MONROE - Kirsten Vetterli was well aware of the challenge that awaited Monroe against a tall and talented Oregon team.
Oregon, led by 6-foot-1-inch Maddy Gits, also features a team with two other players at 5-11 and another at 6-1. Oregon sophomore Riley Rosemeyer scored nine points and had 10 rebounds, and Gits added seven points and nine rebounds to propel the Panthers to a 40-30 win over Monroe Thursday night.
"It's really challenging," said Vetterli, who scored six points and had 10 rebounds for the Cheesemakers. "As a post player, you have to keep working hard down there. They have a lot of talent as a team. You just have to keep moving around on defense. I just wanted to focus on defense because that is where I struggle."
Vetterli takes the game as a learning experience since the Cheesemakers (1-14, 0-7 Badger South) were playing without Vanessa Studer (knee) and Taylor Barrett (knee).
"We can put up a big fight," Vetterli said. "When we start getting down on ourselves, we have to keep thinking we can do it. We got down on ourselves and were in a hole. We couldn't dig out of it because we didn't have enough time left."
Monroe junior Kayla Updike, who scored a team-high eight points, made two jumpers to give the Cheesemakers a spark in the fourth quarter. The second jumper Updike knocked down cut the Panthers' lead to 31-27 with 5 minutes, 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter. In a little more than a minute, Oregon (6-8, 3-4) extended a six point lead to 11. Oregon freshman Cassidy Nikolai drilled a 3-pointer and Maranda Ricker scored on a layup on the break to give the Panthers a 38-27 lead with less than three minutes to go.
Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said several games have come down to a couple possessions that lead to a big run. Monroe has been on the wrong end of several of those instances, having won just one game all year.
"No one wants to be part of a one-win team," Mathiason said. "I thought our attitude and effort was great. I'm just happy they didn't give up. They battled all the way through. We just have to keep working. All you can do is keep improving."
The Panthers jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first quarter after Gits scored down low. She scored five of her seven points in the first quarter to help the Panthers take a 12-8 lead at the end of the period. However, Gits picked up her second foul late in the first quarter and was sent to the bench for the entire second quarter.
Rosemeyer and junior Hannah Kane scored down low on back-to-back possessions about midway through the second quarter to give the Panthers a 19-10 lead. The Panthers had 11 offensive rebounds in the game that led to several second chance scoring opportunities.
Both teams struggled shooting. The Panthers shot just 4 of 21 in the second half and finished at 30.2 percent for the game (13-for-43). The Cheesemakers shot just 24.3 percent (10-for-41). Vetterli scored all six of her points in the first half and the Cheesemakers trailed just 25-18 at the half.
Both teams got off to cold shooting starts in the third quarter where the Panthers outscored the Cheesemakers 6-4. Monroe junior Whitney Disch scored both baskets for the Cheesemakers in the third quarter.
"Defensively, it was a physical game because of their size," Mathiason said. "Oregon is long and athletic. They do a good job of post defense. We just have to keep working to take that next step."
Updike gave the Cheesemakers a lift with her outside shooting in the fourth quarter. Mathiason understands that shooting can be contagious at times.
"Once you make one, you have that confidence to step up and take the shot," Mathiason said. "A lot of (shooting) is confidence. At this point in the season, we have to feel like we have the confidence to step up and take those shots."
After Nikolai knocked down a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to extend the Panthers' lead to 11 points, Vetterli was aware of the challenge the Cheesemakers faced. Monroe senior Briana Katzenberger, who added five points, banked in a 3-pointer to cut the Panthers' lead to 38-30, but that is as close as the Cheesemakers would get.
"We really had to dig deep as a team," Vetterli said. "We had to find ourselves and come back as a team."
Oregon, led by 6-foot-1-inch Maddy Gits, also features a team with two other players at 5-11 and another at 6-1. Oregon sophomore Riley Rosemeyer scored nine points and had 10 rebounds, and Gits added seven points and nine rebounds to propel the Panthers to a 40-30 win over Monroe Thursday night.
"It's really challenging," said Vetterli, who scored six points and had 10 rebounds for the Cheesemakers. "As a post player, you have to keep working hard down there. They have a lot of talent as a team. You just have to keep moving around on defense. I just wanted to focus on defense because that is where I struggle."
Vetterli takes the game as a learning experience since the Cheesemakers (1-14, 0-7 Badger South) were playing without Vanessa Studer (knee) and Taylor Barrett (knee).
"We can put up a big fight," Vetterli said. "When we start getting down on ourselves, we have to keep thinking we can do it. We got down on ourselves and were in a hole. We couldn't dig out of it because we didn't have enough time left."
Monroe junior Kayla Updike, who scored a team-high eight points, made two jumpers to give the Cheesemakers a spark in the fourth quarter. The second jumper Updike knocked down cut the Panthers' lead to 31-27 with 5 minutes, 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter. In a little more than a minute, Oregon (6-8, 3-4) extended a six point lead to 11. Oregon freshman Cassidy Nikolai drilled a 3-pointer and Maranda Ricker scored on a layup on the break to give the Panthers a 38-27 lead with less than three minutes to go.
Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said several games have come down to a couple possessions that lead to a big run. Monroe has been on the wrong end of several of those instances, having won just one game all year.
"No one wants to be part of a one-win team," Mathiason said. "I thought our attitude and effort was great. I'm just happy they didn't give up. They battled all the way through. We just have to keep working. All you can do is keep improving."
The Panthers jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first quarter after Gits scored down low. She scored five of her seven points in the first quarter to help the Panthers take a 12-8 lead at the end of the period. However, Gits picked up her second foul late in the first quarter and was sent to the bench for the entire second quarter.
Rosemeyer and junior Hannah Kane scored down low on back-to-back possessions about midway through the second quarter to give the Panthers a 19-10 lead. The Panthers had 11 offensive rebounds in the game that led to several second chance scoring opportunities.
Both teams struggled shooting. The Panthers shot just 4 of 21 in the second half and finished at 30.2 percent for the game (13-for-43). The Cheesemakers shot just 24.3 percent (10-for-41). Vetterli scored all six of her points in the first half and the Cheesemakers trailed just 25-18 at the half.
Both teams got off to cold shooting starts in the third quarter where the Panthers outscored the Cheesemakers 6-4. Monroe junior Whitney Disch scored both baskets for the Cheesemakers in the third quarter.
"Defensively, it was a physical game because of their size," Mathiason said. "Oregon is long and athletic. They do a good job of post defense. We just have to keep working to take that next step."
Updike gave the Cheesemakers a lift with her outside shooting in the fourth quarter. Mathiason understands that shooting can be contagious at times.
"Once you make one, you have that confidence to step up and take the shot," Mathiason said. "A lot of (shooting) is confidence. At this point in the season, we have to feel like we have the confidence to step up and take those shots."
After Nikolai knocked down a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to extend the Panthers' lead to 11 points, Vetterli was aware of the challenge the Cheesemakers faced. Monroe senior Briana Katzenberger, who added five points, banked in a 3-pointer to cut the Panthers' lead to 38-30, but that is as close as the Cheesemakers would get.
"We really had to dig deep as a team," Vetterli said. "We had to find ourselves and come back as a team."
