MONROE - Monroe boys basketball coach Pat Murphy is searching for answers after Fort Atkinson rallied and tipped the Cheesemakers 69-66 in a Badger South Conference clash Thursday night.
"These guys have been in a lot of close games," Murphy said. "It's the same story. They are getting sick of losing. I feel bad for the guys because we haven't been able to get over the hump."
Monroe (4-12, 1-7 Badger South), which got a game-high 24 points and seven rebounds from senior Ben Latimer, is 0-9 in games decided by six points or less.
For long stretches Thursday, it looked like the Cheesemakers would pull off the win. They led by nine points after senior Brent Edmunds knocked down a 3-pointer to start the second half.
Fort Atkinson rallied behind senior guard Dylan Benard, who scored 18 of his team-high 21 points in the second half.
Latimer scored on a putback with 18 seconds to go to slice the Blackhawks' lead to 67-66. Fort Atkinson senior Tristan Shoup scored on a layup on a backdoor cut with 13.8 seconds to go to give the Blackhawks' a 69-66 lead. Edmunds' 3-pointer just before the buzzer skimmed off the rim and came up just short. The Blackhawks made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 43.1 seconds to seal the victory.
"It's tough," Latimer said. "These close games are the games we want to win. It's tough when you are not finishing games. We just have to learn how to finish games. They got some key offensive rebounds when they needed to. We just have to get tougher."
Latimer had two three-point plays in a 3-minute stretch in the second half to give the Cheesemakers a 58-51 lead with 5:22 left. Monroe junior Carter Sawdey added 14 points and made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 47 seconds to give the Cheesemakers a chance. Senior teammate Dylan Beaver fouled out, and Latimer played with foul trouble with four fouls late in the game.
Monroe junior Alex Tordoff scored nine points, and Edmunds chipped in eight.
Murphy liked the 3-point shots Edmunds and sophomore David Keegan had late.
"I thought we had good looks, we just didn't make them," Murphy said. "It's shots like that we have to find a way to make. I'm at a loss for our team. I take the blame as the coach."
Early on, the conference game had the makings of one that could go down to the wire. Monroe got off to a hot start. Sawdey scored on a layup and Tordoff hit a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a 5-1 lead. Junior Jake Kind hit a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 9-3 lead with 13:50 left in the first half. Fort Atkinson's Preston Strasburg scored seven points in the first half to help the Blackhawks come back to tie the game.
The Cheesemakers closed the first half strong with Latimer converting on a three-point play and scoring on a hook shot to give the Cheesemakers a six-point lead. Edmunds then hit a 3-pointer with 2:07 left to help the Cheesemakers take a 31-24 lead at the half. The Blackhawks had eight of their 10 turnovers in the first half.
That set the stage for the Blackhawks' second-half comeback and a nail-biting finish. Fort Atkinson's Mark Romens added 12 points and had a key layup late.
"We wanted to get stops late, and we didn't get them," Murphy said.
"These guys have been in a lot of close games," Murphy said. "It's the same story. They are getting sick of losing. I feel bad for the guys because we haven't been able to get over the hump."
Monroe (4-12, 1-7 Badger South), which got a game-high 24 points and seven rebounds from senior Ben Latimer, is 0-9 in games decided by six points or less.
For long stretches Thursday, it looked like the Cheesemakers would pull off the win. They led by nine points after senior Brent Edmunds knocked down a 3-pointer to start the second half.
Fort Atkinson rallied behind senior guard Dylan Benard, who scored 18 of his team-high 21 points in the second half.
Latimer scored on a putback with 18 seconds to go to slice the Blackhawks' lead to 67-66. Fort Atkinson senior Tristan Shoup scored on a layup on a backdoor cut with 13.8 seconds to go to give the Blackhawks' a 69-66 lead. Edmunds' 3-pointer just before the buzzer skimmed off the rim and came up just short. The Blackhawks made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 43.1 seconds to seal the victory.
"It's tough," Latimer said. "These close games are the games we want to win. It's tough when you are not finishing games. We just have to learn how to finish games. They got some key offensive rebounds when they needed to. We just have to get tougher."
Latimer had two three-point plays in a 3-minute stretch in the second half to give the Cheesemakers a 58-51 lead with 5:22 left. Monroe junior Carter Sawdey added 14 points and made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 47 seconds to give the Cheesemakers a chance. Senior teammate Dylan Beaver fouled out, and Latimer played with foul trouble with four fouls late in the game.
Monroe junior Alex Tordoff scored nine points, and Edmunds chipped in eight.
Murphy liked the 3-point shots Edmunds and sophomore David Keegan had late.
"I thought we had good looks, we just didn't make them," Murphy said. "It's shots like that we have to find a way to make. I'm at a loss for our team. I take the blame as the coach."
Early on, the conference game had the makings of one that could go down to the wire. Monroe got off to a hot start. Sawdey scored on a layup and Tordoff hit a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a 5-1 lead. Junior Jake Kind hit a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 9-3 lead with 13:50 left in the first half. Fort Atkinson's Preston Strasburg scored seven points in the first half to help the Blackhawks come back to tie the game.
The Cheesemakers closed the first half strong with Latimer converting on a three-point play and scoring on a hook shot to give the Cheesemakers a six-point lead. Edmunds then hit a 3-pointer with 2:07 left to help the Cheesemakers take a 31-24 lead at the half. The Blackhawks had eight of their 10 turnovers in the first half.
That set the stage for the Blackhawks' second-half comeback and a nail-biting finish. Fort Atkinson's Mark Romens added 12 points and had a key layup late.
"We wanted to get stops late, and we didn't get them," Murphy said.
