MONROE - It was an emotional time for Monroe senior Alacia Keegan as her mother, Barb Keegan read a poem before the Cheesemakers took the court on Senior Night.
Alacia Keegan scored a team-high 11 points to propel Monroe to a 31-24 win Tuesday in a defensive battle. Keegan, who will play basketball at Loras College in Dubuque next year, had five rebounds, three blocked shots and hit two 3-pointers.
"It was definitely emotional because my mom is an assistant coach and she always reads a poem before the game," Alacia Keegan said. "I knew this would be one of the last times I would hear it because it was Senior Night.
"The last time we played Fort Atkinson we didn't play our best. I'm just glad we were able to finish."
Monroe (8-12, 3-8 Badger South) got off to a slow start trying to attack the Blackhawks' 1-3-1 zone that featured some pesky halfcourt traps. Monroe sophomore Lexi Hilliard drilled a 3-pointer and junior Maddie Kallgren hit a baseline jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 5-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cheesemakers stymied Fort Atkinson holding the Blackhawks without a field goal for 13 minutes, 30 seconds in the first half. Fort Atkinson senior Ashley Wiesmann knocked down a jumper with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left in the second quarter to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 9-4.
Monroe sophomore Jordan Hirsbrunner, who scored six points, banked in a layup before the buzzer to give the Cheesemakers a 15-10 lead at the half.
Despite shooting 15.7 percent in the first half (3 of 19), the Blackhawks were within five points in part due to the Cheesemakers committing 13 of their 19 turnovers in the first half.
"They have that great length on the top and in the middle of that zone," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "You have to be patient. Any time you play a zone, it makes you make more passes. You have to see where your opportunities are to attack and keep probing."
Getting the ball down low to 6-footers Keegan and freshman Sydney Mathiason proved to be a challenge.
"You would think you get it down low," Sam Mathiason said. "Any time the ball goes to the baseline (with Emma Reed running back and forth) it's like a 2-3 zone. I thought we had some opportunities with diagonal passes, but you don't want to force it."
Monroe junior Brooke Adams scored four points and had a team-high nine rebounds. Hilliard and Kallgren each chipped in four points. Sydney Mathiason added seven rebounds.
Keegan drained a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers an 18-10 lead with 5:55 left in the third quarter. It's the largest lead the Cheesemakers would have. The Blackhawks rebounded with Emma Reed scoring on a layup and hitting two free throws to tie the game at 19. The tie was short-lived as Keegan knocked down two free throws to give the Cheesemakers a 21-19 lead.
Adams scored on a putback with 6:34 left in the third quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 25-19 lead. The Blackhawks got as close as three points on Reed's layup. The Cheesemakers hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final 1:52 to seal the win. Monroe finished the game 76.9 percent from the free throw line (10 of 13). Reed scored a game-high 13 points for the Blackhawks.
"We haven't played against a 1-3-1 zone much this year," Keegan said. "I thought we did a decent job. I know I had some turnovers in the first half. They have a lot of length and are scrappy. They are good at getting loose balls. It's kind of frustrating, but we won."
Fort Atkinson finished the game shooting 17 percent (7 of 41) compared to 30 percent for the Cheesemakers (9 of 30).
"To hold them to 24 points is a nice defensive effort," Mathiason said. "It was a low-scoring defensive type of game. We just have to keep trying to get better."
Alacia Keegan scored a team-high 11 points to propel Monroe to a 31-24 win Tuesday in a defensive battle. Keegan, who will play basketball at Loras College in Dubuque next year, had five rebounds, three blocked shots and hit two 3-pointers.
"It was definitely emotional because my mom is an assistant coach and she always reads a poem before the game," Alacia Keegan said. "I knew this would be one of the last times I would hear it because it was Senior Night.
"The last time we played Fort Atkinson we didn't play our best. I'm just glad we were able to finish."
Monroe (8-12, 3-8 Badger South) got off to a slow start trying to attack the Blackhawks' 1-3-1 zone that featured some pesky halfcourt traps. Monroe sophomore Lexi Hilliard drilled a 3-pointer and junior Maddie Kallgren hit a baseline jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 5-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cheesemakers stymied Fort Atkinson holding the Blackhawks without a field goal for 13 minutes, 30 seconds in the first half. Fort Atkinson senior Ashley Wiesmann knocked down a jumper with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left in the second quarter to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 9-4.
Monroe sophomore Jordan Hirsbrunner, who scored six points, banked in a layup before the buzzer to give the Cheesemakers a 15-10 lead at the half.
Despite shooting 15.7 percent in the first half (3 of 19), the Blackhawks were within five points in part due to the Cheesemakers committing 13 of their 19 turnovers in the first half.
"They have that great length on the top and in the middle of that zone," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "You have to be patient. Any time you play a zone, it makes you make more passes. You have to see where your opportunities are to attack and keep probing."
Getting the ball down low to 6-footers Keegan and freshman Sydney Mathiason proved to be a challenge.
"You would think you get it down low," Sam Mathiason said. "Any time the ball goes to the baseline (with Emma Reed running back and forth) it's like a 2-3 zone. I thought we had some opportunities with diagonal passes, but you don't want to force it."
Monroe junior Brooke Adams scored four points and had a team-high nine rebounds. Hilliard and Kallgren each chipped in four points. Sydney Mathiason added seven rebounds.
Keegan drained a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers an 18-10 lead with 5:55 left in the third quarter. It's the largest lead the Cheesemakers would have. The Blackhawks rebounded with Emma Reed scoring on a layup and hitting two free throws to tie the game at 19. The tie was short-lived as Keegan knocked down two free throws to give the Cheesemakers a 21-19 lead.
Adams scored on a putback with 6:34 left in the third quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 25-19 lead. The Blackhawks got as close as three points on Reed's layup. The Cheesemakers hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final 1:52 to seal the win. Monroe finished the game 76.9 percent from the free throw line (10 of 13). Reed scored a game-high 13 points for the Blackhawks.
"We haven't played against a 1-3-1 zone much this year," Keegan said. "I thought we did a decent job. I know I had some turnovers in the first half. They have a lot of length and are scrappy. They are good at getting loose balls. It's kind of frustrating, but we won."
Fort Atkinson finished the game shooting 17 percent (7 of 41) compared to 30 percent for the Cheesemakers (9 of 30).
"To hold them to 24 points is a nice defensive effort," Mathiason said. "It was a low-scoring defensive type of game. We just have to keep trying to get better."
