MONROE - Sophomore Maddie Kallgren was at the center of Monroe's comeback 46-39 non-conference win over Elkhorn Saturday, Jan. 4.
Kallgren scored seven of her game-high 12 points in the second half and added three steals to help the Cheesemakers weather a storm that included four straight turnovers in the third quarter to erase a six-point deficit.
"It feels great," Kallgren said of the comeback. "It was a team effort. We played well on defense as a team and we got it done on offense. I think this will give us momentum."
Monroe (3-4, 1-1 Badger South) jumped out to a 9-5 lead behind senior Kirsten Vetterli who scored nine of her 10 points in the first half. The Cheesemakers limited the Elks to just four field goals in the first half and were tied at 21 after two quarters. The Elks lived at the free throw line in the first half and were able to stay within striking distance.
The Cheesemakers committed nine turnovers in the third quarter and had four straight in the period as the Elks went on a 6-0 run to build a 27-21 lead.
Monroe senior Kayla Updike drilled a 3-pointer to cut the Elk's lead to 27-24 and it snapped a Cheesemakers' scoring drought that lasted 3 minutes, 30 seconds. Kallgren came up with a clutch steal and layup with 1:50 left in the third quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 28-27 lead.
"Kayla's three-pointer helped break the ice in the third quarter," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We had some different people step up and hit big shots. It's another step in the road for us. I thought the girls responded well at the end of the third quarter and in the fourth quarter. I'm really proud of the girls for finding a way to win."
Vetterli wasn't sure the Cheesemakers could cap the comeback until later in the second half.
"We just had to pick ourselves back up because we were getting in a hole," Vetterli said. "For a while, I didn't think we would be able to come back. Once we started hitting our shots, I knew we had a good chance to come back and win. We had better execution on offense and we started making smart passes."
The Cheesemakers put the game away with a 9-2 fourth quarter run. Monroe junior MacKenzie Hesgard knocked down a 3-pointer with 5:40 left in the fourth quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 35-30 lead. Monroe senior Taylor Barrett, who scored eight points, hit a jumper and Kallgren came up with a steal and layup to give the Cheesemakers' a 39-31 lead with about 3 minutes to go.
"Kayla and MacKenzie's three-pointers seemed like they came at the right time," Mathiason said.
The Elks wouldn't go down quietly as they turned to a press to force a couple of turnovers. Elkhorn's Abbie Kolacke had a steal and hit a jumper with 19 seconds to go to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 43-37. Kolacke scored on a putback with 6.9 seconds left to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 43-39, but that is as close as the Elks would get.
The Cheesemakers were also able to get putbacks from Barrett and Kallgren in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
"Any time you can get offensive rebounds and convert on putbacks it doesn't allow their defense to set up," Mathiason said.
Kallgren scored seven of her game-high 12 points in the second half and added three steals to help the Cheesemakers weather a storm that included four straight turnovers in the third quarter to erase a six-point deficit.
"It feels great," Kallgren said of the comeback. "It was a team effort. We played well on defense as a team and we got it done on offense. I think this will give us momentum."
Monroe (3-4, 1-1 Badger South) jumped out to a 9-5 lead behind senior Kirsten Vetterli who scored nine of her 10 points in the first half. The Cheesemakers limited the Elks to just four field goals in the first half and were tied at 21 after two quarters. The Elks lived at the free throw line in the first half and were able to stay within striking distance.
The Cheesemakers committed nine turnovers in the third quarter and had four straight in the period as the Elks went on a 6-0 run to build a 27-21 lead.
Monroe senior Kayla Updike drilled a 3-pointer to cut the Elk's lead to 27-24 and it snapped a Cheesemakers' scoring drought that lasted 3 minutes, 30 seconds. Kallgren came up with a clutch steal and layup with 1:50 left in the third quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 28-27 lead.
"Kayla's three-pointer helped break the ice in the third quarter," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We had some different people step up and hit big shots. It's another step in the road for us. I thought the girls responded well at the end of the third quarter and in the fourth quarter. I'm really proud of the girls for finding a way to win."
Vetterli wasn't sure the Cheesemakers could cap the comeback until later in the second half.
"We just had to pick ourselves back up because we were getting in a hole," Vetterli said. "For a while, I didn't think we would be able to come back. Once we started hitting our shots, I knew we had a good chance to come back and win. We had better execution on offense and we started making smart passes."
The Cheesemakers put the game away with a 9-2 fourth quarter run. Monroe junior MacKenzie Hesgard knocked down a 3-pointer with 5:40 left in the fourth quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 35-30 lead. Monroe senior Taylor Barrett, who scored eight points, hit a jumper and Kallgren came up with a steal and layup to give the Cheesemakers' a 39-31 lead with about 3 minutes to go.
"Kayla and MacKenzie's three-pointers seemed like they came at the right time," Mathiason said.
The Elks wouldn't go down quietly as they turned to a press to force a couple of turnovers. Elkhorn's Abbie Kolacke had a steal and hit a jumper with 19 seconds to go to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 43-37. Kolacke scored on a putback with 6.9 seconds left to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 43-39, but that is as close as the Elks would get.
The Cheesemakers were also able to get putbacks from Barrett and Kallgren in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
"Any time you can get offensive rebounds and convert on putbacks it doesn't allow their defense to set up," Mathiason said.
