OREGON - Monroe's boys basketball team missed a lot of things in Tuesday's 48-47 overtime loss to Oregon: Opportunities, the basket and Mitch McArdle.
The senior guard, known for his high energy, shutdown defense and steady control of the offense, had the flu and missed the game.
"Mitch is a great player, but we can't use him as an excuse," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said. "Our guys know what they have to do and they just have to go in there and make plays."
Oregon (4-9, 3-4 Badger South) used a big first quarter to give itself needed confidence to avenge a 71-26 loss the Cheesemakers dropped on the Panthers early this season.
"I've been watching (Oregon) on tape. I told the guys they are bringing a lot of energy and are playing with a chip on their shoulder," Murphy said.
Mitch Tordoff, who scored a game-high 21 points, hit two free throws to start out the game. Oregon then went on a 14-0 run over the next five minutes of the first quarter.
The Cheesemakers broke up the stretch when Tordoff nailed a 3-pointer.
Monroe (9-4, 7-1) trailed 14-8 after the first quarter, and used the late momentum to pick itself up.
In the second quarter, the Cheese worked its way back into the game, with Tordoff nailing a 3 from the top of the key to tie the score at 17-17. Zach Rast took a steal coast to coast two possessions later to tie the score at 19-19 just before halftime.
"Some guys played really well tonight," assistant coach Brian Bassett said. "Zach Rast had a great game."
In the second half, the two teams traded stiffening defense and baskets, staying tied at 25-25 headed into the fourth quarter.
In that final period, both teams had ups and downs. Monroe took its first lead at 28-27 when Michael Barrett hit a free throw. Twice the lead grew to two points, but a drive by Oregon's Mike Amend with 14 seconds left tied the score at 33-33.
"We didn't get the jump (in overtime). We wanted to get the jump and go down and make a play to put them on their heels. That didn't happen," Murphy said.
"We paid the price for not coming out hard all game. (Oregon) ran their stuff well."
In the overtime, it was Oregon that took the lead Murphy had wanted.
The Panthers' Jason Hinz hit a 3 and Brian Ironmonger got fouled on a basket in the paint, giving Oregon a 39-35 lead halfway through the extra frame.
Monroe's deficit hit seven points at 42-35 before a late run.
Tordoff hit a jumper with 1:02 left iand Bryan Tordoff followed suit with 56 and 41 seconds left.
Cullen Sampson hit a 3 with 13.8 seconds left to get Monroe back to within two at 46-44, but Hinz hit a pair of free throws to nearly seal the game with 11.2 seconds left.
Oregon was 10-for-11 from the free throw line in the extra period.
Mitch Tordoff, who beat Stoughton on Jan. 30 with a 25-footer at the buzzer, nailed his third 3 of the night with just over six seconds remaining.
"A lot of times our guys just stand around and watch Mitch make plays. At least we needed to be a little tougher on the defensive end. (Oregon) got a lot of uncontested layups, and that should never happen," Murphy said.
The Panthers didn't inbound the ball, choosing to let it sit on the sidelines.
To their advantage, the officials didn't induce the five-second inbound penalty and Oregon came away with its biggest win this year.
"We just made their season," Murphy said. "The clock keeps running, it's just a matter of when the ref starts counting. There was six seconds left, and if the ref counts to five, it could have been our ball with one second."
"They did what they needed to do. They didn't miss a free throw, they didn't turn the ball over," Murphy said. "My hat's off. They deserved this."
Bryan Tordoff scored 14 points for Monroe, which now leads Madison Edgewood by just one game for the conference lead.
The senior guard, known for his high energy, shutdown defense and steady control of the offense, had the flu and missed the game.
"Mitch is a great player, but we can't use him as an excuse," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said. "Our guys know what they have to do and they just have to go in there and make plays."
Oregon (4-9, 3-4 Badger South) used a big first quarter to give itself needed confidence to avenge a 71-26 loss the Cheesemakers dropped on the Panthers early this season.
"I've been watching (Oregon) on tape. I told the guys they are bringing a lot of energy and are playing with a chip on their shoulder," Murphy said.
Mitch Tordoff, who scored a game-high 21 points, hit two free throws to start out the game. Oregon then went on a 14-0 run over the next five minutes of the first quarter.
The Cheesemakers broke up the stretch when Tordoff nailed a 3-pointer.
Monroe (9-4, 7-1) trailed 14-8 after the first quarter, and used the late momentum to pick itself up.
In the second quarter, the Cheese worked its way back into the game, with Tordoff nailing a 3 from the top of the key to tie the score at 17-17. Zach Rast took a steal coast to coast two possessions later to tie the score at 19-19 just before halftime.
"Some guys played really well tonight," assistant coach Brian Bassett said. "Zach Rast had a great game."
In the second half, the two teams traded stiffening defense and baskets, staying tied at 25-25 headed into the fourth quarter.
In that final period, both teams had ups and downs. Monroe took its first lead at 28-27 when Michael Barrett hit a free throw. Twice the lead grew to two points, but a drive by Oregon's Mike Amend with 14 seconds left tied the score at 33-33.
"We didn't get the jump (in overtime). We wanted to get the jump and go down and make a play to put them on their heels. That didn't happen," Murphy said.
"We paid the price for not coming out hard all game. (Oregon) ran their stuff well."
In the overtime, it was Oregon that took the lead Murphy had wanted.
The Panthers' Jason Hinz hit a 3 and Brian Ironmonger got fouled on a basket in the paint, giving Oregon a 39-35 lead halfway through the extra frame.
Monroe's deficit hit seven points at 42-35 before a late run.
Tordoff hit a jumper with 1:02 left iand Bryan Tordoff followed suit with 56 and 41 seconds left.
Cullen Sampson hit a 3 with 13.8 seconds left to get Monroe back to within two at 46-44, but Hinz hit a pair of free throws to nearly seal the game with 11.2 seconds left.
Oregon was 10-for-11 from the free throw line in the extra period.
Mitch Tordoff, who beat Stoughton on Jan. 30 with a 25-footer at the buzzer, nailed his third 3 of the night with just over six seconds remaining.
"A lot of times our guys just stand around and watch Mitch make plays. At least we needed to be a little tougher on the defensive end. (Oregon) got a lot of uncontested layups, and that should never happen," Murphy said.
The Panthers didn't inbound the ball, choosing to let it sit on the sidelines.
To their advantage, the officials didn't induce the five-second inbound penalty and Oregon came away with its biggest win this year.
"We just made their season," Murphy said. "The clock keeps running, it's just a matter of when the ref starts counting. There was six seconds left, and if the ref counts to five, it could have been our ball with one second."
"They did what they needed to do. They didn't miss a free throw, they didn't turn the ball over," Murphy said. "My hat's off. They deserved this."
Bryan Tordoff scored 14 points for Monroe, which now leads Madison Edgewood by just one game for the conference lead.
