MONROE - Senior Charlie Kind and the Monroe boys basketball learned how gut-wrenching a possession in the final seconds can become.
With 9.8 seconds to go and Sauk Prairie clinging to a one-point lead, senior Bailey Breunig missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw. Breunig grabbed an offensive rebound and the Cheesemakers were forced to foul sophomore Seth Kostroski who sank two free throws with 4.8 seconds to go to give the Eagles a three-point lead. Monroe junior Kevin Noriega's desperation fade away 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark and the Eagles handed the Cheesemakers a nail-biting 48-45 loss Tuesday.
"Defensively, we have to box out and get the rebound," Kind said. "If we get that rebound we probably have more time to set up a play, but it would have still been a tough shot. We have to play good defense and rebound and we can still be a good team."
Sauk Prairie sophomore Brandon Spray scored on a layup with 1 minute, 14 seconds left to give the Eagles a 42-38 lead. Monroe senior Kylan Helmeid, who scored a game-high 17 points drilled a clutch 3-pointer with 34.2 seconds to go to slice the Eagles' lead to 44-43. Kind, who had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, scored on a putback with 10.6 seconds to go, to cut the Eagles' lead again to one point. That set the stages for the offensive rebound by Breunig.
"I was like, all right, we are down by one it's going to be a dogfight,'" Helmeid said. "We just have to box out. That has been our problem all year."
Kostroski, who scored 12 points, made 6 of 6 free throws in the final 42.5 seconds to seal the win. With the loss, Monroe drops to 8-12, 3-7 Badger South.
"It's a possible tournament-type atmosphere," Monroe coach Pat Murphy said. "If you are not dialed in on every play and possession you are going to get beat. Every possession matters."
Early on, it was a seesaw affair that looked like it would go down to the wire. Sauk Prairie senior Simon Breunig scored 12 points on four 3-pointers. He helped the Eagles take a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Murphy questioned the wide open 3-pointer Breunig was able to get off a missed free throw.
"At this level, if you fall asleep and don't communicate who you are guarding they will probably score," Murphy said. "We like to say, 'It's not my man. It's our man.'"
Murphy said the Cheesemakers played better on defense, but losing shooters at critical times is something he is looking to shore up before a Senior Day game against Oregon at 2:45 p.m. Saturday in Monroe.
"We are not in it for moral victories," Murphy said. "The guys did do a good job of getting it into the paint and working inside-out. I just wish they were rewarded more."
Monroe junior Jake Flannery banked in a shot with 5:43 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 13. Senior Alex Hendrickson scored on a layup with 52 seconds left to give the Cheesemakers a short-lived 19-18 lead.
Kind scored all 12 of his points in the second half to give the Cheesemakers a spark. Hendrickson added seven points. The Cheesemakers featured Helmeid in the post a lot against the Eagles.
"We wanted to post Kylan up because we knew he had a small point guard on him," Kind said. "Kylan was able to make some plays down low."
The Eagles made eight 3-pointers as a team led by Breunig with four.
"I just told them the kid can shoot the ball," Helmeid said of Breunig. "I didn't expect him to shoot that well. He was just unconscious tonight."
With 9.8 seconds to go and Sauk Prairie clinging to a one-point lead, senior Bailey Breunig missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw. Breunig grabbed an offensive rebound and the Cheesemakers were forced to foul sophomore Seth Kostroski who sank two free throws with 4.8 seconds to go to give the Eagles a three-point lead. Monroe junior Kevin Noriega's desperation fade away 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark and the Eagles handed the Cheesemakers a nail-biting 48-45 loss Tuesday.
"Defensively, we have to box out and get the rebound," Kind said. "If we get that rebound we probably have more time to set up a play, but it would have still been a tough shot. We have to play good defense and rebound and we can still be a good team."
Sauk Prairie sophomore Brandon Spray scored on a layup with 1 minute, 14 seconds left to give the Eagles a 42-38 lead. Monroe senior Kylan Helmeid, who scored a game-high 17 points drilled a clutch 3-pointer with 34.2 seconds to go to slice the Eagles' lead to 44-43. Kind, who had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, scored on a putback with 10.6 seconds to go, to cut the Eagles' lead again to one point. That set the stages for the offensive rebound by Breunig.
"I was like, all right, we are down by one it's going to be a dogfight,'" Helmeid said. "We just have to box out. That has been our problem all year."
Kostroski, who scored 12 points, made 6 of 6 free throws in the final 42.5 seconds to seal the win. With the loss, Monroe drops to 8-12, 3-7 Badger South.
"It's a possible tournament-type atmosphere," Monroe coach Pat Murphy said. "If you are not dialed in on every play and possession you are going to get beat. Every possession matters."
Early on, it was a seesaw affair that looked like it would go down to the wire. Sauk Prairie senior Simon Breunig scored 12 points on four 3-pointers. He helped the Eagles take a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Murphy questioned the wide open 3-pointer Breunig was able to get off a missed free throw.
"At this level, if you fall asleep and don't communicate who you are guarding they will probably score," Murphy said. "We like to say, 'It's not my man. It's our man.'"
Murphy said the Cheesemakers played better on defense, but losing shooters at critical times is something he is looking to shore up before a Senior Day game against Oregon at 2:45 p.m. Saturday in Monroe.
"We are not in it for moral victories," Murphy said. "The guys did do a good job of getting it into the paint and working inside-out. I just wish they were rewarded more."
Monroe junior Jake Flannery banked in a shot with 5:43 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 13. Senior Alex Hendrickson scored on a layup with 52 seconds left to give the Cheesemakers a short-lived 19-18 lead.
Kind scored all 12 of his points in the second half to give the Cheesemakers a spark. Hendrickson added seven points. The Cheesemakers featured Helmeid in the post a lot against the Eagles.
"We wanted to post Kylan up because we knew he had a small point guard on him," Kind said. "Kylan was able to make some plays down low."
The Eagles made eight 3-pointers as a team led by Breunig with four.
"I just told them the kid can shoot the ball," Helmeid said of Breunig. "I didn't expect him to shoot that well. He was just unconscious tonight."
