FREEPORT, Ill. - The Monroe boys basketball team suffered its third loss in five days, but may have suffered an even bigger loss on the roster.
Junior sharpshooter Bryan Tordoff sprained his left ankle in the second quarter of the Cheesemakers' 46-42 loss Saturday evening against the Freeport Pretzels (10-10) in the third annual border battle Snack Bowl.
Trailing 22-13 midway through the second, Tordoff, Monroe's leading scorer this season, averaging over 19 points per game, drove through the lane and was fouled on a running jump shot by Austin Davis. As he fell, Tordoff rolled his ankle and had to be helped off the floor.
"Now if anybody else gets injured we're really in trouble. He's going to be day-to-day for sure," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said. "You always want to play with all of your guys intact, but if you don't, then the other guys have to step up."
The Cheesemakers (12-4, 7-2 Badger South) went into halftime trailing 25-15, with the 15 points being the lowest total at the break this season.
"It's kind of the same story we've had throughout the year, we have one bad quarter. I don't know what it is," Murphy said. "We competed harder in the second half and that gave us a chance."
With Tordoff on the sideline, Monroe needed multiple people to pick up the lost scoring in order to stay in the game. Almost immediately, senior Kevin Frint assumed the role. Frint, a 6-feet, 7-inch center, scored Monroe's first nine points of the third quarter, bringing the Cheese back to within three points at 27-24 with 3:22 remaining. Freeport led 33-27 at the end of the frame thanks to a deep 3-pointer from the left wing by Jalen Carroll, who ended up with 14 points.
"They are a very athletic team. They can hit all sorts of shots and they are one of the better team's we'll face all year," Frint said.
Michael Barrett, who had 18 points in the game, scored Monroe's next 11 points, including a jumper with 3:57 left to tie the game up for the first time since it was seven-all early in the first.
"When a player like Tordoff goes down you have to pick up his scoring ability, his leadership and everything," Barrett said.
Over the next two minutes, Freeport worked its way back to a five-point lead. With 51 seconds left, Frint worked his way into the paint and drew a foul, knocking down both free throws to bring the deficit back to three.
Carroll hit a free throw with 13.7 left to put the Pretzels back up four, but Frint, who scored 16 of his 18 in the second half, found the hoop on a put-back with 4 seconds remaining.
Davis, who scored 14 for Freeport, missed a pair of free throws with 2.2 left, but Josh Lewis grabbed the offensive board and drained both free throws after a foul to end the game.
With Tordoff out indefinitely, Monroe will have to look for an extra source of scoring. Barrett and Frint scored all 27 of the Cheesemakers' points in the second half Saturday.
"(Assistant coach Brian) Bassett hit it on the head exactly - our team takes on Kevin Frint's personality. If he comes out aggressive, we tend to be aggressive. If he comes out a little sluggish we're going to be the same way," Murphy said.
Monroe takes on conference leader Madison Edgewood (10-7, 8-1) on the road Thursday. If Monroe wins its final three conference games, which includes a home game against Fort Atkinson and at Monona Grove, the Cheesemakers will be the first team in the history of the Badger Conference to win the title four straight years.
"You can't really replace Bryan Tordoff. Everyone has to step up and tonight everyone did step up. We have to stay confident in this conference," Frint said.
Junior sharpshooter Bryan Tordoff sprained his left ankle in the second quarter of the Cheesemakers' 46-42 loss Saturday evening against the Freeport Pretzels (10-10) in the third annual border battle Snack Bowl.
Trailing 22-13 midway through the second, Tordoff, Monroe's leading scorer this season, averaging over 19 points per game, drove through the lane and was fouled on a running jump shot by Austin Davis. As he fell, Tordoff rolled his ankle and had to be helped off the floor.
"Now if anybody else gets injured we're really in trouble. He's going to be day-to-day for sure," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said. "You always want to play with all of your guys intact, but if you don't, then the other guys have to step up."
The Cheesemakers (12-4, 7-2 Badger South) went into halftime trailing 25-15, with the 15 points being the lowest total at the break this season.
"It's kind of the same story we've had throughout the year, we have one bad quarter. I don't know what it is," Murphy said. "We competed harder in the second half and that gave us a chance."
With Tordoff on the sideline, Monroe needed multiple people to pick up the lost scoring in order to stay in the game. Almost immediately, senior Kevin Frint assumed the role. Frint, a 6-feet, 7-inch center, scored Monroe's first nine points of the third quarter, bringing the Cheese back to within three points at 27-24 with 3:22 remaining. Freeport led 33-27 at the end of the frame thanks to a deep 3-pointer from the left wing by Jalen Carroll, who ended up with 14 points.
"They are a very athletic team. They can hit all sorts of shots and they are one of the better team's we'll face all year," Frint said.
Michael Barrett, who had 18 points in the game, scored Monroe's next 11 points, including a jumper with 3:57 left to tie the game up for the first time since it was seven-all early in the first.
"When a player like Tordoff goes down you have to pick up his scoring ability, his leadership and everything," Barrett said.
Over the next two minutes, Freeport worked its way back to a five-point lead. With 51 seconds left, Frint worked his way into the paint and drew a foul, knocking down both free throws to bring the deficit back to three.
Carroll hit a free throw with 13.7 left to put the Pretzels back up four, but Frint, who scored 16 of his 18 in the second half, found the hoop on a put-back with 4 seconds remaining.
Davis, who scored 14 for Freeport, missed a pair of free throws with 2.2 left, but Josh Lewis grabbed the offensive board and drained both free throws after a foul to end the game.
With Tordoff out indefinitely, Monroe will have to look for an extra source of scoring. Barrett and Frint scored all 27 of the Cheesemakers' points in the second half Saturday.
"(Assistant coach Brian) Bassett hit it on the head exactly - our team takes on Kevin Frint's personality. If he comes out aggressive, we tend to be aggressive. If he comes out a little sluggish we're going to be the same way," Murphy said.
Monroe takes on conference leader Madison Edgewood (10-7, 8-1) on the road Thursday. If Monroe wins its final three conference games, which includes a home game against Fort Atkinson and at Monona Grove, the Cheesemakers will be the first team in the history of the Badger Conference to win the title four straight years.
"You can't really replace Bryan Tordoff. Everyone has to step up and tonight everyone did step up. We have to stay confident in this conference," Frint said.
