MONROE - The Monroe girls basketball team's 45-41 loss to Fort Atkinson may not impact their tournament seeding, but the Cheesemakers are now tied for third in the Badger South Conference.
Senior Kylee Ritschard hit a jumper with 1 minute, 22 seconds left to cut the Blackhawks' lead to 39-37 an junior Molly Hlubek was able to come up with a steal moments later on a halfcourt trap. Fort Atkinson junior Lexie Weigand then came up with a steal and she was fouled. Weigand hit two bonus free throws to give the Blackhawks' a 41-37 lead with 1:01 left.
"We just made some bad turnovers," said Monroe senior Kyleigh Sellnow, who scored a team-high 13 points after the loss Friday night. "They (Fort Atkinson) were making their shots down the stretch. This was definitely a big game. We could have clinched third place."
Monroe junior Brooke McBain knocked down a jumper with about 50 seconds left to cut the lead to 41-39. The Blackhawks sealed the victory by hitting 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute to move into a tie with the Cheesemakers in the conference race.
"Everyone remembers what happens at the end of the game," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "There were stretches during the game where we could have converted and been a little more efficient getting points."
Early on, both teams got off to tough shooting starts. The Cheesemakers (10-10, 5-6 Badger South) shot 3-for-10 in the first quarter and the Blackhawks were 4-for-11. Despite the cold shooting, the Cheesemakers were able to jump out to a 7-3 lead. Fort Atkinson junior Maddie Bare knocked down a jumper at the end of the first quarter to give the Blackhawks a 9-7 lead.
Monroe closed the second quarter with a surge. Sellnow drilled a 3-pointer to give her team a 17-16 lead. McBain then scored on an inbound pass from Sellnow to give the Cheesemakers a 19-16 halftime advantage.
Jacobson started heating up in the third quarter. She scored all 10 of her points in the second half, including eight in the third. Jacobson knocked down her first of two 3-pointers with 6:20 left in the third, giving the Cheesemakers their largest lead at 24-19.
"It was just good to finally be able to shoot and get some open shots," Jacobson said. "I just wanted to play defense and get some stops on defense. We are just planning on learning from the mistakes we made. I'm sure we will watch the film. We just have to put this behind us, push forward in the tournament and see what we can do."
Despite Jacobson's solid shooting, the Cheesemakers led just 31-30 going into the fourth quarter.
"Abby did a nice job of stepping up and making shots," Mathiason said. "That is what we needed. I think we played good enough defense. We just need to continue to find ways to score."
Mathiason said a big swing in the game came when the Blackhawks scored seven points on three possessions in the fourth quarter. Bare knocked down a go-ahead 3 to put the Blackhawks up 35-34. Fort Atkisnon junior Amber Foerster later scored on a layup with 4:41 to go to extend the lead to 37-34.
"It was more than we could handle," Mathiason said.
McBain and senior Abby Jacobson each scored 10 points and Ritschard added eight.
Monroe will soon turn its attention to the regional tournament with a seeding meeting scheduled for today and the WIAA set to release the Division 2 pairings Sunday night.
"Playoffs is a whole different season," Sellnow said.
There are 11 teams combined in the top half of the Sun Prairie sectional that will be seeded together for the tournament. The Cheesemakers close the regular season at Sauk Prairie Monday and then will host Stoughton on Thursday.
Mathiason said he doesn't think the loss to the Blackhawks will have a big effect on the Cheesemakers' seed in the tournament.
"I think we will either be a 5, 6 or 7," Mathiason said. "We wanted to come out to play and keep the momentum going forward."
Senior Kylee Ritschard hit a jumper with 1 minute, 22 seconds left to cut the Blackhawks' lead to 39-37 an junior Molly Hlubek was able to come up with a steal moments later on a halfcourt trap. Fort Atkinson junior Lexie Weigand then came up with a steal and she was fouled. Weigand hit two bonus free throws to give the Blackhawks' a 41-37 lead with 1:01 left.
"We just made some bad turnovers," said Monroe senior Kyleigh Sellnow, who scored a team-high 13 points after the loss Friday night. "They (Fort Atkinson) were making their shots down the stretch. This was definitely a big game. We could have clinched third place."
Monroe junior Brooke McBain knocked down a jumper with about 50 seconds left to cut the lead to 41-39. The Blackhawks sealed the victory by hitting 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute to move into a tie with the Cheesemakers in the conference race.
"Everyone remembers what happens at the end of the game," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "There were stretches during the game where we could have converted and been a little more efficient getting points."
Early on, both teams got off to tough shooting starts. The Cheesemakers (10-10, 5-6 Badger South) shot 3-for-10 in the first quarter and the Blackhawks were 4-for-11. Despite the cold shooting, the Cheesemakers were able to jump out to a 7-3 lead. Fort Atkinson junior Maddie Bare knocked down a jumper at the end of the first quarter to give the Blackhawks a 9-7 lead.
Monroe closed the second quarter with a surge. Sellnow drilled a 3-pointer to give her team a 17-16 lead. McBain then scored on an inbound pass from Sellnow to give the Cheesemakers a 19-16 halftime advantage.
Jacobson started heating up in the third quarter. She scored all 10 of her points in the second half, including eight in the third. Jacobson knocked down her first of two 3-pointers with 6:20 left in the third, giving the Cheesemakers their largest lead at 24-19.
"It was just good to finally be able to shoot and get some open shots," Jacobson said. "I just wanted to play defense and get some stops on defense. We are just planning on learning from the mistakes we made. I'm sure we will watch the film. We just have to put this behind us, push forward in the tournament and see what we can do."
Despite Jacobson's solid shooting, the Cheesemakers led just 31-30 going into the fourth quarter.
"Abby did a nice job of stepping up and making shots," Mathiason said. "That is what we needed. I think we played good enough defense. We just need to continue to find ways to score."
Mathiason said a big swing in the game came when the Blackhawks scored seven points on three possessions in the fourth quarter. Bare knocked down a go-ahead 3 to put the Blackhawks up 35-34. Fort Atkisnon junior Amber Foerster later scored on a layup with 4:41 to go to extend the lead to 37-34.
"It was more than we could handle," Mathiason said.
McBain and senior Abby Jacobson each scored 10 points and Ritschard added eight.
Monroe will soon turn its attention to the regional tournament with a seeding meeting scheduled for today and the WIAA set to release the Division 2 pairings Sunday night.
"Playoffs is a whole different season," Sellnow said.
There are 11 teams combined in the top half of the Sun Prairie sectional that will be seeded together for the tournament. The Cheesemakers close the regular season at Sauk Prairie Monday and then will host Stoughton on Thursday.
Mathiason said he doesn't think the loss to the Blackhawks will have a big effect on the Cheesemakers' seed in the tournament.
"I think we will either be a 5, 6 or 7," Mathiason said. "We wanted to come out to play and keep the momentum going forward."
