MONROE - In a spirited Senior Night, Chandra McGuire had a nose for the ball with the Monroe girls basketball team on the brink of upsetting Milton.
McGuire forced a jump ball with 7.4 seconds left and the Cheesemakers down by one point to Milton (15-7). She was then fouled on a shot with 1 second to go. McGuire missed the first free throw but knocked down the second to tie the game at 46. Monroe junior Kayla Updike stole the inbound pass but couldn't get off a shot before the buzzer. Milton senior Stephanie Stair scored on a layup in overtime and the Red Hawks made 6 of 6 free throws in the extra session to pull out a 59-52 win over the Cheesemakers.
"Overall, I was just really proud of their effort," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "I think as a team with one win they could have cashed it in a long time ago, and they haven't. They have competed and battled all the way."
Monroe (1-21, 0-12 Badger South) had a lot of contributions with three players in double figures. Monroe junior Taylor Barrett, playing for the first time since Jan. 10 due to a meniscus injury, scored a team-high 13 points. Seniors Briana Katzenberger and Heather Barta each had 10 points. McGuire scored seven points hitting 7 of 10 free throws, but she couldn't forget the front end of a bonus free throw she missed with 1 second left in regulation.
"You have to have confidence in yourself," McGuire said. "I just wish I would have made that one because I could have won the game. I feel like I let my team down on Senior Night."
Barrett was happy to be back on the court playing basketball after missing 12 games this season including the last 10.
"It felt like I never stopped," Barrett said. "It was Senior Night and that gave us some extra motivation. We wanted to win it for the seniors. I have a lot of respect for my team, for moving the ball like we did. We just didn't finish."
The final 1 minute, 30 seconds in the fourth quarter was a whirlwind. Katzenberger scored on a layup after a drive to the basket to give the Cheesemakers a 43-42 lead. Milton senior Morgan Blumer, a Division I Florida Gulf Coast recruit who scored a game-high 22 points, drilled a 3-pointer to give the Red Hawks a 45-43 lead with 1:10 left. Barrett scored on a layup and was fouled with 55.9 seconds to go. She converted the conventional three-point play at the foul line to give the Cheesemakers a 46-45 lead. That set the stage for the thrilling finish.
"It's hard because we all tried so hard," Katzenberger said. "I know as a team we fight hard every second of every game."
Blumer played about the final 8 minutes of the game that spanned the fourth quarter and overtime in foul trouble. She picked up her third foul with 2:37 to go in the third quarter and went to the bench for a quick break. She returned and, despite the Cheesemakers attacking the basket, she played the fourth quarter and overtime without picking up another foul.
Mathiason said as good as Blumer is she seems to find ways to score.
"She's a scholarship kid and made plays like a scholarship kid does," Mathiason said. "She is one of the smartest I have seen to be able to play with fouls and know how to not be able to get the next one. They just made a few more plays than we did."
McGuire forced a jump ball with 7.4 seconds left and the Cheesemakers down by one point to Milton (15-7). She was then fouled on a shot with 1 second to go. McGuire missed the first free throw but knocked down the second to tie the game at 46. Monroe junior Kayla Updike stole the inbound pass but couldn't get off a shot before the buzzer. Milton senior Stephanie Stair scored on a layup in overtime and the Red Hawks made 6 of 6 free throws in the extra session to pull out a 59-52 win over the Cheesemakers.
"Overall, I was just really proud of their effort," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "I think as a team with one win they could have cashed it in a long time ago, and they haven't. They have competed and battled all the way."
Monroe (1-21, 0-12 Badger South) had a lot of contributions with three players in double figures. Monroe junior Taylor Barrett, playing for the first time since Jan. 10 due to a meniscus injury, scored a team-high 13 points. Seniors Briana Katzenberger and Heather Barta each had 10 points. McGuire scored seven points hitting 7 of 10 free throws, but she couldn't forget the front end of a bonus free throw she missed with 1 second left in regulation.
"You have to have confidence in yourself," McGuire said. "I just wish I would have made that one because I could have won the game. I feel like I let my team down on Senior Night."
Barrett was happy to be back on the court playing basketball after missing 12 games this season including the last 10.
"It felt like I never stopped," Barrett said. "It was Senior Night and that gave us some extra motivation. We wanted to win it for the seniors. I have a lot of respect for my team, for moving the ball like we did. We just didn't finish."
The final 1 minute, 30 seconds in the fourth quarter was a whirlwind. Katzenberger scored on a layup after a drive to the basket to give the Cheesemakers a 43-42 lead. Milton senior Morgan Blumer, a Division I Florida Gulf Coast recruit who scored a game-high 22 points, drilled a 3-pointer to give the Red Hawks a 45-43 lead with 1:10 left. Barrett scored on a layup and was fouled with 55.9 seconds to go. She converted the conventional three-point play at the foul line to give the Cheesemakers a 46-45 lead. That set the stage for the thrilling finish.
"It's hard because we all tried so hard," Katzenberger said. "I know as a team we fight hard every second of every game."
Blumer played about the final 8 minutes of the game that spanned the fourth quarter and overtime in foul trouble. She picked up her third foul with 2:37 to go in the third quarter and went to the bench for a quick break. She returned and, despite the Cheesemakers attacking the basket, she played the fourth quarter and overtime without picking up another foul.
Mathiason said as good as Blumer is she seems to find ways to score.
"She's a scholarship kid and made plays like a scholarship kid does," Mathiason said. "She is one of the smartest I have seen to be able to play with fouls and know how to not be able to get the next one. They just made a few more plays than we did."
