MADISON - If anyone doubted the Monroe girls basketball team's ability to finish close games, the Cheesemakers answered Monday with a thunderous exclamation when junior Ashley Hermanson drilled a buzzer-beating jumper for a thrilling 49-47 win over D.C. Everest at the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Holiday Classic.
"I was looking right down the sideline and as soon as she released it, I knew it was good," Monroe coach Kevin Keen said after the Cheesemakers' bench stormed the court to congratulate Hermanson.
Hermanson's game-winning jumper at the University of Wisconsin's Field House on Monday kept the Cheesemakers' unbeaten season alive.
"I thought we had to get another basket or we'd go into overtime," Hermanson said. "Everyone told me we didn't want to go to overtime. We just got it done."
With Hermanson's last-second heroics, Monroe (8-0, 6-0 Badger South), ranked No. 1 in the Division 2 WisSports.net Coaches poll, improved to 4-0 in WBCA Classics. Hermanson led the Cheesemakers with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds).
D.C. Everest senior Sam Barber, a Winona State basketball recruit, made a game-tying basket down low with 5.3 seconds left to knot the score at 47-47.
The Cheesemakers had to go the full length of the court with 4.4 seconds left. The defending WIAA Division 2 champions didn't panic. After the inbounds pass, sophomore Kyleigh Sellnow made a heady pass in transition to Hermanson for the game-winner.
Hermanson said the original play was for Sellnow to catch a touchdown pass for a layup. With the Evergreens' defense opting not to front Sellnow on the inbounds play like they did before, the Cheesemakers improvised.
Keen said a lot of times, he doesn't take a timeout in the closing seconds because that only allows the defense time to set up.
"It wasn't there," he said about a long pass to Sellnow. "Kyleigh had the presence to get it down to Ashley."
Hermanson said the Cheesemakers are very good when playing in tight games.
"People don't get in our heads," Hermanson said. "We don't get too excited or down. We just stay level."
The Cheesemakers went on a 7-2 spurt at the end of the first quarter that was highlighted by junior Gwen Sutter's 3-pointer and a layup by junior Morgan Kennison.
The Cheesemakers went on an 11-6 second-quarter run that was fueled by 3-pointers from Sellnow, Sutter and junior Chelsea Brice to take a 25-17 lead. Sutter finished with nine points and Sellnow added five.
Monroe's 6-foot, 2-inch junior Jamie Armstrong picked up her third foul with 4:11 left in the second quarter. Despite the first-half foul trouble, Armstrong finished with eight points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The Evergreens tied the score at 29-29 on a layup by Jessica Bernett with 3:45 left in the third quarter. Monroe answered with five straight points, including a Hermanson jumper and a Sutter 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a 34-29 lead.
Every time it looked like the Cheesemakers would break away, the Evergreens responded. D.C. Everest junior Kaile Sepnafski drilled a 3-pointer to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 34-32 with about two minutes to go in the third quarter.
"It was definitely a good test for us," Keen said. "We stayed strong and focused and pulled it out."
Monroe senior Emily Rufenacht scored four points, but her aggressive pressuring defense led to a critical Evergreens' five-second call late in the game. The Cheesemakers made only 4-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter, but Rufenacht stepped up and made two clutch foul shots to give the Cheesemakers a 45-41 lead with 3:33 left.
The Cheesemakers missed two one-and-ones from the foul line in the final 27.4 seconds, which left the door open for the Evergreens.
D.C. Everest, a Division 1 team, was the co-champion in the Wisconsin Valley Conference last year with Marshfield.
Armstrong said it was good to win a close game.
"We needed that to keep everyone together," she said. "It's good to know we can play someone bigger than us, stick with them and pull out the win."
"I was looking right down the sideline and as soon as she released it, I knew it was good," Monroe coach Kevin Keen said after the Cheesemakers' bench stormed the court to congratulate Hermanson.
Hermanson's game-winning jumper at the University of Wisconsin's Field House on Monday kept the Cheesemakers' unbeaten season alive.
"I thought we had to get another basket or we'd go into overtime," Hermanson said. "Everyone told me we didn't want to go to overtime. We just got it done."
With Hermanson's last-second heroics, Monroe (8-0, 6-0 Badger South), ranked No. 1 in the Division 2 WisSports.net Coaches poll, improved to 4-0 in WBCA Classics. Hermanson led the Cheesemakers with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds).
D.C. Everest senior Sam Barber, a Winona State basketball recruit, made a game-tying basket down low with 5.3 seconds left to knot the score at 47-47.
The Cheesemakers had to go the full length of the court with 4.4 seconds left. The defending WIAA Division 2 champions didn't panic. After the inbounds pass, sophomore Kyleigh Sellnow made a heady pass in transition to Hermanson for the game-winner.
Hermanson said the original play was for Sellnow to catch a touchdown pass for a layup. With the Evergreens' defense opting not to front Sellnow on the inbounds play like they did before, the Cheesemakers improvised.
Keen said a lot of times, he doesn't take a timeout in the closing seconds because that only allows the defense time to set up.
"It wasn't there," he said about a long pass to Sellnow. "Kyleigh had the presence to get it down to Ashley."
Hermanson said the Cheesemakers are very good when playing in tight games.
"People don't get in our heads," Hermanson said. "We don't get too excited or down. We just stay level."
The Cheesemakers went on a 7-2 spurt at the end of the first quarter that was highlighted by junior Gwen Sutter's 3-pointer and a layup by junior Morgan Kennison.
The Cheesemakers went on an 11-6 second-quarter run that was fueled by 3-pointers from Sellnow, Sutter and junior Chelsea Brice to take a 25-17 lead. Sutter finished with nine points and Sellnow added five.
Monroe's 6-foot, 2-inch junior Jamie Armstrong picked up her third foul with 4:11 left in the second quarter. Despite the first-half foul trouble, Armstrong finished with eight points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The Evergreens tied the score at 29-29 on a layup by Jessica Bernett with 3:45 left in the third quarter. Monroe answered with five straight points, including a Hermanson jumper and a Sutter 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a 34-29 lead.
Every time it looked like the Cheesemakers would break away, the Evergreens responded. D.C. Everest junior Kaile Sepnafski drilled a 3-pointer to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 34-32 with about two minutes to go in the third quarter.
"It was definitely a good test for us," Keen said. "We stayed strong and focused and pulled it out."
Monroe senior Emily Rufenacht scored four points, but her aggressive pressuring defense led to a critical Evergreens' five-second call late in the game. The Cheesemakers made only 4-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter, but Rufenacht stepped up and made two clutch foul shots to give the Cheesemakers a 45-41 lead with 3:33 left.
The Cheesemakers missed two one-and-ones from the foul line in the final 27.4 seconds, which left the door open for the Evergreens.
D.C. Everest, a Division 1 team, was the co-champion in the Wisconsin Valley Conference last year with Marshfield.
Armstrong said it was good to win a close game.
"We needed that to keep everyone together," she said. "It's good to know we can play someone bigger than us, stick with them and pull out the win."
