MONROE - Brooke McBain and the Monroe girls basketball team probably can't wait to get back on the court for a game after Fort Atkinson ran away with a 49-23 win Thursday night.
The sting from losing to one of three Badger South unbeatens may linger since Monroe has 11 days before it plays New Berlin Eisenhower on Dec. 27 at the University of Wisconsin Field House.
"We need to go back to practice and push each other," said McBain, a senior who scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds. "You practice like you play. If we practice sloppy, we will play sloppy. We know what we have to do to compete with Edgewood and Monona Grove."
The Blackhawks (4-0, 2-0 Badger South) blitzed the Cheesemakers from the opening tip, outscoring them 19-0 in the first quarter. Monroe
(1-5, 0-3) got off to an inauspicious start, missing its first six shots and committing six turnovers in the first four minutes. The Cheesemakers went through more than an eight-minute scoring drought.
Monroe sophomore Taylor Barrett scored down low in transition early in the second quarter to snap the cold spell, but the Blackhawks led 19-2. The turnovers continued piling up for the Cheesemakers, who finished with almost as many turnovers (22) as points (23). The Cheesemakers also struggled with their shooting, hitting 23.2 percent (10 of 43) from the field.
"I think every time we step on the court we want to play better," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "Tonight, I don't think any of us played better. What I told them afterwards is Fort is a very good team. We can't hang our heads and feel sorry for ourselves. We have to do a better job of controlling what we can control - our attitude and effort. We have to make sure we are giving our best in both areas."
Fort Atkinson led by as many as 20 points in the first half and by as many as 28 in the second half.
Fort Atkinson senior Maddie Bare and Lexie Weigand each knocked down 3-pointers to spark the Blackhawks to a 14-0 lead.
McBain scored down low and was fouled with 1:14 left in the second quarter. She converted on a three-point play to slice the Blackhawks' halftime lead to 29-11.
"We know Fort Atkinson is a good team," McBain said. "We know we have to make good passes. That is what we had problems with tonight."
The start of the second half was delayed about 15 minutes after a Fort Atkinson player was hyperventilating and had to be carted off the court. The delay didn't seem to phase the Blackhawks.
Fort Atkinson went on a
12-2 third quarter run fueled by Weigand's steal and layup. Fort Atkinson junior Lauren Pfeifer scored down low about midway through the third quarter to give the Blackhawks a 40-13 lead. Weigand scored 14 points and Bare added 13 for the Blackhawks.
"I think basketball is a game of pressure," Mathiason said. "Teams play defense in different ways. They dictated where we would go. You would be amazed by how much we worked on passing and catching the ball before this game.
"Our cuts were not as sharp as they needed to be."
Monroe will now focus on practice time to get ready for New Berlin Eisenhower.
"We have to keep working on getting better," Mathiason said.
The sting from losing to one of three Badger South unbeatens may linger since Monroe has 11 days before it plays New Berlin Eisenhower on Dec. 27 at the University of Wisconsin Field House.
"We need to go back to practice and push each other," said McBain, a senior who scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds. "You practice like you play. If we practice sloppy, we will play sloppy. We know what we have to do to compete with Edgewood and Monona Grove."
The Blackhawks (4-0, 2-0 Badger South) blitzed the Cheesemakers from the opening tip, outscoring them 19-0 in the first quarter. Monroe
(1-5, 0-3) got off to an inauspicious start, missing its first six shots and committing six turnovers in the first four minutes. The Cheesemakers went through more than an eight-minute scoring drought.
Monroe sophomore Taylor Barrett scored down low in transition early in the second quarter to snap the cold spell, but the Blackhawks led 19-2. The turnovers continued piling up for the Cheesemakers, who finished with almost as many turnovers (22) as points (23). The Cheesemakers also struggled with their shooting, hitting 23.2 percent (10 of 43) from the field.
"I think every time we step on the court we want to play better," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "Tonight, I don't think any of us played better. What I told them afterwards is Fort is a very good team. We can't hang our heads and feel sorry for ourselves. We have to do a better job of controlling what we can control - our attitude and effort. We have to make sure we are giving our best in both areas."
Fort Atkinson led by as many as 20 points in the first half and by as many as 28 in the second half.
Fort Atkinson senior Maddie Bare and Lexie Weigand each knocked down 3-pointers to spark the Blackhawks to a 14-0 lead.
McBain scored down low and was fouled with 1:14 left in the second quarter. She converted on a three-point play to slice the Blackhawks' halftime lead to 29-11.
"We know Fort Atkinson is a good team," McBain said. "We know we have to make good passes. That is what we had problems with tonight."
The start of the second half was delayed about 15 minutes after a Fort Atkinson player was hyperventilating and had to be carted off the court. The delay didn't seem to phase the Blackhawks.
Fort Atkinson went on a
12-2 third quarter run fueled by Weigand's steal and layup. Fort Atkinson junior Lauren Pfeifer scored down low about midway through the third quarter to give the Blackhawks a 40-13 lead. Weigand scored 14 points and Bare added 13 for the Blackhawks.
"I think basketball is a game of pressure," Mathiason said. "Teams play defense in different ways. They dictated where we would go. You would be amazed by how much we worked on passing and catching the ball before this game.
"Our cuts were not as sharp as they needed to be."
Monroe will now focus on practice time to get ready for New Berlin Eisenhower.
"We have to keep working on getting better," Mathiason said.
