MONROE - It may be early in the basketball season, but Monroe senior Taylor Barrett is excited the Cheesemakers are finding a way to win.
The winning formula in the Cheesemakers' 37-33 nail-biting win over Milton Friday included stingy defense and key free throw shooting down the stretch.
"It's a big deal to win our first conference game," Barrett said. "I can't remember in the last four years when the last time is we have done that. It's a really big one to get. We are in the top half of the conference and tied for first place."
Monroe (2-1, 1-0 Badger South) has won as many games this year as they did last year where the Cheesemakers went through an injury marred season and finished 2-22. The Cheesemakers led by as many as 13 points and had to overcome the Red Hawks' 12-2 run that spanned from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth.
"We don't talk about last year," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "You talk about having to make plays and we did that. We hit free throws down the stretch when we needed to."
Monroe sophomore Maddie Kallgren scored on a layup with 5 minutes, 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 29-26 lead. Monroe junior Alacia Keegan banked in a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 31-26 lead with 5:06 to go. The Red Hawks (0-3) wouldn't go away.
Milton senior Sydney Harms, who scored a game-high 12 points, scored down low about midway through the fourth quarter to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 31-30. That is as close as the Red Hawks would get. Monroe senior Kirsten Vetterli answered scoring down low to give the Cheesemakers a 33-30 lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Cheesemakers made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 27 seconds to seal the win.
The Cheesemakers had a balanced scoring attack. Kallgren scored a team-high eight points. Senior Whitney Disch had six points and five rebounds. Barrett and Vetterli also both added six points. After a 9-1 spurt in the third quarter highlighted by Kallgren's layup and a putback by Barrett the Cheesemakers led 25-12. The Red Hawks switched to a press late in the third quarter and that sparked their 12-0 run. The Cheesemakers weathered the storm.
"We just had to stay focused and play good D," Kallgren said. "You just have to stay positive and know if you play together as a team we will be able to pull through it."
The Red Hawks committed 22 turnovers and the Cheesemakers limited them to 37.5 percent shooting (12 of 32). Harms, who entered the game averaging 25.6 points per game, was limited to just 12.
"Kirsten, Whitney and Alacia did a very good job on defense against Harms," Barrett said. "We watched film on her. Kirsten played great defense and shut her down. That is what we were hoping to do."
There was no secret who the Red Hawks' go-to scorer was going to be Friday.
"We knew coming in that is where they (Milton) would go," Mathiason said of Harms. "You knew they would try to find different ways to get her the ball."
Monroe will have a week of practices before a conference game at Oregon Saturday, Dec. 14.
"We have to keep working to improve and get better," Mathiason said. "Early in the year there are so many things you want to get in. This next week we have to continue to work on getting to where we need to be to do things."
The winning formula in the Cheesemakers' 37-33 nail-biting win over Milton Friday included stingy defense and key free throw shooting down the stretch.
"It's a big deal to win our first conference game," Barrett said. "I can't remember in the last four years when the last time is we have done that. It's a really big one to get. We are in the top half of the conference and tied for first place."
Monroe (2-1, 1-0 Badger South) has won as many games this year as they did last year where the Cheesemakers went through an injury marred season and finished 2-22. The Cheesemakers led by as many as 13 points and had to overcome the Red Hawks' 12-2 run that spanned from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth.
"We don't talk about last year," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "You talk about having to make plays and we did that. We hit free throws down the stretch when we needed to."
Monroe sophomore Maddie Kallgren scored on a layup with 5 minutes, 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 29-26 lead. Monroe junior Alacia Keegan banked in a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 31-26 lead with 5:06 to go. The Red Hawks (0-3) wouldn't go away.
Milton senior Sydney Harms, who scored a game-high 12 points, scored down low about midway through the fourth quarter to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 31-30. That is as close as the Red Hawks would get. Monroe senior Kirsten Vetterli answered scoring down low to give the Cheesemakers a 33-30 lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Cheesemakers made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 27 seconds to seal the win.
The Cheesemakers had a balanced scoring attack. Kallgren scored a team-high eight points. Senior Whitney Disch had six points and five rebounds. Barrett and Vetterli also both added six points. After a 9-1 spurt in the third quarter highlighted by Kallgren's layup and a putback by Barrett the Cheesemakers led 25-12. The Red Hawks switched to a press late in the third quarter and that sparked their 12-0 run. The Cheesemakers weathered the storm.
"We just had to stay focused and play good D," Kallgren said. "You just have to stay positive and know if you play together as a team we will be able to pull through it."
The Red Hawks committed 22 turnovers and the Cheesemakers limited them to 37.5 percent shooting (12 of 32). Harms, who entered the game averaging 25.6 points per game, was limited to just 12.
"Kirsten, Whitney and Alacia did a very good job on defense against Harms," Barrett said. "We watched film on her. Kirsten played great defense and shut her down. That is what we were hoping to do."
There was no secret who the Red Hawks' go-to scorer was going to be Friday.
"We knew coming in that is where they (Milton) would go," Mathiason said of Harms. "You knew they would try to find different ways to get her the ball."
Monroe will have a week of practices before a conference game at Oregon Saturday, Dec. 14.
"We have to keep working to improve and get better," Mathiason said. "Early in the year there are so many things you want to get in. This next week we have to continue to work on getting to where we need to be to do things."
