MONROE - All it takes in the game of basketball to sway momentum is a few turnovers and baskets. The Monroe boys basketball team can attest to that after Thursday's black and white performance.
The Cheesemakers (6-0, 4-0 Badger South) used a run in which they scored on seven straight possessions in the fourth quarter, all while causing five straight Oregon (5-2, 1-2) turnovers in a 50-39 win Thursday.
"Turnovers like that make for easy offense," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said. "This was a game where offense wasn't really that easy. I told the guys to not look at a game like this as a grind, because sometimes that takes on a negative tone, but as a challenge. Many times it comes down to who gets hot at the right time."
Monroe senior Bryan Tordoff changed the pace of the game with back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, which gave the Cheesemakers a 35-29 lead. Monroe had trailed 26-25 at the end of the third quarter but free throws by Michael Turek and a drive by Michael Barrett started to turn up the heat.
"My team picked me up most of the game and I picked them up at the end," said Tordoff, who struggled much of the game. "It was a total team effort."
By the end of Monroe's run, which started with 2 minutes, 6 seconds left in the third, trailing 26-19 until the 4:09 mark in the fourth, the Cheesemakers had outscored Oregon 24-3.
"We knew we had the momentum at the end of the third and that was huge for us. We knew we were right back into it and Murph didn't have to say much," Tordoff said. "It's not a matter of if you get hot, it's a matter of when you get hot. For us tonight it was at the end of the game when we really needed it.
"I think that comes from a week of practice where our scout team did a great job of preparing us. They were dogging us all week and you can't say enough about those guys - they don't get a lot of attention but they do a lot."
Tordoff had 9 of his 15 points in the final frame and Barrett added six of his game-high 17 in the fourth.
"That's what you expect out of guys who have been through it," Murphy said. "I think Bryan will be the first guy to tell you his season hasn't gone as expected and according to planned as far as him making shots. He's a kid who practices enough and is a kid who we believe can get it done. I think he's just going to have to slow down when he gets into the paint or start from the free-throw line."
Throughout much of the contest, the Cheesemakers had a tough time putting points on the board. Tordoff had struggled from the floor and only Barrett had produced more than two points in the first half (eight). The teams were tied at 9 after the first quarter and Monroe led 15-12 the half.
"It was frustrating getting those easy shots that we know we should make and not hitting them," said Barrett, who also had nine rebounds. "We weren't too worried about it even though they had the lead going into the fourth quarter. We know Tordoff's going to bang in a couple of 3s, so as soon as he got going we knew we were all right."
Monroe was 6 of 19 from the field in the first half, but hit on 12 of 15 shots in the second half. Free throws were a sore spot for the Cheesemakers, who were 13-for-24 in the game and 5-for-12 in the fourth from the line. Barrett, usually a sniper from the charity stripe, connected on just 2 of 6 freebies.
"The pair I missed back-to-back (in the third) I knew those felt weird coming off my hand. It's nothing mental, I just know that I have to get into the gym and work on those shots some more," Barrett said. "It's something I worked on in the offseason and it's frustrating to be struggling like that."
Murphy also marveled at the defense his team played, especially senior guard Damian Penniston on Oregon's David Solberg.
"He did a great job with a blown-out shoe in the fourth quarter," Murphy said of Penniston, who held Solberg to just seven points. "You can't say enough about the defense when the offense is that stagnant. You better be doing something right or you are going to find yourself in a whole before you know it."
Monroe is the fourth-ranked team in Division 2 and will travel to Madison Edgewood (3-2, 2-0) on Tuesday, Dec. 21.
The Cheesemakers (6-0, 4-0 Badger South) used a run in which they scored on seven straight possessions in the fourth quarter, all while causing five straight Oregon (5-2, 1-2) turnovers in a 50-39 win Thursday.
"Turnovers like that make for easy offense," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said. "This was a game where offense wasn't really that easy. I told the guys to not look at a game like this as a grind, because sometimes that takes on a negative tone, but as a challenge. Many times it comes down to who gets hot at the right time."
Monroe senior Bryan Tordoff changed the pace of the game with back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, which gave the Cheesemakers a 35-29 lead. Monroe had trailed 26-25 at the end of the third quarter but free throws by Michael Turek and a drive by Michael Barrett started to turn up the heat.
"My team picked me up most of the game and I picked them up at the end," said Tordoff, who struggled much of the game. "It was a total team effort."
By the end of Monroe's run, which started with 2 minutes, 6 seconds left in the third, trailing 26-19 until the 4:09 mark in the fourth, the Cheesemakers had outscored Oregon 24-3.
"We knew we had the momentum at the end of the third and that was huge for us. We knew we were right back into it and Murph didn't have to say much," Tordoff said. "It's not a matter of if you get hot, it's a matter of when you get hot. For us tonight it was at the end of the game when we really needed it.
"I think that comes from a week of practice where our scout team did a great job of preparing us. They were dogging us all week and you can't say enough about those guys - they don't get a lot of attention but they do a lot."
Tordoff had 9 of his 15 points in the final frame and Barrett added six of his game-high 17 in the fourth.
"That's what you expect out of guys who have been through it," Murphy said. "I think Bryan will be the first guy to tell you his season hasn't gone as expected and according to planned as far as him making shots. He's a kid who practices enough and is a kid who we believe can get it done. I think he's just going to have to slow down when he gets into the paint or start from the free-throw line."
Throughout much of the contest, the Cheesemakers had a tough time putting points on the board. Tordoff had struggled from the floor and only Barrett had produced more than two points in the first half (eight). The teams were tied at 9 after the first quarter and Monroe led 15-12 the half.
"It was frustrating getting those easy shots that we know we should make and not hitting them," said Barrett, who also had nine rebounds. "We weren't too worried about it even though they had the lead going into the fourth quarter. We know Tordoff's going to bang in a couple of 3s, so as soon as he got going we knew we were all right."
Monroe was 6 of 19 from the field in the first half, but hit on 12 of 15 shots in the second half. Free throws were a sore spot for the Cheesemakers, who were 13-for-24 in the game and 5-for-12 in the fourth from the line. Barrett, usually a sniper from the charity stripe, connected on just 2 of 6 freebies.
"The pair I missed back-to-back (in the third) I knew those felt weird coming off my hand. It's nothing mental, I just know that I have to get into the gym and work on those shots some more," Barrett said. "It's something I worked on in the offseason and it's frustrating to be struggling like that."
Murphy also marveled at the defense his team played, especially senior guard Damian Penniston on Oregon's David Solberg.
"He did a great job with a blown-out shoe in the fourth quarter," Murphy said of Penniston, who held Solberg to just seven points. "You can't say enough about the defense when the offense is that stagnant. You better be doing something right or you are going to find yourself in a whole before you know it."
Monroe is the fourth-ranked team in Division 2 and will travel to Madison Edgewood (3-2, 2-0) on Tuesday, Dec. 21.
