MONROE - If the Monroe Cheesemakers looked like they were antsy to shoot the ball Monday night, it's because they were. When 12 3-pointers find the bottom of the net, everyone wants to keep shooting.
Monroe's barrage from beyond the arc and its diligence on the defensive end equaled a 60-22 routing of Brodhead at home.
The points didn't come quickly at first for Monroe. After the Cheesemakers took a 5-0 lead on the Cardinals behind two Mitch Tordoff jumpers - the second a 3-pointer - Brodhead (4-8 overall) made Monroe (12-0 overall) wait for its next offensive turn for nearly two minutes. The Cardinals slowed the tempo in hopes of keeping the possessions to a minimum and didn't hoist their first shot until four minutes into the game.
Once the Cheesemakers got the ball back across the half-court line, the points landslide continued. Junior guard Mitch McArdle drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key and then Tordoff hit from the left wing. Senior Brett Stangel - who hit a team-high four 3s and had a game-high 14 points - buried one from the right wing that gave Monroe a 14-0 lead.
Brodhead's Jaimie Pierson ended the 14-0 run by converting one of two free-throws with 33 seconds left in the first quarter.
Monroe head coach Pat Murphy was pleased the Cheesemakers didn't get ahead of themselves and found their game with the elements the Cardinals threw their way.
"I'm proud that our guys don't get too antsy about it and stick to the fundamentals," Murphy said of the Cheesemakers' patience on defense. "It's easy when you play that type of defense to kind of rush it on offense. It's hard to play that type of basketball."
McArdle - who hit two 3-pointers and finished with 10 points - admitted it was tough not to overplay and try to hoist up more shots.
"It's really frustrating when you're down there trying to stay in your defensive stance," McArdle said. "You go down there and jack a three and two seconds later we're down there playing defense for another two minutes just to get another five-second possession."
Even in defeat, Cardinals head coach Brian Kammerer was pleased with how his squad adjusted to the new gameplan.
"We wanted to run quite a bit of time off on each possession," Kammerer said. "The kids really responded to that. We haven't been a good ball-handling club. Credit to Monroe. They shot the lights out."
Brodhead's 6-7 freshman center J.J. Panoske impressed Murphy on the defensive end by recording five blocks, two on Monroe's 6-7 center Tony Cates.
"The last time I saw a kid block that many shots, his last name was Stiemsma," Murphy said, referencing University of Wisconsin senior center Greg Stiemsma.
Kammerer liked seeing his freshman show the toughness needed when a team runs into an elite program like the Cheesemakers.
"He knew, just like the rest of our team, that we were playing the best team in the state," Kammerer said. "He didn't back down. Maybe that's some of the freshman-ness in him, but I was proud with his performance."
Monroe's barrage from beyond the arc and its diligence on the defensive end equaled a 60-22 routing of Brodhead at home.
The points didn't come quickly at first for Monroe. After the Cheesemakers took a 5-0 lead on the Cardinals behind two Mitch Tordoff jumpers - the second a 3-pointer - Brodhead (4-8 overall) made Monroe (12-0 overall) wait for its next offensive turn for nearly two minutes. The Cardinals slowed the tempo in hopes of keeping the possessions to a minimum and didn't hoist their first shot until four minutes into the game.
Once the Cheesemakers got the ball back across the half-court line, the points landslide continued. Junior guard Mitch McArdle drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key and then Tordoff hit from the left wing. Senior Brett Stangel - who hit a team-high four 3s and had a game-high 14 points - buried one from the right wing that gave Monroe a 14-0 lead.
Brodhead's Jaimie Pierson ended the 14-0 run by converting one of two free-throws with 33 seconds left in the first quarter.
Monroe head coach Pat Murphy was pleased the Cheesemakers didn't get ahead of themselves and found their game with the elements the Cardinals threw their way.
"I'm proud that our guys don't get too antsy about it and stick to the fundamentals," Murphy said of the Cheesemakers' patience on defense. "It's easy when you play that type of defense to kind of rush it on offense. It's hard to play that type of basketball."
McArdle - who hit two 3-pointers and finished with 10 points - admitted it was tough not to overplay and try to hoist up more shots.
"It's really frustrating when you're down there trying to stay in your defensive stance," McArdle said. "You go down there and jack a three and two seconds later we're down there playing defense for another two minutes just to get another five-second possession."
Even in defeat, Cardinals head coach Brian Kammerer was pleased with how his squad adjusted to the new gameplan.
"We wanted to run quite a bit of time off on each possession," Kammerer said. "The kids really responded to that. We haven't been a good ball-handling club. Credit to Monroe. They shot the lights out."
Brodhead's 6-7 freshman center J.J. Panoske impressed Murphy on the defensive end by recording five blocks, two on Monroe's 6-7 center Tony Cates.
"The last time I saw a kid block that many shots, his last name was Stiemsma," Murphy said, referencing University of Wisconsin senior center Greg Stiemsma.
Kammerer liked seeing his freshman show the toughness needed when a team runs into an elite program like the Cheesemakers.
"He knew, just like the rest of our team, that we were playing the best team in the state," Kammerer said. "He didn't back down. Maybe that's some of the freshman-ness in him, but I was proud with his performance."
