MONROE - Ashley Hermanson and the Cheesemakers couldn't help but salivate at the sight of Edgerton's roster.
With no Crimson Tide player standing taller that 5 feet, 8 inches, the Monroe sophomore commanded the paint to the tune of 18 points in the Cheesemakers' 65-40 WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal match Tuesday in Monroe.
Playing without her partner-in-crime, center Jamie Armstrong, Hermanson owned the offensive glass with seven boards and made her first eight shots from the field. Hermanson had eight points in the first quarter that helped stake Monroe to an insurmountable 21-11 lead.
Freshman guard Kyleigh Sellnow started in place of Armstrong and combined with point guard Gwen Sutter to create turnovers and get Hermanson easy chances on consecutive scores.
Two minutes into the first quarter, Sutter broke Edgerton's full-court press and whipped a strong, 25-foot pass to her pal Hermanson on the left block for an easy two, making it 7-5. A minute later, Sellnow dished to Hermanson for a hard-earned two as Crimson Tide senior Fawn Bingham made contact for a foul.
Hermanson and the Cheesemakers hope to get Armstrong back in the lineup as they continue their postseason journey Thursday versus No. 4 seed Mount Horeb, but for the time being, Hermanson enjoys the two-point guard lineup.
"It really pushes the ball up and then people can shoot (in transition) and you can get inside more," Hermanson said of playing with the smaller lineup.
Armstrong didn't practice Monday and Monroe head coach Kevin Keen didn't want to risk any potential harm by playing the 6-1 sophomore. Sellnow responded to her coaches' trust in her by dropping seven assists for the Cheesemakers.
"Kyleigh has definitely made the most of her opportunities. (She) does a good job at delivering the ball and getting the ball to the right people at the right time," Keen said. "And I think Ashley has been the beneficiary of many of those passes."
Sutter and junior Emily Rufenacht forced Edgerton's defense to be honest on the perimeter with 11 and 15 points, respectively.
"We didn't want to look past the game, we had to still take it to them and try to get it in to Ashley as much as we could," Rufenacht said. "We do miss Jamie, but we have to overlook that and play like we have before."
Monroe had 18 offensive rebounds in the victory and Sutter contributed five. On a pair of those, the sophomore got fouled and finished the game 5-for-7 from the charity stripe.
"We've got a lot of ballhandling," Sutter said. "We get to fastbreak a lot more."
Keen hopes that Armstrong can get on the practice floor today after school in preparation for the Vikings, but he doesn't mind taking the new-look Cheesemakers into battle with him.
"We're going to play with whoever we've got available," Keen said. "I think we're showing we're still a formidable opponent."
With no Crimson Tide player standing taller that 5 feet, 8 inches, the Monroe sophomore commanded the paint to the tune of 18 points in the Cheesemakers' 65-40 WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal match Tuesday in Monroe.
Playing without her partner-in-crime, center Jamie Armstrong, Hermanson owned the offensive glass with seven boards and made her first eight shots from the field. Hermanson had eight points in the first quarter that helped stake Monroe to an insurmountable 21-11 lead.
Freshman guard Kyleigh Sellnow started in place of Armstrong and combined with point guard Gwen Sutter to create turnovers and get Hermanson easy chances on consecutive scores.
Two minutes into the first quarter, Sutter broke Edgerton's full-court press and whipped a strong, 25-foot pass to her pal Hermanson on the left block for an easy two, making it 7-5. A minute later, Sellnow dished to Hermanson for a hard-earned two as Crimson Tide senior Fawn Bingham made contact for a foul.
Hermanson and the Cheesemakers hope to get Armstrong back in the lineup as they continue their postseason journey Thursday versus No. 4 seed Mount Horeb, but for the time being, Hermanson enjoys the two-point guard lineup.
"It really pushes the ball up and then people can shoot (in transition) and you can get inside more," Hermanson said of playing with the smaller lineup.
Armstrong didn't practice Monday and Monroe head coach Kevin Keen didn't want to risk any potential harm by playing the 6-1 sophomore. Sellnow responded to her coaches' trust in her by dropping seven assists for the Cheesemakers.
"Kyleigh has definitely made the most of her opportunities. (She) does a good job at delivering the ball and getting the ball to the right people at the right time," Keen said. "And I think Ashley has been the beneficiary of many of those passes."
Sutter and junior Emily Rufenacht forced Edgerton's defense to be honest on the perimeter with 11 and 15 points, respectively.
"We didn't want to look past the game, we had to still take it to them and try to get it in to Ashley as much as we could," Rufenacht said. "We do miss Jamie, but we have to overlook that and play like we have before."
Monroe had 18 offensive rebounds in the victory and Sutter contributed five. On a pair of those, the sophomore got fouled and finished the game 5-for-7 from the charity stripe.
"We've got a lot of ballhandling," Sutter said. "We get to fastbreak a lot more."
Keen hopes that Armstrong can get on the practice floor today after school in preparation for the Vikings, but he doesn't mind taking the new-look Cheesemakers into battle with him.
"We're going to play with whoever we've got available," Keen said. "I think we're showing we're still a formidable opponent."
