MONROE - Trailing Oregon by 12 with 1:10 left in regulation, the Monroe boys basketball team made a furious comeback Saturday to push the game into overtime. The Cheesemakers came up short in the extra period, however, and lost, 57-46.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, as Monroe took just a 16-14 lead into the locker room. Oregon's offense came alive in the third, and the Panthers outscored Monroe 21-12 in the quarter to seize control of the game. Oregon's lead expanded in the fourth before Monroe went on its run, which culminated in a 3-pointer by senior Alex Barenklau with 8 seconds remaining to tie the game at 44.
"I liked how we battled back to send it to overtime," said Monroe coach Pat Murphy. "Give them credit, they came into our gym and did enough to get the win."
Murphy said Oregon didn't change anything at halftime - it was just a matter of the Panthers making shots and executing.
"They just made shots," he said. "We had them scouted well. We knew what they were gonna do, they just made more plays than we did. We wanted to start on defense and get a stop, and then come down and get a score. Oregon scored on that first possession and they strung together some positive possessions. That's something we talk about at practice, stringing together good possessions."
The biggest key for Oregon was their rebounding advantage over Monroe, especially on the offensive end.
"I thought the key to the game was that they got more offensive rebounds than we did. It felt like the few times they missed shots they got second and third chances. They were bigger than we expected, but we'll see bigger teams than them. We need to find a way to box out those teams. We want to be a little scrappier."
Monroe had two players score in double figures. Barenklau led the team with 12 points, while junior Charlie Kind added 10. Oregon was led by Daniel Schwartz, who had 16 points. Two other Panthers scored in double digits.
Murphy said Monroe needs some more players to step up in the scoring department.
"On offense, we need to get more guys in double digits," he said. "They had three guys in double digits and we only had two. We need to find a way to get more scoring out of some other guys. "
The clash with Oregon was Monroe's first Badger South conference game of the year.
"You don't want to lose your first conference game, especially at home," said Murphy. "Now we'll have to pick one up somewhere else."
The loss was Monroe's first of the year. The Cheesemakers (4-1) head to Darlington on Tuesday for a non-conference battle with the Redbirds.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, as Monroe took just a 16-14 lead into the locker room. Oregon's offense came alive in the third, and the Panthers outscored Monroe 21-12 in the quarter to seize control of the game. Oregon's lead expanded in the fourth before Monroe went on its run, which culminated in a 3-pointer by senior Alex Barenklau with 8 seconds remaining to tie the game at 44.
"I liked how we battled back to send it to overtime," said Monroe coach Pat Murphy. "Give them credit, they came into our gym and did enough to get the win."
Murphy said Oregon didn't change anything at halftime - it was just a matter of the Panthers making shots and executing.
"They just made shots," he said. "We had them scouted well. We knew what they were gonna do, they just made more plays than we did. We wanted to start on defense and get a stop, and then come down and get a score. Oregon scored on that first possession and they strung together some positive possessions. That's something we talk about at practice, stringing together good possessions."
The biggest key for Oregon was their rebounding advantage over Monroe, especially on the offensive end.
"I thought the key to the game was that they got more offensive rebounds than we did. It felt like the few times they missed shots they got second and third chances. They were bigger than we expected, but we'll see bigger teams than them. We need to find a way to box out those teams. We want to be a little scrappier."
Monroe had two players score in double figures. Barenklau led the team with 12 points, while junior Charlie Kind added 10. Oregon was led by Daniel Schwartz, who had 16 points. Two other Panthers scored in double digits.
Murphy said Monroe needs some more players to step up in the scoring department.
"On offense, we need to get more guys in double digits," he said. "They had three guys in double digits and we only had two. We need to find a way to get more scoring out of some other guys. "
The clash with Oregon was Monroe's first Badger South conference game of the year.
"You don't want to lose your first conference game, especially at home," said Murphy. "Now we'll have to pick one up somewhere else."
The loss was Monroe's first of the year. The Cheesemakers (4-1) head to Darlington on Tuesday for a non-conference battle with the Redbirds.
