MONONA - Pat Murphy was pleased his Cheesemakers were just hungry enough Friday night in Monona.
Monroe went on its customary runs and three-point binges in the Cheesemakers' 56-34 victory, but the Silver Eagles took care of business on the offensive glass which left Murphy scratching his head.
"I just thought we played either really pretty good or not really (well)," Murphy said. "It was feast or famine how I like to say."
The Cheesemakers (17-0, 11-0 Badger South Conference) were beat 5-3 on the offensive glass by the Silver Eagles (7-12, 4-8 Badger South). The margin is small, but Monona Grove was missing its biggest asset, Mitch Alexander (on crutches) and his fill-in center Zak Manthe had three fouls in the first half.
"I just thought they were more physical," Murphy said. "They were out their biggest kid and we still only get one offensive rebound (in the first half). I wasn't happy."
Monroe's guard combination of Mitch Tordoff and Brett Stangel led the way with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Stangel got the Cheesemakers off to a strong start by hitting his first 3-pointer from the left corner. The senior then showcased a deft passing eye, finding Tony Cates in the middle of the paint surrounded by Silver Eagles for two and a 10-2 lead.
With just under three minutes left in the first quarter, Tordoff and Stangel worked another inbounds play to perfection as they have all season. This one was a just a simple pass-and-catch on the baseline with Stangel faking a move to the paint and popping out for a short jumper on the left baseline.
Trailing 14-7 after the first quarter, the Silver Eagles cut their deficit down to two points when junior Aaron Kondrasuk stole a rebound away from Chase Sellnow for a putback. Forty seconds later, Max Retzlaff - who led Monona Grove with 12 points - drilled a 3-pointer from left of the key.
The Cheesemakers stopped the bleeding and closed out the half on a 16-2 outburst highlighted by two Tordoff 3-pointers, a Stangel 3-pointer and Stangel's rifled pass down Cates on the left block for a two and a foul. Stangel finished with four assists and Cates had 10 points, going a perfect 2-for-2 from the line.
Monona Grove opened the fourth quarter with a quick 8-3 run that included two offensive rebounds and inside buckets with contact, drawing a quick timeout from Murphy to stop the momentum shift. Murphy reminded his starters when he was able to pull them late in fourth quarter that they can't come out like that tonight when the Cheesemakers cross the stateline for a game with a physical Freeport team.
"I just told the guys that we're going to have to be a lot more consistent tomorrow and be tough with the ball," Murphy said. "I think this got kind of physical. Tomorrow night is going to be 100 times more physical."
Monroe went on its customary runs and three-point binges in the Cheesemakers' 56-34 victory, but the Silver Eagles took care of business on the offensive glass which left Murphy scratching his head.
"I just thought we played either really pretty good or not really (well)," Murphy said. "It was feast or famine how I like to say."
The Cheesemakers (17-0, 11-0 Badger South Conference) were beat 5-3 on the offensive glass by the Silver Eagles (7-12, 4-8 Badger South). The margin is small, but Monona Grove was missing its biggest asset, Mitch Alexander (on crutches) and his fill-in center Zak Manthe had three fouls in the first half.
"I just thought they were more physical," Murphy said. "They were out their biggest kid and we still only get one offensive rebound (in the first half). I wasn't happy."
Monroe's guard combination of Mitch Tordoff and Brett Stangel led the way with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Stangel got the Cheesemakers off to a strong start by hitting his first 3-pointer from the left corner. The senior then showcased a deft passing eye, finding Tony Cates in the middle of the paint surrounded by Silver Eagles for two and a 10-2 lead.
With just under three minutes left in the first quarter, Tordoff and Stangel worked another inbounds play to perfection as they have all season. This one was a just a simple pass-and-catch on the baseline with Stangel faking a move to the paint and popping out for a short jumper on the left baseline.
Trailing 14-7 after the first quarter, the Silver Eagles cut their deficit down to two points when junior Aaron Kondrasuk stole a rebound away from Chase Sellnow for a putback. Forty seconds later, Max Retzlaff - who led Monona Grove with 12 points - drilled a 3-pointer from left of the key.
The Cheesemakers stopped the bleeding and closed out the half on a 16-2 outburst highlighted by two Tordoff 3-pointers, a Stangel 3-pointer and Stangel's rifled pass down Cates on the left block for a two and a foul. Stangel finished with four assists and Cates had 10 points, going a perfect 2-for-2 from the line.
Monona Grove opened the fourth quarter with a quick 8-3 run that included two offensive rebounds and inside buckets with contact, drawing a quick timeout from Murphy to stop the momentum shift. Murphy reminded his starters when he was able to pull them late in fourth quarter that they can't come out like that tonight when the Cheesemakers cross the stateline for a game with a physical Freeport team.
"I just told the guys that we're going to have to be a lot more consistent tomorrow and be tough with the ball," Murphy said. "I think this got kind of physical. Tomorrow night is going to be 100 times more physical."
