Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Too much size.

Too much length.

Too much talent.

McDonell Central simply out-matched Catholic Central in all three areas Saturday to record a 63-41 victory and in the process earn its first WIAA state boys' basketball championship.

The Macks (27-2) built a 10-point halftime lead (28-18) and then extended their advantage to as many as 23 points in the second half in posting the Division 5 state-title game triumph at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Catholic Central (19-10) had a difficult time finding openings near the basket and when it did, McDonell Central's impressive frontline players were there to challenge. The Macks finished with seven blocked shots in the game and held Catholic Central to 34 percent shooting from the field.

"They have a lot of height and that took away a lot of our inside game," Catholic Central senior Ben Heiligenthal said. "We like to play inside-out and we tried to get the ball inside as best as we could, but it was very difficult."

The Player of the Year in the Metro Classic Conference, Heiligenthal came into the contest averaging 22 points and 9 rebounds per game for coach Kyle Scott and the Hilltoppers.

But at 6-foot-3 Heiligenthal found the going rough against 6-7 junior Alex Ohde, 6-6 junior Grayson Knowlton and 6-5 sophomore Hayden Baughman.

"I've been very blessed," Sherbinow said. "I have 6-7, 6-6 and 6-5 on the floor at the Division 5 level."

Heiligenthal finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, but he went just 4 of 12 from the field.

"McDonell Central is long, athletic and plays very hard," Scott said. "They took us out of a lot of stuff we like to do."

McDonell Central senior Ben Retzlaff (6-1) complimented the Macks' strong inside game by drilling four three-point baskets en route to scoring a game-high 20 points. He also finished with a Division 5 single-game state-tournament record seven steals.

"I was very happy with our defensive effort today," McDonell Central coach Archie Sherbinow said. "We made it tough for them to score, especially in the paint. We challenged all of their shots."

In addition Retzlaff's offensive production, Ohde contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots while Knowlton added 10 points and six rebounds. 

With four starters returning in 2016-17, the Macks figure to enter the campaign ranked No. 1 among Division 5 schools. 

Having the target on their collective backs the entire season is a challenge McDonell Central players say they embrace. 

"Every team we play is going to be looking to knock us off, especially after what we did today," Ohde said. "But if we continue to work hard in practice, we should be fine."