MONROE - Brooke Adams and the Monroe girls basketball team gave basketball fans their money's worth against Fort Atkinson.
Adams scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Cheesemakers to a thrilling triple overtime win over Fort Atkinson 46-41 Monday. Adams drilled what proved to be the game-winning 3-pointer with 14.5 seconds to go in the third overtime.
"I had to take the shot because I was wide open," Adams said. "Once I took it, I didn't look back. I knew it wasn't over. The whole game was just crazy and a scrambled mess. It just feels good to pull this one out.
"It's a big step for all of us. It wasn't easy. It was a confidence booster. This is one of the wins we needed. We came out and got the result we wanted."
Monroe (4-10, 2-5 Badger South) had to overcome some adversity with seniors Taylor Barrett and Kayla Updike fouling out. The Cheesemakers caught a break when Fort Atkinson senior Emma Bare fouled out with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the third overtime. It was a team effort as the Cheesemakers received key contributions from several players.
Fort Atkinson junior Emma Reed hit a 3-pointer with 2:02 left in the final extra session to give the Blackhawks a 39-35 lead. The Cheesemakers answered with senior Kirsten Vetterli converting a conventional three-point play to slice the Blackhawks' lead to 40-39. Adams then tied the game at 41 on a slashing drive and layup. That set the stages for the thrilling finish.
"You never know who it will be and who will have to make that play," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "There are a lot of girls who made shots and a lot goes into a game like that to get a win. That is what makes it exciting."
Both teams had golden opportunities to win the game at the end of the fourth quarter. Monroe sophomore Maddie Kallgren missed a jumper in the waning seconds of the fourth and the Cheesemakers got a second chance by forcing a jump ball with 2.8 seconds to go. Updike missed a jumper at the buzzer at the end of regulation.
"It's just one of those situations where you see if you can get an opportunity," Mathiason said. "You just hope to find a seam."
Updike knocked down a clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key at the end of the second overtime to tie the game at 34 and send it to another extra session.
"Kayla and Brooke both made big 3-pointers that we needed," Mathiason said. "There were a lot of kids that contributed to a win like this."
Vetterli scored 11 points and had six rebounds. Junior Alacia Keegan scored seven points and had seven rebounds. Keegan stepped up and delivered in the first half with many of the Cheesemakers' post players in foul trouble.
Early on, it was the Cheesemakers that were in the driver's seat. The Cheesemakers went on a 10-0 run in the first quarter ignited by Keegan's jumper about midway through the first quarter that gave the Cheesemakers a 6-4 lead. Adams hit a jumper and senior Whitney Disch scored down low to give the Cheesemakers a 12-4 lead at the end of the period.
The Cheesemakers went about 7 minutes without a basket from the end of the first quarter that spanned into the second. Monroe junior MacKenzie Hesgard snapped the cold spell driving in for a layup late in the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 14-10 lead.
Reed, who scored a team-high 10 points all in the second half, gave the Blackhawks a lift. Fort Atkinson senior Kylie Coleman added 10 points.
The Cheesemakers made 17 of 25 free throws and the Blackhawks shot 51.6 percent just 16 of 31. The Blackhawks were just 1 of 4 from the free throw line in the final 1 minute. The Cheesemakers committed 17 of their 26 turnovers in the second half.
"We had to do the job on the defensive end," Mathiason said.
The Cheesemakers did just that limiting the Blackhawks to 26 percent shooting (12-for-46). Mathiason also noticed a difference in the final overtime.
"I thought we were much more aggressive in the last overtime," Mathiason said. "You can talk about having confidence. If you have a tough play in tough situations and have success that is what builds confidence."
Adams scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Cheesemakers to a thrilling triple overtime win over Fort Atkinson 46-41 Monday. Adams drilled what proved to be the game-winning 3-pointer with 14.5 seconds to go in the third overtime.
"I had to take the shot because I was wide open," Adams said. "Once I took it, I didn't look back. I knew it wasn't over. The whole game was just crazy and a scrambled mess. It just feels good to pull this one out.
"It's a big step for all of us. It wasn't easy. It was a confidence booster. This is one of the wins we needed. We came out and got the result we wanted."
Monroe (4-10, 2-5 Badger South) had to overcome some adversity with seniors Taylor Barrett and Kayla Updike fouling out. The Cheesemakers caught a break when Fort Atkinson senior Emma Bare fouled out with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the third overtime. It was a team effort as the Cheesemakers received key contributions from several players.
Fort Atkinson junior Emma Reed hit a 3-pointer with 2:02 left in the final extra session to give the Blackhawks a 39-35 lead. The Cheesemakers answered with senior Kirsten Vetterli converting a conventional three-point play to slice the Blackhawks' lead to 40-39. Adams then tied the game at 41 on a slashing drive and layup. That set the stages for the thrilling finish.
"You never know who it will be and who will have to make that play," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "There are a lot of girls who made shots and a lot goes into a game like that to get a win. That is what makes it exciting."
Both teams had golden opportunities to win the game at the end of the fourth quarter. Monroe sophomore Maddie Kallgren missed a jumper in the waning seconds of the fourth and the Cheesemakers got a second chance by forcing a jump ball with 2.8 seconds to go. Updike missed a jumper at the buzzer at the end of regulation.
"It's just one of those situations where you see if you can get an opportunity," Mathiason said. "You just hope to find a seam."
Updike knocked down a clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key at the end of the second overtime to tie the game at 34 and send it to another extra session.
"Kayla and Brooke both made big 3-pointers that we needed," Mathiason said. "There were a lot of kids that contributed to a win like this."
Vetterli scored 11 points and had six rebounds. Junior Alacia Keegan scored seven points and had seven rebounds. Keegan stepped up and delivered in the first half with many of the Cheesemakers' post players in foul trouble.
Early on, it was the Cheesemakers that were in the driver's seat. The Cheesemakers went on a 10-0 run in the first quarter ignited by Keegan's jumper about midway through the first quarter that gave the Cheesemakers a 6-4 lead. Adams hit a jumper and senior Whitney Disch scored down low to give the Cheesemakers a 12-4 lead at the end of the period.
The Cheesemakers went about 7 minutes without a basket from the end of the first quarter that spanned into the second. Monroe junior MacKenzie Hesgard snapped the cold spell driving in for a layup late in the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 14-10 lead.
Reed, who scored a team-high 10 points all in the second half, gave the Blackhawks a lift. Fort Atkinson senior Kylie Coleman added 10 points.
The Cheesemakers made 17 of 25 free throws and the Blackhawks shot 51.6 percent just 16 of 31. The Blackhawks were just 1 of 4 from the free throw line in the final 1 minute. The Cheesemakers committed 17 of their 26 turnovers in the second half.
"We had to do the job on the defensive end," Mathiason said.
The Cheesemakers did just that limiting the Blackhawks to 26 percent shooting (12-for-46). Mathiason also noticed a difference in the final overtime.
"I thought we were much more aggressive in the last overtime," Mathiason said. "You can talk about having confidence. If you have a tough play in tough situations and have success that is what builds confidence."
