BRODHEAD - Carly Mohns doesn't think the Brodhead girls basketball team has played its best game yet. That's a scary thought.
Mohns, a junior, scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to power the Cardinals to a 62-24 win over Monroe Saturday.
"I think there is always room for improvement," Mohns said. "We are not at our best. We have to work hard in practice each day to get better."
Mohns scored all nine of her team's points in the first quarter. Monroe junior Kayla Updike drilled a 3-pointer to help the Cheesemakers cut the Cardinals' lead to 9-5. The Cardinals broke the game open with a 13-0 run in the second quarter.
"We came out a little slow," Mohns said. "When we came out, coach told us to pick it up. We listened top him and picked it up. We started attacking the basket more and started doing our thing. We came out and I think we did a good job of playing Brodhead basketball. Coming into the tournament, it's important to be playing good."
Brodhead senior Taylor Douglas scored on a layup and Mohns scored down low with about 5 minutes left in the second quarter to spark the Cardinals (20-1, 14-1 Rock Valley). Brodhead freshman Kylie Moe knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Cardinals a 21-6 lead with 4:40 to go in the period. Mohns scored on a layup and Moe hit a 3-pointer before the buzzer to give the Cardinals an insurmountable 33-10 lead at the half.
Monroe (1-20, 0-11 Badger South) was short-handed playing without three injured starters including juniors Taylor Barrett, Vanessa Studer and senior Heather Barta.
"They (Brodhead) are so deep and have a lot of different players who can score," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "You can't just take away one thing. They do a good job of driving and kicking."
Defending Mohns proved to be a challenge.
"What makes her tough is she has the ability to put it on the drive," Mathiason said. "She does a good job off the dribble and does a good job of finishing."
Brodhead coach Brad Pickett wasn't looking past the Cheesemakers.
"The thing with Monroe is that they play in the Badger," Pickett said. "They are tested every night. We knew coming in that they would do a good job defensively. If you play Monroe you know you will get tested. The score may not show that. They do a good job defensively and that is why we put them on the schedule."
The Cardinals continued to roll in the second half. The Cheesemakers went through a 6-minute scoring drought in the third quarter. Monroe junior Whitney Disch knocked down a jumper with about 2 minutes left in the period. The Cardinals led by as many as 42 points in the second half. The Cheesemakers shot 24 percent in the second half (6-for-25) and finished at 23.6 percent (9-for-38).
Mathiason said the Cheesemakers tried playing a zone, but that proved not to be successful.
"They started to get some offensive rebounds and they got on a roll," Mathiason said. "We just had a hard time trying to shut them down."
Disch scored all nine of her points in the second half. Mathiason said whoever steps up to score, the Cheesemakers will take it.
"Whitney was the beneficiary of some passes down low and she got some good touches inside," Mathiason said. "She took advantage of her opportunities. Hopefully, we can continue that growth and get that confidence."
Moe scored 11 points and Douglas added eight. Pickett said it's nice to have another outside shooter like Moe who can help spread the floor.
"She gets to prepare every day in practice with seniors Taylor Douglas and Amanda Pickel," Pickett said. "She learns a lot from them. She does a good job of shooting the ball. She has to get a little bit better defensively."
Mohns, a junior, scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to power the Cardinals to a 62-24 win over Monroe Saturday.
"I think there is always room for improvement," Mohns said. "We are not at our best. We have to work hard in practice each day to get better."
Mohns scored all nine of her team's points in the first quarter. Monroe junior Kayla Updike drilled a 3-pointer to help the Cheesemakers cut the Cardinals' lead to 9-5. The Cardinals broke the game open with a 13-0 run in the second quarter.
"We came out a little slow," Mohns said. "When we came out, coach told us to pick it up. We listened top him and picked it up. We started attacking the basket more and started doing our thing. We came out and I think we did a good job of playing Brodhead basketball. Coming into the tournament, it's important to be playing good."
Brodhead senior Taylor Douglas scored on a layup and Mohns scored down low with about 5 minutes left in the second quarter to spark the Cardinals (20-1, 14-1 Rock Valley). Brodhead freshman Kylie Moe knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Cardinals a 21-6 lead with 4:40 to go in the period. Mohns scored on a layup and Moe hit a 3-pointer before the buzzer to give the Cardinals an insurmountable 33-10 lead at the half.
Monroe (1-20, 0-11 Badger South) was short-handed playing without three injured starters including juniors Taylor Barrett, Vanessa Studer and senior Heather Barta.
"They (Brodhead) are so deep and have a lot of different players who can score," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "You can't just take away one thing. They do a good job of driving and kicking."
Defending Mohns proved to be a challenge.
"What makes her tough is she has the ability to put it on the drive," Mathiason said. "She does a good job off the dribble and does a good job of finishing."
Brodhead coach Brad Pickett wasn't looking past the Cheesemakers.
"The thing with Monroe is that they play in the Badger," Pickett said. "They are tested every night. We knew coming in that they would do a good job defensively. If you play Monroe you know you will get tested. The score may not show that. They do a good job defensively and that is why we put them on the schedule."
The Cardinals continued to roll in the second half. The Cheesemakers went through a 6-minute scoring drought in the third quarter. Monroe junior Whitney Disch knocked down a jumper with about 2 minutes left in the period. The Cardinals led by as many as 42 points in the second half. The Cheesemakers shot 24 percent in the second half (6-for-25) and finished at 23.6 percent (9-for-38).
Mathiason said the Cheesemakers tried playing a zone, but that proved not to be successful.
"They started to get some offensive rebounds and they got on a roll," Mathiason said. "We just had a hard time trying to shut them down."
Disch scored all nine of her points in the second half. Mathiason said whoever steps up to score, the Cheesemakers will take it.
"Whitney was the beneficiary of some passes down low and she got some good touches inside," Mathiason said. "She took advantage of her opportunities. Hopefully, we can continue that growth and get that confidence."
Moe scored 11 points and Douglas added eight. Pickett said it's nice to have another outside shooter like Moe who can help spread the floor.
"She gets to prepare every day in practice with seniors Taylor Douglas and Amanda Pickel," Pickett said. "She learns a lot from them. She does a good job of shooting the ball. She has to get a little bit better defensively."
