MONROE - Sauk Prairie junior Kelsey Budd capped an improbable comeback, drilling a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, stunning the Monroe girls basketball team, 48-45, Saturday night.
The Eagles (8-2, 3-2 Badger North) erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and with one second left, Sauk Prairie coach Bob Marquardt took a timeout. Budd ran off a double screen and buried a game-winning 3-pointer from the top of the key to shock the Cheesemakers, ranked No. 1 in the Division 2 Associated Press state poll.
"It feels awesome," Budd said moments after being mobbed by teammates and scoring a game-high 23 points. "That was definitely my biggest shot. It wasn't any bigger than any other shot I or my teammates made. It was a whole team effort. Our fans believed in us and we believed in ourselves. Obviously, it paid off."
Monroe (9-1, 6-0 Badger South) sputtered down the stretch, going through a scoring drought of 7 minute, 15 second. The loss snaps Monroe's 14-game winning streak that dates back to last season when the Cheesemakers won the Division 2 state title.
"In the last 14 possessions, we didn't score," Monroe coach Kevin Keen said. "We gave it away. You never like to lose. It's tough to lose. It's the first time we have experienced that this year. You hope they are upset a little bit. We will look at the film and see where we can get better."
Sauk Prairie senior Ashley Wipperfurth scored down low to tie the score at 45-45 with 8.5 seconds left. Then Budd came up with a steal with 0.6 seconds left, but officials ruled one second should be put on the clock before the Eagles' timeout. That was all the time the Eagles needed with Budd's last-second heroics.
Monroe looked to be in charge with about 7:15 left after junior Ashley Hermanson scored down low to give the Cheesemakers a 45-31 lead. But from there, the Eagles went on a decisive 17-0 fourth-quarter run. The spurt was fueled by Budd, a two-time, first-team Northern Badger All-Conference player, and Wipperfurth.
The penetration by Budd allowed her to dish back-to-back assists to Wipperfurth and sophomore Lacey Puls for baskets down low, which cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 45-43 and set the stages for a frantic finish.
"I just think they wanted it more than us," Hermanson said. "We wanted it. They just had more of a spark in their play. We just couldn't hit our shots."
Hermanson, who scored a team-high 14 points, said she never imagined squandering a 14-point fourth-quarter lead.
"We never thought someone would come back and dwindle it down and beat us," she said.
Early on, the Cheesemakers looked to blow the game open with a 14-0 first-quarter run, which was highlighted by dominant post play from Hermanson and fellow junior Jamie Armstrong, who had a monster game with a double-double (11 points and 16 rebounds). Monroe senior Emily Rufenacht, who scored seven points, made a layup on the break and Hermanson and Armstrong followed with two straight baskets down low to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 14-2.
The Eagles did a better job of fronting the post in the second quarter and regained the lead at 20-19 with a basket down low by Budd midway through the period. The Cheesemakers went into halftime with a 26-20 lead after jumpers by Morgan Kennison and Kylee Ritschard.
Marquardt was excited to see the Eagles rally from a 14-point deficit. They're no strangers to comebacks. Sauk Prairie erased a 12-point deficit against DeForest earlier this year before falling to the Norskies 57-50.
"We fought back and didn't finish the game and really climb the mountain," Marquardt said of the loss to the Norskies.
The Eagles climbed the mountain and knocked off the No. 1 ranked Cheesemakers on the heels of beating Waunakee 41-28 on the road.
"They (Monroe) are a great team," Marquardt said. "I knew it would be a tough task, but I knew we had a chance. I'm just really proud of the girls and how they battled back."
Keen knows the Cheesemakers face another big test with a pivotal Badger South game, hosting Madison Edgewood (9-3, 5-1) on Friday.
"It won't get any easier," Keen said. "Obviously, they (Edgewood) have seen that we have been beaten. They will see that as an opportunity to lay another one on us. I am confident we will bounce back."
The Eagles (8-2, 3-2 Badger North) erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and with one second left, Sauk Prairie coach Bob Marquardt took a timeout. Budd ran off a double screen and buried a game-winning 3-pointer from the top of the key to shock the Cheesemakers, ranked No. 1 in the Division 2 Associated Press state poll.
"It feels awesome," Budd said moments after being mobbed by teammates and scoring a game-high 23 points. "That was definitely my biggest shot. It wasn't any bigger than any other shot I or my teammates made. It was a whole team effort. Our fans believed in us and we believed in ourselves. Obviously, it paid off."
Monroe (9-1, 6-0 Badger South) sputtered down the stretch, going through a scoring drought of 7 minute, 15 second. The loss snaps Monroe's 14-game winning streak that dates back to last season when the Cheesemakers won the Division 2 state title.
"In the last 14 possessions, we didn't score," Monroe coach Kevin Keen said. "We gave it away. You never like to lose. It's tough to lose. It's the first time we have experienced that this year. You hope they are upset a little bit. We will look at the film and see where we can get better."
Sauk Prairie senior Ashley Wipperfurth scored down low to tie the score at 45-45 with 8.5 seconds left. Then Budd came up with a steal with 0.6 seconds left, but officials ruled one second should be put on the clock before the Eagles' timeout. That was all the time the Eagles needed with Budd's last-second heroics.
Monroe looked to be in charge with about 7:15 left after junior Ashley Hermanson scored down low to give the Cheesemakers a 45-31 lead. But from there, the Eagles went on a decisive 17-0 fourth-quarter run. The spurt was fueled by Budd, a two-time, first-team Northern Badger All-Conference player, and Wipperfurth.
The penetration by Budd allowed her to dish back-to-back assists to Wipperfurth and sophomore Lacey Puls for baskets down low, which cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 45-43 and set the stages for a frantic finish.
"I just think they wanted it more than us," Hermanson said. "We wanted it. They just had more of a spark in their play. We just couldn't hit our shots."
Hermanson, who scored a team-high 14 points, said she never imagined squandering a 14-point fourth-quarter lead.
"We never thought someone would come back and dwindle it down and beat us," she said.
Early on, the Cheesemakers looked to blow the game open with a 14-0 first-quarter run, which was highlighted by dominant post play from Hermanson and fellow junior Jamie Armstrong, who had a monster game with a double-double (11 points and 16 rebounds). Monroe senior Emily Rufenacht, who scored seven points, made a layup on the break and Hermanson and Armstrong followed with two straight baskets down low to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 14-2.
The Eagles did a better job of fronting the post in the second quarter and regained the lead at 20-19 with a basket down low by Budd midway through the period. The Cheesemakers went into halftime with a 26-20 lead after jumpers by Morgan Kennison and Kylee Ritschard.
Marquardt was excited to see the Eagles rally from a 14-point deficit. They're no strangers to comebacks. Sauk Prairie erased a 12-point deficit against DeForest earlier this year before falling to the Norskies 57-50.
"We fought back and didn't finish the game and really climb the mountain," Marquardt said of the loss to the Norskies.
The Eagles climbed the mountain and knocked off the No. 1 ranked Cheesemakers on the heels of beating Waunakee 41-28 on the road.
"They (Monroe) are a great team," Marquardt said. "I knew it would be a tough task, but I knew we had a chance. I'm just really proud of the girls and how they battled back."
Keen knows the Cheesemakers face another big test with a pivotal Badger South game, hosting Madison Edgewood (9-3, 5-1) on Friday.
"It won't get any easier," Keen said. "Obviously, they (Edgewood) have seen that we have been beaten. They will see that as an opportunity to lay another one on us. I am confident we will bounce back."
