OREGON - Monroe High School girls basketball coach Sam Mathiason understands the second time through the Badger South Conference will not be easy for the leader in the standings.
That proved true right away as the Cheesemakers trailed by eight points early on and were able to rally for a nail-biting 55-51 comeback win over Oregon on Friday.
The Cheesemakers scored a 64-37 victory over Oregon on Dec. 2.
"We know everyone will come out against us and give it their best shot," Mathiason said. "We had to find a way to get it done. I was proud of the girls. They found a way to finish and get the win tonight."
On Friday, Oregon played a 2-3 zone defense and jumped out to a 16-8 lead before the Cheesemakers mounted a comeback. Monroe (12-1, 7-0 Badger South), ranked fourth in the Associated Press Division 2 state poll, closed the first half strong and led 31-24 at halftime.
"I thought we ran a little bit better and moved the ball well," Mathiason said. "We got some opportunities we were able to take advantage of in the lane. We did a lot better job of driving into their zone."
Monroe sophomore Sydney Hilliard scored a game-high 25 points. Junior Sydney Mathiason added 14 points, and sophomore Emily Benzschawel had 11 points.
The Cheesemakers led by as many as 11 points in the second half before the Panthers clawed their way back. Oregon junior Ellen McCorkle scored a team-high 20 points. Oregon junior Taylor Schmidt was also back from a leg injury.
"Taylor Schmidt is a three-year varsity player, and I think that gave them some more energy and an extra bounce," Mathiason said.
Hilliard scored on a putback to give the Cheesemakers a 52-45 lead with 3 minutes, 43 seconds left. Oregon senior Katie Uhl then knocked down a 3-pointer to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 52-48.
Uhl drilled four 3-pointers for 12 points.
The Cheesemakers made just 3 of 7 free throws in the final minute. However, Monroe senior Lexi Hilliard made two free throws in the closing seconds to give the Cheesemakers a 54-51 lead.
"It's the nature of the game," Mathiason said of the missed free throws late. "We miss some free throws and they go down and hit a couple of 3s. Sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't. Even though they didn't go in we were not hanging our heads. We were hustling back to get rebounds."
That proved true right away as the Cheesemakers trailed by eight points early on and were able to rally for a nail-biting 55-51 comeback win over Oregon on Friday.
The Cheesemakers scored a 64-37 victory over Oregon on Dec. 2.
"We know everyone will come out against us and give it their best shot," Mathiason said. "We had to find a way to get it done. I was proud of the girls. They found a way to finish and get the win tonight."
On Friday, Oregon played a 2-3 zone defense and jumped out to a 16-8 lead before the Cheesemakers mounted a comeback. Monroe (12-1, 7-0 Badger South), ranked fourth in the Associated Press Division 2 state poll, closed the first half strong and led 31-24 at halftime.
"I thought we ran a little bit better and moved the ball well," Mathiason said. "We got some opportunities we were able to take advantage of in the lane. We did a lot better job of driving into their zone."
Monroe sophomore Sydney Hilliard scored a game-high 25 points. Junior Sydney Mathiason added 14 points, and sophomore Emily Benzschawel had 11 points.
The Cheesemakers led by as many as 11 points in the second half before the Panthers clawed their way back. Oregon junior Ellen McCorkle scored a team-high 20 points. Oregon junior Taylor Schmidt was also back from a leg injury.
"Taylor Schmidt is a three-year varsity player, and I think that gave them some more energy and an extra bounce," Mathiason said.
Hilliard scored on a putback to give the Cheesemakers a 52-45 lead with 3 minutes, 43 seconds left. Oregon senior Katie Uhl then knocked down a 3-pointer to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 52-48.
Uhl drilled four 3-pointers for 12 points.
The Cheesemakers made just 3 of 7 free throws in the final minute. However, Monroe senior Lexi Hilliard made two free throws in the closing seconds to give the Cheesemakers a 54-51 lead.
"It's the nature of the game," Mathiason said of the missed free throws late. "We miss some free throws and they go down and hit a couple of 3s. Sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't. Even though they didn't go in we were not hanging our heads. We were hustling back to get rebounds."
