River Valley.