MILWAUKEE - Monroe entered the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Shootout at the Al McGuire Center looking to see how well they matched up against some of the best teams in the state.
In their first game of the weekend, a 54-43 loss to Waukesha Catholic Memorial, it's apparent to head coach Pat Murphy that his Cheesemakers have a lot of kinks to work out.
"One thing I told the guys after the game is that we just lacked some toughness," Murphy said. "And that goes to the coaches, too. We have to rebound better, box out harder. We have to pass and catch the ball cleaner. Break the press. It just some little things."
Monroe (3-2) jumped out quickly, hitting its first three 3-pointers in the first quarter and coasting to a 17-10 lead after the first eight minutes.
"I just think we started rushing things a little bit," senior guard Mitch McArdle said. "If a guy was open he would just shoot it and we got away from what we work on."
Catholic Memorial (5-2) started it's slow comeback, going on a 12-6 run in the second quarter. By the end of the first half, the Crusaders had cut their way into Monroe's lead. The Cheesemakers led just 27-25 at the break.
"We just weren't boxing our real hard and they were getting a lot of rebounds and second chance baskets. This is good a team. When they send that many bodies to the rim and you let up just one time, they will make you pay for it," Murphy said.
Murphy also said that the lack of a flow on offense frustrated his team. The ill effect from the poor shooting was then felt on the defensive side of the ball.
"We want our defense to dictate our offense, and not the other way around," Murphy said.
Catholic Memorial tied the game up just a minute into the third quarter, but senior Mitch Tordoff, who scored a team-high 13 points, countered right back. Then, things stopped going Monroe's way all together.
A few calls on the court didn't go in the Cheesemakers favor, and when McArdle was called for a reaching foul two minutes into the half, Murphy let the officials know the call wasn't consensual. For argument's sake, the men in stripes awarded Monroe's coach with a technical foul.
The swing in momentum benefited Catholic Memorial greatly. The Crusaders went on an 8-0 run in under a minute to take a 34-29 lead. By the end of the quarter, Monroe trailed 38-33.
"We just couldn't get up, and that's what a good team does. We never got that one big rebound or that one big shot to kind of turn us around. We've had our share of runs this year where we get on a roll," Murphy said.
"Maybe we on the bench were trying to get too many calls in our favor and the guys on the floor lost a lot of their energy. But we all got frustrated, and we have to bounce back from that."
In the fourth quarter, Monroe struck first. Junior guard Michael Barrett (seven points) was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer and made two of his three free throws to cut the lead to 38-35.
Monroe stayed around the 3-point mark until midway through the fourth. The Cheesemakers went nearly four minutes without a basket, and Catholic Memorial extended their lead to 48-39 with just 1:40 left to play.
Down the stretch, the Crusaders hit nearly all their free throws. Catholic Memorial was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line in fourth quarter, and 11-for-12 in the half. T.J. Bray led the game with 17 points for the Crusaders.
"They really shot their free throws well. They ran their stuff better than we ran our stuff. It's pretty simple," Murphy said. "They just out scrapped us and they were just a little tougher than we were.
"We came in here looking to make ourselves better, and that's what we have to do."
Monroe shot just 32 percent from the field and finished 8-of-13 from the free throw line. Brian Tordoff was second on the team in scoring, with nine points.
McArdle was a little disappointed after the loss.
"But we should have beat them, there's no doubt about that. We just didn't show that today. But they are in our sectional, so we have to get practicing to get better in case we play them again." he said.
Monroe faces a very athletic Menomonee Falls (1-5) today at 10:30 a.m.
In their first game of the weekend, a 54-43 loss to Waukesha Catholic Memorial, it's apparent to head coach Pat Murphy that his Cheesemakers have a lot of kinks to work out.
"One thing I told the guys after the game is that we just lacked some toughness," Murphy said. "And that goes to the coaches, too. We have to rebound better, box out harder. We have to pass and catch the ball cleaner. Break the press. It just some little things."
Monroe (3-2) jumped out quickly, hitting its first three 3-pointers in the first quarter and coasting to a 17-10 lead after the first eight minutes.
"I just think we started rushing things a little bit," senior guard Mitch McArdle said. "If a guy was open he would just shoot it and we got away from what we work on."
Catholic Memorial (5-2) started it's slow comeback, going on a 12-6 run in the second quarter. By the end of the first half, the Crusaders had cut their way into Monroe's lead. The Cheesemakers led just 27-25 at the break.
"We just weren't boxing our real hard and they were getting a lot of rebounds and second chance baskets. This is good a team. When they send that many bodies to the rim and you let up just one time, they will make you pay for it," Murphy said.
Murphy also said that the lack of a flow on offense frustrated his team. The ill effect from the poor shooting was then felt on the defensive side of the ball.
"We want our defense to dictate our offense, and not the other way around," Murphy said.
Catholic Memorial tied the game up just a minute into the third quarter, but senior Mitch Tordoff, who scored a team-high 13 points, countered right back. Then, things stopped going Monroe's way all together.
A few calls on the court didn't go in the Cheesemakers favor, and when McArdle was called for a reaching foul two minutes into the half, Murphy let the officials know the call wasn't consensual. For argument's sake, the men in stripes awarded Monroe's coach with a technical foul.
The swing in momentum benefited Catholic Memorial greatly. The Crusaders went on an 8-0 run in under a minute to take a 34-29 lead. By the end of the quarter, Monroe trailed 38-33.
"We just couldn't get up, and that's what a good team does. We never got that one big rebound or that one big shot to kind of turn us around. We've had our share of runs this year where we get on a roll," Murphy said.
"Maybe we on the bench were trying to get too many calls in our favor and the guys on the floor lost a lot of their energy. But we all got frustrated, and we have to bounce back from that."
In the fourth quarter, Monroe struck first. Junior guard Michael Barrett (seven points) was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer and made two of his three free throws to cut the lead to 38-35.
Monroe stayed around the 3-point mark until midway through the fourth. The Cheesemakers went nearly four minutes without a basket, and Catholic Memorial extended their lead to 48-39 with just 1:40 left to play.
Down the stretch, the Crusaders hit nearly all their free throws. Catholic Memorial was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line in fourth quarter, and 11-for-12 in the half. T.J. Bray led the game with 17 points for the Crusaders.
"They really shot their free throws well. They ran their stuff better than we ran our stuff. It's pretty simple," Murphy said. "They just out scrapped us and they were just a little tougher than we were.
"We came in here looking to make ourselves better, and that's what we have to do."
Monroe shot just 32 percent from the field and finished 8-of-13 from the free throw line. Brian Tordoff was second on the team in scoring, with nine points.
McArdle was a little disappointed after the loss.
"But we should have beat them, there's no doubt about that. We just didn't show that today. But they are in our sectional, so we have to get practicing to get better in case we play them again." he said.
Monroe faces a very athletic Menomonee Falls (1-5) today at 10:30 a.m.
