MONROE - Senior post player Hannah Vetterli served as the spark plug the Monroe High School girls basketball team needed in the second half Tuesday.
Vetterli scored 11 of her 15 points during a 16-3 second-half run that helped kick-start the Cheesemakers to a 77-57 win over Milton.
"It shows and proves that we can do it," Vetterli said. "I think our defense played a big role. We really played well as a team on offense."
Monroe freshman Emily Benzschawel scored a game-high 22 points, and freshman Sydney Hilliard had a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
"The win felt really good," Benzschawel said. "After coming off a couple of losses it felt good to get a win at home. I think the key was taking it to the lane if it was open. Getting an open jump shot always gives you more confidence. I missed a couple of shots driving into the lane and then I made a couple of free throws and it felt like I was in a groove."
After clinging to a three-point lead at the half, Monroe (4-6, 2-3 Badger South) quickly went on a roll in the second half. Vetterli scored the first seven points of the second half. She had a putback and a three-point play to give the Cheesemakers a 38-31 lead with 15 minutes, 51 seconds left in the game. Hilliard scored on a layup and Vetterli scored on two putbacks to give the Cheesemakers a 47-31 lead with 13:58 to go.
"It's one of those things where you try to take advantage of your opportunities, and she (Vetterli) did a nice job of that tonight," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We got contributions from a lot of kids. It was a nice team win."
Milton sophomore Kailey Harbort scored 22 points, but was just 1-for-6 shooting in the second half. The Cheesemakers switched to a 2-3 zone to stop the Red Hawks' penetration and to limit Harbort's scoring opportunities down low.
"I thought in the first half they got into the lane too much," Mathiason said. "We had to work harder to keep them out of the lane. I went to a 2-3 zone to change it up. I wanted to try to give them a different look. It worked out a lot better than I thought it would."
Benzschawel had the hot shooting hand early on. She scored on a layup and then hit a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 17-14 lead with 6:30 left in the first half. Monroe junior Lexi Hilliard banked in a shot and was fouled. She converted the three-point play by knocking down the free throw to give the Cheesemakers a 28-23 lead with 3:25 to go in the first half.
Lexi Hilliard added seven points and sophomore Sydney Mathiason had five points and eight rebounds.
Harbort kept the Red Hawks in striking distance by scoring 15 of her team's 28 points in the first half.
The Red Hawks battled back from a 16-point second half deficit. Harbort scored her only basket of the second half on a putback with 4:35 left to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 63-53.
"I think coach Mathiason just wanted to change it up," Vetterli said of the Cheesemakers' switch to a
2-3 zone in the second half. "I think it took them out of their offense because they couldn't just rely on her (Harbort)."
Milton sophomore Kylie Campion drilled a 3-pointer with 4:20 to go that sliced the Cheesemakers' lead to 65-56. That was as close as the Red Hawks would get as the Cheesemakers closed the game with a 14-4 run.
The Cheesemakers made 29 of 45 free throws, including 5 of 10 in the final 2:20 to preserve a big lead.
Monroe will host Waunakee on Friday and then play at Freeport on Saturday.
Mathiason said it's like a tune-up for the WIAA regional schedule when games are played Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
"Mentally and physically you have to know what to be ready to do," Mathiason said. "Waunakee is one of the top teams in the Badger North. We just want to keep finding ways to improve. You just try to stay positive and get the best out of your ability."
Vetterli scored 11 of her 15 points during a 16-3 second-half run that helped kick-start the Cheesemakers to a 77-57 win over Milton.
"It shows and proves that we can do it," Vetterli said. "I think our defense played a big role. We really played well as a team on offense."
Monroe freshman Emily Benzschawel scored a game-high 22 points, and freshman Sydney Hilliard had a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
"The win felt really good," Benzschawel said. "After coming off a couple of losses it felt good to get a win at home. I think the key was taking it to the lane if it was open. Getting an open jump shot always gives you more confidence. I missed a couple of shots driving into the lane and then I made a couple of free throws and it felt like I was in a groove."
After clinging to a three-point lead at the half, Monroe (4-6, 2-3 Badger South) quickly went on a roll in the second half. Vetterli scored the first seven points of the second half. She had a putback and a three-point play to give the Cheesemakers a 38-31 lead with 15 minutes, 51 seconds left in the game. Hilliard scored on a layup and Vetterli scored on two putbacks to give the Cheesemakers a 47-31 lead with 13:58 to go.
"It's one of those things where you try to take advantage of your opportunities, and she (Vetterli) did a nice job of that tonight," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We got contributions from a lot of kids. It was a nice team win."
Milton sophomore Kailey Harbort scored 22 points, but was just 1-for-6 shooting in the second half. The Cheesemakers switched to a 2-3 zone to stop the Red Hawks' penetration and to limit Harbort's scoring opportunities down low.
"I thought in the first half they got into the lane too much," Mathiason said. "We had to work harder to keep them out of the lane. I went to a 2-3 zone to change it up. I wanted to try to give them a different look. It worked out a lot better than I thought it would."
Benzschawel had the hot shooting hand early on. She scored on a layup and then hit a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 17-14 lead with 6:30 left in the first half. Monroe junior Lexi Hilliard banked in a shot and was fouled. She converted the three-point play by knocking down the free throw to give the Cheesemakers a 28-23 lead with 3:25 to go in the first half.
Lexi Hilliard added seven points and sophomore Sydney Mathiason had five points and eight rebounds.
Harbort kept the Red Hawks in striking distance by scoring 15 of her team's 28 points in the first half.
The Red Hawks battled back from a 16-point second half deficit. Harbort scored her only basket of the second half on a putback with 4:35 left to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 63-53.
"I think coach Mathiason just wanted to change it up," Vetterli said of the Cheesemakers' switch to a
2-3 zone in the second half. "I think it took them out of their offense because they couldn't just rely on her (Harbort)."
Milton sophomore Kylie Campion drilled a 3-pointer with 4:20 to go that sliced the Cheesemakers' lead to 65-56. That was as close as the Red Hawks would get as the Cheesemakers closed the game with a 14-4 run.
The Cheesemakers made 29 of 45 free throws, including 5 of 10 in the final 2:20 to preserve a big lead.
Monroe will host Waunakee on Friday and then play at Freeport on Saturday.
Mathiason said it's like a tune-up for the WIAA regional schedule when games are played Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
"Mentally and physically you have to know what to be ready to do," Mathiason said. "Waunakee is one of the top teams in the Badger North. We just want to keep finding ways to improve. You just try to stay positive and get the best out of your ability."
