MONROE - On a night when sharpshooter Bryan Tordoff struggled with his shot, the Cheesemakers were picked up by another senior, Damian Penniston.
"The biggest thing with (Penniston) and everyone else is just being ready to make a play," head coach Pat Murphy said after Monroe's 49-32 win over Stoughton Saturday in the Cheesemakers' home opener. "I felt like (against Monona Grove Nov. 30) a lot of guys weren't ready to take a shot that was available to them. But hopefully as the year goes on our other guys try to earn respect and I thought Damian took a step in the right direction."
Penniston scored a game-high 17 points for the Cheesemakers, including buzzer-beating 3-pointers at the end of the first and third quarters.
"After MG (Monona Grove), Murph was pretty concerned that I didn't try hard enough," Penniston said. "All week I worked on my offensive shot. I wanted to come out today and prove that I can play. I'm a captain. I have to lead the team and turn it around."
Monroe started hot, climbing out to a 6-0 lead that included a 3 by Tordoff, who shot 0-for-7 the rest of the half and just 3 of 10 from the field in the game. Tordoff, usually a sure-fire free throw shooter, was 0-for-2 at the line.
"It was disappointing seeing him struggle, but I knew I had to step up," Penniston said.
Stoughton (0-3, 0-2 Badger South) climbed back to tie the score at 8-8 in the first quarter but Penniston hit a pump-fake shot in the lane and the 3 at the horn to make it 13-8 Monroe after one. Both teams combined for just four baskets in the second, with Monroe hitting three shots - a Penniston jumper and two Alex Barenklau buckets.
"We told them at halftime to keep playing defense. If you keep a team in our league to 30 points, you're obviously doing something right," Murphy said. "I thought other than us bailing them out on a couple of cheap fouls, they didn't get a lot of stuff in the paint. A lot of shots were contested.
"We calmed down in the second half and I think Michael (Barrett) and Bryan made some better basketball decisions and got other guys some shots. That carried over and that's what it's going to take."
In the third, Penniston and Barrett opened the game wide open. Barrett scored six of his nine points in the frame and Penniston dropped seven for the Cheesemakers (3-0, 2-0).
"It felt good. Everything was going in and I just had to keep it going," Penniston said. "But it can't stop here. I have to keep it going. We have plenty of games left and this is just the beginning of the season. It's going to be a tough year because every team is going to be good."
Monroe led 37-19 after three quarters and was able to play all 15 players on the roster in the fourth.
"(Stoughton) played a triangle-and-2 for a reason. They thought that if they shut down Barrett and Tordoff that we had no chance. Barrett and Tordoff were both not in double-figures and I don't know the last time that's ever happened," Murphy said. "We wanted to get other guys into the flow of the offense and not just stand around. We have to find a way to get guys shots and have them feel more comfortable doing it."
The Cheesemakers will get three days of practice this week before traveling to Milton (1-2, 0-1).
"The biggest thing with (Penniston) and everyone else is just being ready to make a play," head coach Pat Murphy said after Monroe's 49-32 win over Stoughton Saturday in the Cheesemakers' home opener. "I felt like (against Monona Grove Nov. 30) a lot of guys weren't ready to take a shot that was available to them. But hopefully as the year goes on our other guys try to earn respect and I thought Damian took a step in the right direction."
Penniston scored a game-high 17 points for the Cheesemakers, including buzzer-beating 3-pointers at the end of the first and third quarters.
"After MG (Monona Grove), Murph was pretty concerned that I didn't try hard enough," Penniston said. "All week I worked on my offensive shot. I wanted to come out today and prove that I can play. I'm a captain. I have to lead the team and turn it around."
Monroe started hot, climbing out to a 6-0 lead that included a 3 by Tordoff, who shot 0-for-7 the rest of the half and just 3 of 10 from the field in the game. Tordoff, usually a sure-fire free throw shooter, was 0-for-2 at the line.
"It was disappointing seeing him struggle, but I knew I had to step up," Penniston said.
Stoughton (0-3, 0-2 Badger South) climbed back to tie the score at 8-8 in the first quarter but Penniston hit a pump-fake shot in the lane and the 3 at the horn to make it 13-8 Monroe after one. Both teams combined for just four baskets in the second, with Monroe hitting three shots - a Penniston jumper and two Alex Barenklau buckets.
"We told them at halftime to keep playing defense. If you keep a team in our league to 30 points, you're obviously doing something right," Murphy said. "I thought other than us bailing them out on a couple of cheap fouls, they didn't get a lot of stuff in the paint. A lot of shots were contested.
"We calmed down in the second half and I think Michael (Barrett) and Bryan made some better basketball decisions and got other guys some shots. That carried over and that's what it's going to take."
In the third, Penniston and Barrett opened the game wide open. Barrett scored six of his nine points in the frame and Penniston dropped seven for the Cheesemakers (3-0, 2-0).
"It felt good. Everything was going in and I just had to keep it going," Penniston said. "But it can't stop here. I have to keep it going. We have plenty of games left and this is just the beginning of the season. It's going to be a tough year because every team is going to be good."
Monroe led 37-19 after three quarters and was able to play all 15 players on the roster in the fourth.
"(Stoughton) played a triangle-and-2 for a reason. They thought that if they shut down Barrett and Tordoff that we had no chance. Barrett and Tordoff were both not in double-figures and I don't know the last time that's ever happened," Murphy said. "We wanted to get other guys into the flow of the offense and not just stand around. We have to find a way to get guys shots and have them feel more comfortable doing it."
The Cheesemakers will get three days of practice this week before traveling to Milton (1-2, 0-1).
