MONROE - The Lady Cheesemakers continued to impress as the season is unfolding. Last year's WIAA Division 2 state champions kept their winning streak alive with a 55-46 win over conference foe Oregon (4-2, 2-2 Badger South) thanks to a big night by junior forward Ashley Hermanson.
Hermanson dropped 19 points on the Panthers, while four other Cheesemakers scored at least eight points.
Monroe (6-0, 5-0) needed to come back from an early deficit, however.
Hermanson opened the game with a bunny under the hoop. Oregon pushed up the pressure button and took the next six. With under a minute left, the Panthers had taken a 15-4 lead on Monroe. Head coach Kevin Keen didn't need to call a timeout, though. He knew his team would respond.
"Part of it was our intensity, and part of it was that we needed to do the little things," Keen said.
Sophomore guard Kyleigh Sellnow drilled a 3-pointer from the right corner just before the end of the first to give Monroe a little momentum headed into the second.
Just over into the second, Sellnow hit another 3-pointer, and Monroe had then trimmed the lead to 15-12. Oregon countered with a pair of buckets before the Cheesemakers made a quick run.
Emily Rufenacht hit a pair of free throws, Kylee Ritschard got the hoop and the harm down low on the next possession, and then Rufenacht stole the ball on defense and went coast to coast. Hermanson took a dump pass down low on Monroe's next possession to cap a 9-point run that gave Monroe a 21-19 lead with 3:01 left.
Oregon countered, but the Cheesemakers left halftime with a slim 30-28 lead. Hermanson again stepped up big for Monroe, taking a pass in the post from Sellnow with the clock ticking and getting the bucket just before the buzzer went off.
"It was really nice to cut into that lead in the second quarter and then get the lead going into the half," Keen said. "It was just a matter of sticking to what we do best. I thought the effort in the second half was much better than the first."
In the second half, Monroe continued to roll. The Cheese made it an eight point game at 36-28 midway through the third and led 41-32 when the fourth quarter started.
The Cheesemakers extended their lead to as much as 13 points at 51-38 after a pair of Jamie Armstrong free throws.
However, Oregon head coach Samuel Salih taught his team not to quit.
The Panthers scored eight straight points to bring the game to within five points with just under a minute to go. However, Monroe clamped down and held the ball tightly on offense while making 8-of-11 free throws in the quarter and 4-of-7 in the final 56 seconds.
"Offensively we need to not turn it over," Keen said of a first quarter bolded by miscues. "I give credit to Oregon. I figured they would be one of the top two or three teams in the conference this year.
"It was a good ball game for us. We needed a test like this. It's good to know that we can get down and come back."
Armstrong, Sellnow, and Rufenacht all finished with eight points in the game. Junior guard Gwen Sutter scored seven , Ritschard had three and Brice added a pair.
"Last week it was Jamie that had 23 (points), tonight it was Ashley. Any given night any one of our five starters is capable of being our leading scorer," Keen said. "It's a nice luxury to have."
Monroe heads to Fort Atkinson on Tuesday, Dec. 23 before the holiday break. A perfect start to the conference season is something Keen is looking forward too.
"I think we're in good shape. Two games that we were concerned about were our last two against Edgewood and Oregon," he said. "We have a two game lead on Oregon and a one game lead on Edgewood, so we're in good shape."
Hermanson dropped 19 points on the Panthers, while four other Cheesemakers scored at least eight points.
Monroe (6-0, 5-0) needed to come back from an early deficit, however.
Hermanson opened the game with a bunny under the hoop. Oregon pushed up the pressure button and took the next six. With under a minute left, the Panthers had taken a 15-4 lead on Monroe. Head coach Kevin Keen didn't need to call a timeout, though. He knew his team would respond.
"Part of it was our intensity, and part of it was that we needed to do the little things," Keen said.
Sophomore guard Kyleigh Sellnow drilled a 3-pointer from the right corner just before the end of the first to give Monroe a little momentum headed into the second.
Just over into the second, Sellnow hit another 3-pointer, and Monroe had then trimmed the lead to 15-12. Oregon countered with a pair of buckets before the Cheesemakers made a quick run.
Emily Rufenacht hit a pair of free throws, Kylee Ritschard got the hoop and the harm down low on the next possession, and then Rufenacht stole the ball on defense and went coast to coast. Hermanson took a dump pass down low on Monroe's next possession to cap a 9-point run that gave Monroe a 21-19 lead with 3:01 left.
Oregon countered, but the Cheesemakers left halftime with a slim 30-28 lead. Hermanson again stepped up big for Monroe, taking a pass in the post from Sellnow with the clock ticking and getting the bucket just before the buzzer went off.
"It was really nice to cut into that lead in the second quarter and then get the lead going into the half," Keen said. "It was just a matter of sticking to what we do best. I thought the effort in the second half was much better than the first."
In the second half, Monroe continued to roll. The Cheese made it an eight point game at 36-28 midway through the third and led 41-32 when the fourth quarter started.
The Cheesemakers extended their lead to as much as 13 points at 51-38 after a pair of Jamie Armstrong free throws.
However, Oregon head coach Samuel Salih taught his team not to quit.
The Panthers scored eight straight points to bring the game to within five points with just under a minute to go. However, Monroe clamped down and held the ball tightly on offense while making 8-of-11 free throws in the quarter and 4-of-7 in the final 56 seconds.
"Offensively we need to not turn it over," Keen said of a first quarter bolded by miscues. "I give credit to Oregon. I figured they would be one of the top two or three teams in the conference this year.
"It was a good ball game for us. We needed a test like this. It's good to know that we can get down and come back."
Armstrong, Sellnow, and Rufenacht all finished with eight points in the game. Junior guard Gwen Sutter scored seven , Ritschard had three and Brice added a pair.
"Last week it was Jamie that had 23 (points), tonight it was Ashley. Any given night any one of our five starters is capable of being our leading scorer," Keen said. "It's a nice luxury to have."
Monroe heads to Fort Atkinson on Tuesday, Dec. 23 before the holiday break. A perfect start to the conference season is something Keen is looking forward too.
"I think we're in good shape. Two games that we were concerned about were our last two against Edgewood and Oregon," he said. "We have a two game lead on Oregon and a one game lead on Edgewood, so we're in good shape."
