MONROE - With Monroe freshman Taylor Barrett establishing herself inside in the second half, the Cheesemakers were within striking distance of upsetting sixth-ranked Madison Edgewood.
That's until Madison Edgewood milked the clock down and senior Hannah Elfman buried a clutch 3-pointer with 1 minute, 19 seconds to go that helped propel the Crusaders to a 43-34 win over the Cheesemakers Tuesday night.
"We were so close to Edgewood," Barrett said. "It was a great opportunity. It was tough when she hit that shot."
Barrett scored eight of her team-high 10 points in the second half and had six rebounds. And she scored on an up and under move down low with 3:18 to go that tied the game at 34.
"I knew if we wanted a chance to compete with them, we would have to make it a defensive game," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We were right where we wanted to be in the fourth quarter. That 3-pointer was big for them."
The Crusaders (9-3, 6-0 Badger South) scored five consecutive points to open the first quarter. The Cheesemakers (6-6, 2-4) trailed by as many as nine points in the first half after senior Megan Tancill drilled a 3-pointer to give the Crusaders a 17-6 lead with 3:47 left in the second quarter.
The Cheesemakers shot just 5 of 24 in the first half and went through a 9-minute scoring drought. Monroe junior Brooke McBain broke the cold spell with two free throws, and that ignited a 9-1 Cheesemakers' run to close the second quarter. Monroe senior Kristin McArdle hit a 3-pointer, senior Kylee Ritschard scored on a layup and senior Kyleigh Sellnow hit a jumper to slice the Crusaders' halftime lead to 18-15. Ritschard scored eight points and had 11 rebounds. Sellnow added seven.
The Cheesemakers started the third quarter on fire, making four of their first five shots. After Sellnow was fouled, she made one of two free throws. Ritschard scored on a putback after Sellnow's missed free throw to give the Cheesemakers their first lead at 19-18 with 6:30 left in the period.
"We knew we had to keep playing hard on defense," Ritschard said. "The harder we played on defense, the more confidence we would have on offense."
The Crusaders answered with sophomore Amanda Kelm scoring down low and then later drilling a 3-pointer to give the Crusaders a 30-26 lead with 1:29 to go in the third quarter.
"I was really proud of the way the girls played defense," Mathiason said. We were a little shaky early on. From the second quarter on, we were great. We held them to just 43 points. They are so talented and have so many players who can score."
Mathiason likes the way Barrett was able to make plays in the second half.
"I think basketball is a team game," he said. "Taylor was the beneficiary of some extra passes. She did a great job of finishing. That is what we need. You just hope that is a springboard of things to come and she can develop the consistency."
With four players in the Crusaders' starting lineup at 5 feet, 10 inches or taller, rebounding was key. The Cheesemakers controlled the boards.
"We did a good job of boxing out," Mathiason said. "We wanted to limit their second-chance scoring opportunities. They really do have good size and they can get a lot of offensive rebounds."
Elfman's late game shot was a back-breaker for the Cheesemakers. The Crusaders made 4 of 7 free throws in the final 52.7 seconds to seal it.
"I feel like we needed to play tougher defense," Ritschard said of the perimeter. "We didn't want to give them any open shots no matter what."
That's until Madison Edgewood milked the clock down and senior Hannah Elfman buried a clutch 3-pointer with 1 minute, 19 seconds to go that helped propel the Crusaders to a 43-34 win over the Cheesemakers Tuesday night.
"We were so close to Edgewood," Barrett said. "It was a great opportunity. It was tough when she hit that shot."
Barrett scored eight of her team-high 10 points in the second half and had six rebounds. And she scored on an up and under move down low with 3:18 to go that tied the game at 34.
"I knew if we wanted a chance to compete with them, we would have to make it a defensive game," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We were right where we wanted to be in the fourth quarter. That 3-pointer was big for them."
The Crusaders (9-3, 6-0 Badger South) scored five consecutive points to open the first quarter. The Cheesemakers (6-6, 2-4) trailed by as many as nine points in the first half after senior Megan Tancill drilled a 3-pointer to give the Crusaders a 17-6 lead with 3:47 left in the second quarter.
The Cheesemakers shot just 5 of 24 in the first half and went through a 9-minute scoring drought. Monroe junior Brooke McBain broke the cold spell with two free throws, and that ignited a 9-1 Cheesemakers' run to close the second quarter. Monroe senior Kristin McArdle hit a 3-pointer, senior Kylee Ritschard scored on a layup and senior Kyleigh Sellnow hit a jumper to slice the Crusaders' halftime lead to 18-15. Ritschard scored eight points and had 11 rebounds. Sellnow added seven.
The Cheesemakers started the third quarter on fire, making four of their first five shots. After Sellnow was fouled, she made one of two free throws. Ritschard scored on a putback after Sellnow's missed free throw to give the Cheesemakers their first lead at 19-18 with 6:30 left in the period.
"We knew we had to keep playing hard on defense," Ritschard said. "The harder we played on defense, the more confidence we would have on offense."
The Crusaders answered with sophomore Amanda Kelm scoring down low and then later drilling a 3-pointer to give the Crusaders a 30-26 lead with 1:29 to go in the third quarter.
"I was really proud of the way the girls played defense," Mathiason said. We were a little shaky early on. From the second quarter on, we were great. We held them to just 43 points. They are so talented and have so many players who can score."
Mathiason likes the way Barrett was able to make plays in the second half.
"I think basketball is a team game," he said. "Taylor was the beneficiary of some extra passes. She did a great job of finishing. That is what we need. You just hope that is a springboard of things to come and she can develop the consistency."
With four players in the Crusaders' starting lineup at 5 feet, 10 inches or taller, rebounding was key. The Cheesemakers controlled the boards.
"We did a good job of boxing out," Mathiason said. "We wanted to limit their second-chance scoring opportunities. They really do have good size and they can get a lot of offensive rebounds."
Elfman's late game shot was a back-breaker for the Cheesemakers. The Crusaders made 4 of 7 free throws in the final 52.7 seconds to seal it.
"I feel like we needed to play tougher defense," Ritschard said of the perimeter. "We didn't want to give them any open shots no matter what."
