MONROE - Finding ways to close out games for the Monroe girls basketball team has turned into a learning experience after a 48-45 heartbreaking loss to Oregon on Saturday.
With the Panthers leading 46-45 with 19.4 seconds left and the Cheesemakers trying to foul, Oregon junior Aimee Urben stepped out of bounds against a pressure defense, and the Cheesemakers had a golden opportunity to take the lead. Oregon junior Sidney Peach came up with a steal, and she scored on a layup as she was fouled with 8.7 seconds left. She missed the free throw, but the Panthers were able to grab the offensive rebound. Monroe (1-4, 0-2 Badger South) had two back-breaking turnovers in the final 50 seconds and 21 turnovers in the game.
"I'm sure the game was going a lot faster than they wanted it to," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We have to do a better job of reading the defense and making passes. As we gain experience, I think we will be better in those situations and be better in finishing games."
The Cheesemakers played the second half without 6-foot, 1-inch sophomore Taylor Barrett, who sprained her ankle in the first half. Barrett started but left the game with 4:51 left in the first quarter. She returned to the game in the first half, but after halftime, the Cheesemakers wanted to play it safe.
"I made the decision at halftime that she was not going to be able to go," Mathiason said. "She was in pain. Basketball is a long season and we thought in the big picture it was better for her not to play in the second half."
Monroe senior Brooke McBain scored 17 of her team-high 19 points to help the Cheesemakers erase an 11-point deficit in the second half. Monroe senior Abbey Foulker also stepped up by scoring eight points.
McBain scored down low to slice the Panthers' lead to 38-35, with 3:03 left. Monroe senior Ashley Segner drilled a game-tying 3-pointer to tie the game at 42 with 2:31 to go.
"We were all hyped up (after Segner's 3-pointer)," McBain said. "I thought we would be able to win it. I know we could have done it. We have to take care of the ball better. We had a lot of bad passes."
Mathiason was excited by McBain's play and how it opened up shots for other players.
"Brooke is a skilled player," he said. "We need to continue to find her and take advantage with our cuts to create spacing and open up shots for others. Abbey and Ashley were able to make some big shots and take advantage of that."
Oregon sophomore Maddy Gits scored a game-high 20 points and had three blocked shots. Early on, it looked like the Panthers would build a big lead. Oregon went on an 11-2 second-quarter run, and Urben's layup with 2:10 left in the second quarter gave the Panthers a 21-14 lead. Gits scored down low to extend the Panthers' lead to 24-14 with 59 seconds left in the second quarter.
The Cheesemakers closed the period with a bang as Foulker scored down low and was fouled. She made the free throw to convert the conventional three-point play to cut the Panthers' halftime lead to 24-17.
McBain hit a 3-pointer to open the third quarter to cut the Panthers' lead to 24-20. The Panthers led by as many as 11 points after freshman Riley Rosemeyer's layup late in the third quarter. Foulker converted another traditional three-point play and helped the Cheesemakers trim the deficit to 34-28 to start the fourth quarter.
That set the stages for a thrilling fourth quarter. Mathiason was encouraged with how Fouler stepped up in Barrett's absence.
"We need to continue to find other players to be threats and scorers," Mathiason said. "[Foulker] has played a lot for us. She just needs to take advantage of her opportunities. Today she did that."
With the Panthers leading 46-45 with 19.4 seconds left and the Cheesemakers trying to foul, Oregon junior Aimee Urben stepped out of bounds against a pressure defense, and the Cheesemakers had a golden opportunity to take the lead. Oregon junior Sidney Peach came up with a steal, and she scored on a layup as she was fouled with 8.7 seconds left. She missed the free throw, but the Panthers were able to grab the offensive rebound. Monroe (1-4, 0-2 Badger South) had two back-breaking turnovers in the final 50 seconds and 21 turnovers in the game.
"I'm sure the game was going a lot faster than they wanted it to," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We have to do a better job of reading the defense and making passes. As we gain experience, I think we will be better in those situations and be better in finishing games."
The Cheesemakers played the second half without 6-foot, 1-inch sophomore Taylor Barrett, who sprained her ankle in the first half. Barrett started but left the game with 4:51 left in the first quarter. She returned to the game in the first half, but after halftime, the Cheesemakers wanted to play it safe.
"I made the decision at halftime that she was not going to be able to go," Mathiason said. "She was in pain. Basketball is a long season and we thought in the big picture it was better for her not to play in the second half."
Monroe senior Brooke McBain scored 17 of her team-high 19 points to help the Cheesemakers erase an 11-point deficit in the second half. Monroe senior Abbey Foulker also stepped up by scoring eight points.
McBain scored down low to slice the Panthers' lead to 38-35, with 3:03 left. Monroe senior Ashley Segner drilled a game-tying 3-pointer to tie the game at 42 with 2:31 to go.
"We were all hyped up (after Segner's 3-pointer)," McBain said. "I thought we would be able to win it. I know we could have done it. We have to take care of the ball better. We had a lot of bad passes."
Mathiason was excited by McBain's play and how it opened up shots for other players.
"Brooke is a skilled player," he said. "We need to continue to find her and take advantage with our cuts to create spacing and open up shots for others. Abbey and Ashley were able to make some big shots and take advantage of that."
Oregon sophomore Maddy Gits scored a game-high 20 points and had three blocked shots. Early on, it looked like the Panthers would build a big lead. Oregon went on an 11-2 second-quarter run, and Urben's layup with 2:10 left in the second quarter gave the Panthers a 21-14 lead. Gits scored down low to extend the Panthers' lead to 24-14 with 59 seconds left in the second quarter.
The Cheesemakers closed the period with a bang as Foulker scored down low and was fouled. She made the free throw to convert the conventional three-point play to cut the Panthers' halftime lead to 24-17.
McBain hit a 3-pointer to open the third quarter to cut the Panthers' lead to 24-20. The Panthers led by as many as 11 points after freshman Riley Rosemeyer's layup late in the third quarter. Foulker converted another traditional three-point play and helped the Cheesemakers trim the deficit to 34-28 to start the fourth quarter.
That set the stages for a thrilling fourth quarter. Mathiason was encouraged with how Fouler stepped up in Barrett's absence.
"We need to continue to find other players to be threats and scorers," Mathiason said. "[Foulker] has played a lot for us. She just needs to take advantage of her opportunities. Today she did that."
