OREGON - The Monroe boys basketball team dropped a heart-breaker to Oregon at the buzzer Tuesday night, 42-41.
Oregon's Josh Sromovsky knocked down a shot as time expired to give the Panthers the victory.
"We fouled them, we had two fouls to give, and they took a side out," coach Pat Murphy said. "We took away their first two options. I think the kid that shot it was their fourth option on that play. He made an unbelievable shot at the buzzer. He was guarded. That's basketball, though. It wasn't the prettiest thing, but when it goes in nobody cares. They did what they had to do, they scrapped. They made one more play than we did."
Monroe took a 33-26 lead into the final quarter before Oregon made their comeback.
"We had some costly turnovers, missed a couple free throws, and a kid shows up at the buzzer," Murphy said. "One bad pass, a free throw, or a missed layup can come back to haunt you, because the games are so close to begin with."
Charlie Kind led Monroe with 12 points. Both Joe Latimer and Trent Wyssbrod added 9 for the Cheesemakers.
Monroe has now lost twice in the Badger South, both times to Oregon. Murphy said beating Oregon is tough because of their length and defensive ability.
"They're well coached," Murphy said. "They keep you out of the paint. They contest all of your shots."
Monroe (13-3, 5-2) hosts the Badger Challenge this weekend. The Cheesemakers play Waunakee on Saturday night. Murphy said his team will need to be strong with the ball if they are going to knock off the Warriors.
"If you're not really strong with the ball against Waunakee they just pick the ball out of your hands," he said. "It's in our gym. We want to come out and play our toughest. They will have some of the biggest and strongest athletes we'll play all year. It's gonna be a great test."
Oregon's Josh Sromovsky knocked down a shot as time expired to give the Panthers the victory.
"We fouled them, we had two fouls to give, and they took a side out," coach Pat Murphy said. "We took away their first two options. I think the kid that shot it was their fourth option on that play. He made an unbelievable shot at the buzzer. He was guarded. That's basketball, though. It wasn't the prettiest thing, but when it goes in nobody cares. They did what they had to do, they scrapped. They made one more play than we did."
Monroe took a 33-26 lead into the final quarter before Oregon made their comeback.
"We had some costly turnovers, missed a couple free throws, and a kid shows up at the buzzer," Murphy said. "One bad pass, a free throw, or a missed layup can come back to haunt you, because the games are so close to begin with."
Charlie Kind led Monroe with 12 points. Both Joe Latimer and Trent Wyssbrod added 9 for the Cheesemakers.
Monroe has now lost twice in the Badger South, both times to Oregon. Murphy said beating Oregon is tough because of their length and defensive ability.
"They're well coached," Murphy said. "They keep you out of the paint. They contest all of your shots."
Monroe (13-3, 5-2) hosts the Badger Challenge this weekend. The Cheesemakers play Waunakee on Saturday night. Murphy said his team will need to be strong with the ball if they are going to knock off the Warriors.
"If you're not really strong with the ball against Waunakee they just pick the ball out of your hands," he said. "It's in our gym. We want to come out and play our toughest. They will have some of the biggest and strongest athletes we'll play all year. It's gonna be a great test."
