MONROE - With a big crowd, Monroe senior Kylan Helmeid and the Monroe boys basketball team used the urgency of Parents Night to roll past Darlington 48-33 Friday in a non-conference game.
Helmeid scored a game-high 18 points and senior Charlie Kind added 12 points to propel the Cheesemkers to the win.
"You have to be pumped up for Parents Night," Helmeid said. "You never know how long it will last or when it will be over. We took it at them and got it done."
Monroe (4-5, 1-2 Badger South) jumped out to a 9-0 lead after layups by Helmeid and Kind sparked the surge. Helmeid then drilled a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a nine point lead with 5 minutes, 25 seconds left in the first quarter. Darlington junior Cole McDonald knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:06 to go in the first quarter to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 11-5. Darlington senior Cade Hardyman, who scored a team-high 12 points, converted a conventional three-point play to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 13-8. That is as close as the Redbirds (4-2, 2-0 SWAL) would get.
The Cheesemakers answered with a 13-2 run to close the second quarter to seize control of the game. Helmeid hit a 3-pointer with 1:53 to go in the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 20-8 lead. Monroe senior Alex Hendrickson, who scored nine points and had seven rebounds, scored down low and Kind hit a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 16-point lead. Monroe freshman Alex Tordoff knocked down a jumper at the end of the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 26-10 lead at the half they wouldn't relinquish.
"I think we have kids from both schools who know each other and are competitive," Monroe coach Pat Murphy said. "We knew they were not just going to roll over."
Darlington coach Mike Hopkins gave credit to the Cheesemakers for clamping down on defense.
"It's hard to duplicate the type of pressure Monroe can play with on defense," Hopkins said. "Defensively, other than giving up some easy baskets early on, if you would have told me we would hold Monroe to 48 points, I would take it. We just need to take care of the basketball. Our execution on offense is not where we need it to be. You can't score just 33 points and expect to win a game against a team the quality of Monroe."
Hendrickson was excited to get the win after rebounding from the loss to Beaver Dam.
"It's a great way to kick off 2014," Hendrickson said. "We always want to get out to a good start. We played about 2 1/2 quarters. We still haven't played four good quarters in a game yet. That is what we want."
The second half started like the first half ended. Helmeid converted a conventional three-point play to start the third quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 29-10 lead.
The Cheesemakers drew two charges and the Redbirds drew one charge. There were six offensive fouls in the game.
"I hope Darlington doesn't think we were playing dirty," Murphy said. "I know they weren't playing dirty either. That is part of the game. I think we played pretty gritty on defense. We didn't give up many easy shots."
The Cheesemakers had 11 of their 14 turnovers in the second half. Hardyman drilled a 3-pointer about midway through the third quarter to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 29-17. The Cheesemakers answered each time.
"We have to continue to find ways to make offense easy," Murphy said. "We need to get into transition. We will have a hard time scoring and go through droughts if we turn the ball over. It's basketball 101."
McDonald made 8 of 10 free throws in the second half and finished with 11 points. Darlington junior Ben Muhlstein, who entered the game averaging 12 points per game, was limited to just four points.
"It was difficult with the pressure on the perimeter to get the ball into him (Muhlstein)," Hopkins said.
Hopkins isn't concerned about his team rebounding from the loss to the Cheesemakers. However, developing some rhythm on offense will be the focus.
"This is the fifth straight game we have shot in the 30 percents," he said. "They have played enough basketball. Defensively, we are there. Offensively, is where our concern is."
Murphy lauded the Monroe student section for their support.
"I think our student section if it's not the best is one of the top two or three we have ever had," Murphy said. "It's nice they come out and support their classmates. We just want to give them something to cheer about."
Monroe now gears up for a conference showdown with Madison Edgewood at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Madison Edgewood.
"They (Edgewood) like some teams in our conference are trying to figure out what kind of team they want to be," Murphy said. "We are trying to figure out how to get better. Our goal is to get back to .500."
Helmeid scored a game-high 18 points and senior Charlie Kind added 12 points to propel the Cheesemkers to the win.
"You have to be pumped up for Parents Night," Helmeid said. "You never know how long it will last or when it will be over. We took it at them and got it done."
Monroe (4-5, 1-2 Badger South) jumped out to a 9-0 lead after layups by Helmeid and Kind sparked the surge. Helmeid then drilled a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a nine point lead with 5 minutes, 25 seconds left in the first quarter. Darlington junior Cole McDonald knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:06 to go in the first quarter to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 11-5. Darlington senior Cade Hardyman, who scored a team-high 12 points, converted a conventional three-point play to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 13-8. That is as close as the Redbirds (4-2, 2-0 SWAL) would get.
The Cheesemakers answered with a 13-2 run to close the second quarter to seize control of the game. Helmeid hit a 3-pointer with 1:53 to go in the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 20-8 lead. Monroe senior Alex Hendrickson, who scored nine points and had seven rebounds, scored down low and Kind hit a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 16-point lead. Monroe freshman Alex Tordoff knocked down a jumper at the end of the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 26-10 lead at the half they wouldn't relinquish.
"I think we have kids from both schools who know each other and are competitive," Monroe coach Pat Murphy said. "We knew they were not just going to roll over."
Darlington coach Mike Hopkins gave credit to the Cheesemakers for clamping down on defense.
"It's hard to duplicate the type of pressure Monroe can play with on defense," Hopkins said. "Defensively, other than giving up some easy baskets early on, if you would have told me we would hold Monroe to 48 points, I would take it. We just need to take care of the basketball. Our execution on offense is not where we need it to be. You can't score just 33 points and expect to win a game against a team the quality of Monroe."
Hendrickson was excited to get the win after rebounding from the loss to Beaver Dam.
"It's a great way to kick off 2014," Hendrickson said. "We always want to get out to a good start. We played about 2 1/2 quarters. We still haven't played four good quarters in a game yet. That is what we want."
The second half started like the first half ended. Helmeid converted a conventional three-point play to start the third quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 29-10 lead.
The Cheesemakers drew two charges and the Redbirds drew one charge. There were six offensive fouls in the game.
"I hope Darlington doesn't think we were playing dirty," Murphy said. "I know they weren't playing dirty either. That is part of the game. I think we played pretty gritty on defense. We didn't give up many easy shots."
The Cheesemakers had 11 of their 14 turnovers in the second half. Hardyman drilled a 3-pointer about midway through the third quarter to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 29-17. The Cheesemakers answered each time.
"We have to continue to find ways to make offense easy," Murphy said. "We need to get into transition. We will have a hard time scoring and go through droughts if we turn the ball over. It's basketball 101."
McDonald made 8 of 10 free throws in the second half and finished with 11 points. Darlington junior Ben Muhlstein, who entered the game averaging 12 points per game, was limited to just four points.
"It was difficult with the pressure on the perimeter to get the ball into him (Muhlstein)," Hopkins said.
Hopkins isn't concerned about his team rebounding from the loss to the Cheesemakers. However, developing some rhythm on offense will be the focus.
"This is the fifth straight game we have shot in the 30 percents," he said. "They have played enough basketball. Defensively, we are there. Offensively, is where our concern is."
Murphy lauded the Monroe student section for their support.
"I think our student section if it's not the best is one of the top two or three we have ever had," Murphy said. "It's nice they come out and support their classmates. We just want to give them something to cheer about."
Monroe now gears up for a conference showdown with Madison Edgewood at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Madison Edgewood.
"They (Edgewood) like some teams in our conference are trying to figure out what kind of team they want to be," Murphy said. "We are trying to figure out how to get better. Our goal is to get back to .500."
