MADISON - After a lot of penetration by Madison Edgewood senior Caitlin Link, a Southern Illinois recruit, Monroe coach Sam Mathiason switched to a 2-3 zone and the Cheesemakers went on a run that sparked a 69-45 win over the Crusaders Saturday.
With Monroe clinging to a 4-point lead about midway through the first half, the Cheesemakers switched to a 2-3 zone, which coincided with a 16-1 run to break the game open. Monroe (19-2, 13-0 Badger South), ranked No. 4 in the Division 2 Associated Press state poll, has one more regular season game left Thursday against Milton.
"It was a combination of fouls and they got on a little bit of a roll offensively, so I wanted to try something different," Mathiason said. "We switched to the zone, and that really worked for us."
Monroe juniors Emily Benzschawel and Sydney Hilliard each scored on layups to give the Cheesemakers a 30-18 lead with 3 minutes, 13 seconds left in the first half. Hilliard had a layup off an Edgewood turnover, and senior Rachel Meier had a layup with 25 seconds to go that gave the Cheesemakers a 36-18 lead at the break.
Hilliard scored a game-high 27 points and had five steals. Emily Benzschawel added 18 points and had seven rebounds. Freshman teammate Megan Benzschawel chipped in 12 points.
The Crusaders had 11 of their 13 turnovers in the first half. Link scored a team-high 24 points but was 3-for-10 shooting in the first half.
Monroe sophomore Grace Tostrud drilled a 3-pointer early in the second half to give the Cheesemakers a 42-20 lead. Moments later, Emily Benzschawel scored on a layup and knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 47-23. Monroe led by as many as 32 points in the second half.
"I'm happy with the tempo we played at," Mathiason said. "We have to keep working and improving to get better. It's all about trying to get a little bit better every game."
The passing and ball movement from the Cheesemakers against the Crusaders led to a lot of layups and open shots.
"Sydney Mathiason had a lot of great passes to teammates who got a lot of open shots," Mathiason said. "If we continue to make passes and share the ball, we will be hard to guard and it will be hard for other teams to know who to take away."
With Monroe clinging to a 4-point lead about midway through the first half, the Cheesemakers switched to a 2-3 zone, which coincided with a 16-1 run to break the game open. Monroe (19-2, 13-0 Badger South), ranked No. 4 in the Division 2 Associated Press state poll, has one more regular season game left Thursday against Milton.
"It was a combination of fouls and they got on a little bit of a roll offensively, so I wanted to try something different," Mathiason said. "We switched to the zone, and that really worked for us."
Monroe juniors Emily Benzschawel and Sydney Hilliard each scored on layups to give the Cheesemakers a 30-18 lead with 3 minutes, 13 seconds left in the first half. Hilliard had a layup off an Edgewood turnover, and senior Rachel Meier had a layup with 25 seconds to go that gave the Cheesemakers a 36-18 lead at the break.
Hilliard scored a game-high 27 points and had five steals. Emily Benzschawel added 18 points and had seven rebounds. Freshman teammate Megan Benzschawel chipped in 12 points.
The Crusaders had 11 of their 13 turnovers in the first half. Link scored a team-high 24 points but was 3-for-10 shooting in the first half.
Monroe sophomore Grace Tostrud drilled a 3-pointer early in the second half to give the Cheesemakers a 42-20 lead. Moments later, Emily Benzschawel scored on a layup and knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 47-23. Monroe led by as many as 32 points in the second half.
"I'm happy with the tempo we played at," Mathiason said. "We have to keep working and improving to get better. It's all about trying to get a little bit better every game."
The passing and ball movement from the Cheesemakers against the Crusaders led to a lot of layups and open shots.
"Sydney Mathiason had a lot of great passes to teammates who got a lot of open shots," Mathiason said. "If we continue to make passes and share the ball, we will be hard to guard and it will be hard for other teams to know who to take away."
