MONROE - Joe Latimer led a balanced Cheesemakers' attack that showed a lot of offensive firepower, but he said the team's mission was bottling up and frustrating Clinton senior Cody Risseeuw, leading to as season-opening 73-60 win over the Cougars in a non-conference game Friday night.
"We knew if (Risseeuw) was out of the game they didn't have much left on the team," said Latimer, who scored a game-high 19 points. "He was more of a hot head. We wanted to take some charges on him and get him out of the game."
That game plan worked to a tee as Risseeuw, the Rock Valley Conference Player of the Year last year who averaged 13.5 points per game, battled foul trouble throughout the game and fouled out with 3 minutes, 2 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. Risseeuw played about four minutes in the first half, and he finished with 13 points and was called for two charges.
Four Monroe players scored in double figures. In addition to Latimer, senior Alex Barenklau scored 17 points, senior Brian Schneider added 12 and junior Jake Hirsbrunner chipped in 10 off the bench. Schneider scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter.
Risseeuw knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to five points in the fourth quarter, but Schneider scored down low and was fouled with 4:30 left. He converted the three-point play by sinking the free throw, giving the Cheesemakers a 59-51 lead. Schneider later drilled a clutch 3-pointer with 3:54 to go to give the Cheesemakers a 62-51 lead.
"No one is scared to take the big shots," said Barenklau, who scored 10 points in the third quarter. "I think we have plenty of guys who can make the big shots. On any given night, anyone can get in double figures. This is probably the most unselfish team I have played on. No one cares who gets the glory. We just want to win."
Monroe coach Pat Murphy liked the offensive production, but he was concerned the Cheesemakers gave up 60 points total and seven offensive rebounds in the second half.
"I told the guys after the game a lot of people may think 'what happened to the Monroe defense,'" Murphy said. "I think they got their hands on way too many offensive rebounds. That is just unacceptable. We have to get better before we play a team with more athletes like Beloit Memorial next Friday or it won't be pretty."
The Cheesemakers got off to a rocky start with three turnovers on their first four possessions in the first quarter as the Cougars jumped out to a 7-0 lead. After Risseeuw picked up his second foul with 5:52 left in the first quarter he was forced to the bench and Monroe went on a 15-6 run.
A surge was sparked by Hirsbrunner scoring eight points in the first half. He scored on a driving layup and was fouled. He converted the three-point play, and Latimer followed with his own three-point play to tie the game at 13 with 1:28 left in the period.
"One of our goals is to have three people in double figures," Latimer said. "We always joke around and say we want five. I have worked hard on my jump shot because I want to be a versatile player and not always go inside."
Risseeuw picked up his third foul early in the second quarter, and the Cheesemakers responded with an 11-2 run. Schneider scored down low and Latimer hit a 3-pointer to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 23-16. Hirsbrunner knocked down a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 28-18 lead. The Cheesemakers lived at the free throw line, shooting 16 in the first half. They finished the game 20-of-27 from the charity stripe.
It didn't take the Cougars long to erase a 10-point halftime deficit. Clinton's Matt Paschke, who scored nine of his 11 points in the third quarter. He hit a 3-pointer and scored on a layup with 5:22 to go in the period, slicing the lead to 39-33. Risseeuw later drilled a 3-pointer to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to five, but Barenklau answered by hitting a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 46-38. Risseeuw picked up his fourth foul with 1:10 left in the third quarter.
"He may have thought he was getting some cruddy calls," Murphy said. "There are three officials out there. You work on the fundamentals for a reason. It all starts with on the ball defense. You can never have enough guys who want to take a charge."
"We knew if (Risseeuw) was out of the game they didn't have much left on the team," said Latimer, who scored a game-high 19 points. "He was more of a hot head. We wanted to take some charges on him and get him out of the game."
That game plan worked to a tee as Risseeuw, the Rock Valley Conference Player of the Year last year who averaged 13.5 points per game, battled foul trouble throughout the game and fouled out with 3 minutes, 2 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. Risseeuw played about four minutes in the first half, and he finished with 13 points and was called for two charges.
Four Monroe players scored in double figures. In addition to Latimer, senior Alex Barenklau scored 17 points, senior Brian Schneider added 12 and junior Jake Hirsbrunner chipped in 10 off the bench. Schneider scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter.
Risseeuw knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to five points in the fourth quarter, but Schneider scored down low and was fouled with 4:30 left. He converted the three-point play by sinking the free throw, giving the Cheesemakers a 59-51 lead. Schneider later drilled a clutch 3-pointer with 3:54 to go to give the Cheesemakers a 62-51 lead.
"No one is scared to take the big shots," said Barenklau, who scored 10 points in the third quarter. "I think we have plenty of guys who can make the big shots. On any given night, anyone can get in double figures. This is probably the most unselfish team I have played on. No one cares who gets the glory. We just want to win."
Monroe coach Pat Murphy liked the offensive production, but he was concerned the Cheesemakers gave up 60 points total and seven offensive rebounds in the second half.
"I told the guys after the game a lot of people may think 'what happened to the Monroe defense,'" Murphy said. "I think they got their hands on way too many offensive rebounds. That is just unacceptable. We have to get better before we play a team with more athletes like Beloit Memorial next Friday or it won't be pretty."
The Cheesemakers got off to a rocky start with three turnovers on their first four possessions in the first quarter as the Cougars jumped out to a 7-0 lead. After Risseeuw picked up his second foul with 5:52 left in the first quarter he was forced to the bench and Monroe went on a 15-6 run.
A surge was sparked by Hirsbrunner scoring eight points in the first half. He scored on a driving layup and was fouled. He converted the three-point play, and Latimer followed with his own three-point play to tie the game at 13 with 1:28 left in the period.
"One of our goals is to have three people in double figures," Latimer said. "We always joke around and say we want five. I have worked hard on my jump shot because I want to be a versatile player and not always go inside."
Risseeuw picked up his third foul early in the second quarter, and the Cheesemakers responded with an 11-2 run. Schneider scored down low and Latimer hit a 3-pointer to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 23-16. Hirsbrunner knocked down a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 28-18 lead. The Cheesemakers lived at the free throw line, shooting 16 in the first half. They finished the game 20-of-27 from the charity stripe.
It didn't take the Cougars long to erase a 10-point halftime deficit. Clinton's Matt Paschke, who scored nine of his 11 points in the third quarter. He hit a 3-pointer and scored on a layup with 5:22 to go in the period, slicing the lead to 39-33. Risseeuw later drilled a 3-pointer to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to five, but Barenklau answered by hitting a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 46-38. Risseeuw picked up his fourth foul with 1:10 left in the third quarter.
"He may have thought he was getting some cruddy calls," Murphy said. "There are three officials out there. You work on the fundamentals for a reason. It all starts with on the ball defense. You can never have enough guys who want to take a charge."
