MONROE - Finding ways to claw back to win games has been a learning process for the Monroe girls basketball team this year.
Monroe stormed back from a 15 point deficit Thursday before Madison Edgewood made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to knock off the Cheesemakers 51-39. Monroe (3-9, 1-4 Badger South) sliced the Crusaders' lead to six points after sophomore Brooke Adams drilled a 3-pointer and sophomore Maddie Kallgren hit a jumper with 2 minutes, 15 seconds to go.
"I was proud of the way the girls came back," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "Now we are playing longer stretches of better basketball. We just have to continue to find that consistency and find ways to convert. We have to play at that higher level you need to play at."
Early on, it looked like it would be a tussle that came down to the fourth quarter. Madison Edgewood junior Emma Meriggioli had five of her team-high eight steals in the first quarter. The Cheesemakers had 16 of their 19 turnovers in the first half, but trailed the Crusaders just 13-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The Crusaders were led by senior Sam Foti, who scored 12 of her 22 points in the second quarter. Monroe senior Whitney Disch converted a traditional three-point play with 5:54 to go in the second quarter to cut the Crusaders' lead to 20-16. That's as close as the Cheesemakers would get the rest of the first half as the Crusaders went on a 15-4 second quarter run to take a 35-20 lead at the half.
"Meriggioli and Foti are tough players," Mathiason said. "They were both all-conference players last year. She (Meriggioli) has that experience. She understands the game. Sometimes a good defender can set up players. She's a very good player. We had a couple of turnovers and they converted."
Monroe senior Kirsten Vetterli scored a team-high 14 points. Adams added eight points and Disch chipped in seven points.
"Edgewood is a really good defensive team," Mathiason said of the first half where the Cheesemakers committed 16 turnovers with most of them coming in the halfcourt after breaking the Crusaders' press. "They get up into you. We just need to be a little bit crisper with our cuts and passes."
Vetterli noticed a difference during the Crusaders' second quarter spurt.
"Once they started making their shots, I think we just got down on ourselves," Vetterli said. "We just have to remember to keep fighting because we can come back. We just need to slow ourselves down once we break the press. We need to take our time."
The Cheesemakers looked to feed the ball inside to Vetterli throughout the second half.
"I thought we would have a little size advantage," Mathiason said. "Any time you can get it into the post that is a pretty good place to start. Then we could kick it out or drive. I thought we did a better job of getting some post touches in the second half. We didn't always convert, but we had the opportunities."
The Crusaders made 17 of 19 free throws (89.4 percent). Foti was 6 of 6 shooting free throws in the second half. She made two free throws with 53.9 seconds left to give the Crusaders a 49-39 lead.
"They (Edgewood) did a really good job of making free throws," Mathiason said.
Monroe will host Stoughton Tuesday, Jan. 28 and then play at Madison Edgewood Friday, Jan. 31. Vetterli is looking forward to a rematch with Edgewood next week.
"We can definitely compete with them," she said. "We just have to lay off the turnovers and we are right there with them."
Monroe stormed back from a 15 point deficit Thursday before Madison Edgewood made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to knock off the Cheesemakers 51-39. Monroe (3-9, 1-4 Badger South) sliced the Crusaders' lead to six points after sophomore Brooke Adams drilled a 3-pointer and sophomore Maddie Kallgren hit a jumper with 2 minutes, 15 seconds to go.
"I was proud of the way the girls came back," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "Now we are playing longer stretches of better basketball. We just have to continue to find that consistency and find ways to convert. We have to play at that higher level you need to play at."
Early on, it looked like it would be a tussle that came down to the fourth quarter. Madison Edgewood junior Emma Meriggioli had five of her team-high eight steals in the first quarter. The Cheesemakers had 16 of their 19 turnovers in the first half, but trailed the Crusaders just 13-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The Crusaders were led by senior Sam Foti, who scored 12 of her 22 points in the second quarter. Monroe senior Whitney Disch converted a traditional three-point play with 5:54 to go in the second quarter to cut the Crusaders' lead to 20-16. That's as close as the Cheesemakers would get the rest of the first half as the Crusaders went on a 15-4 second quarter run to take a 35-20 lead at the half.
"Meriggioli and Foti are tough players," Mathiason said. "They were both all-conference players last year. She (Meriggioli) has that experience. She understands the game. Sometimes a good defender can set up players. She's a very good player. We had a couple of turnovers and they converted."
Monroe senior Kirsten Vetterli scored a team-high 14 points. Adams added eight points and Disch chipped in seven points.
"Edgewood is a really good defensive team," Mathiason said of the first half where the Cheesemakers committed 16 turnovers with most of them coming in the halfcourt after breaking the Crusaders' press. "They get up into you. We just need to be a little bit crisper with our cuts and passes."
Vetterli noticed a difference during the Crusaders' second quarter spurt.
"Once they started making their shots, I think we just got down on ourselves," Vetterli said. "We just have to remember to keep fighting because we can come back. We just need to slow ourselves down once we break the press. We need to take our time."
The Cheesemakers looked to feed the ball inside to Vetterli throughout the second half.
"I thought we would have a little size advantage," Mathiason said. "Any time you can get it into the post that is a pretty good place to start. Then we could kick it out or drive. I thought we did a better job of getting some post touches in the second half. We didn't always convert, but we had the opportunities."
The Crusaders made 17 of 19 free throws (89.4 percent). Foti was 6 of 6 shooting free throws in the second half. She made two free throws with 53.9 seconds left to give the Crusaders a 49-39 lead.
"They (Edgewood) did a really good job of making free throws," Mathiason said.
Monroe will host Stoughton Tuesday, Jan. 28 and then play at Madison Edgewood Friday, Jan. 31. Vetterli is looking forward to a rematch with Edgewood next week.
"We can definitely compete with them," she said. "We just have to lay off the turnovers and we are right there with them."
