MONROE - Volunteer assistant coach Ken Gratz issued a challenge to Monroe boys basketball players to grab three offensive rebounds.
Gratz, who was in the hospital and missed Monroe's Badger Conference crossover game with Mount Horeb Saturday, would have been smiling as Monroe senior Kevin Frint scored 14 points and had seven rebounds. Five of Frint's rebounds came on the offensive end as he powered the Cheesemakers to a 53-32 win over the Vikings.
"Coach Gratz challenged everyone to get three offensive rebounds in a game," Monroe coach Pat Murphy said. "Kevin took it to heart. We have to find ways to score. Getting offensive rebounds is as good of a way as any."
Both Monroe (7-1, 4-1 Badger South) and the Vikings got off to slow starts. The Cheesemakers went almost three minutes without a field goal. Frint snapped the scoreless drought when he scored down low with 5 minutes, 19 seconds left in the first quarter to tie the game at 2. The Cheesemakers went on an 8-2 spurt at the end of the first quarter.
"We haven't played in almost a week," Frint said. "We were chomping at the bit to get back out here."
Monroe junior Bryan Tordoff, who scored 13 points, drilled a 3-pointer on the break and Frint scored on a putback after an offensive rebound with 1:13 to go in the first quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 14-6 lead. Mount Horeb junior Luke Webber kept the Vikings within striking distance by scoring six of his team's seven points in the first period. Monroe junior Michael Barrett, who scored 12 points, helped the Cheesemakers close the first quarter with a bang as he tipped in a missed shot to beat the buzzer to give the Cheesemakers a 16-7 lead.
Junior Damian Penniston hit a baseline jumper about midway through the second quarter to give Monroe a 20-10 lead and the Cheesemakers rolled to a 12-point halftime lead.
"Mount Horeb has always been a good team because they take you out of your rhythm and make you do weird things with the ball," Tordoff said. "It was very important to come out and get this win and get back on track this season."
The Cheesemakers broke the game open with a 14-5 third-quarter run.
The spurt started when Tordoff was fouled shooting a 3-pointer. He drained all three free throws to give the Cheesemakers a 32-20 lead. Monroe used some stifling defense to limit the Vikings to just one field goal in the third quarter.
"We shut them down on defense. Coach always tells us the first three minutes of the third quarter are key. It will either be a close game or we will shut the door," Frint said.
Tordoff, who scored eight of his 13 points in the third quarter, helped the Cheesemakers slam the door. Tordoff scored down low and drilled a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a 37-22 lead with 3:22 left in the third quarter. Barrett again closed the third quarter with some heroics as he grabbed an offensive rebound and drained a jumper to beat the buzzer to give the Cheesemakers a 43-25 lead.
Monroe led by as many as 28 points as the starters came back in the fourth quarter and pushed the lead.
"We were just not extending the lead," Murphy said of his starters earlier in the game. "They were just happy to be there. At the start of the fourth quarter, the starters came back in and extended the lead. They wanted to get everyone playing time. It's always good when you can get all 14 guys playing time."
Monroe will play at Fort Atkinson Friday.
Gratz, who was in the hospital and missed Monroe's Badger Conference crossover game with Mount Horeb Saturday, would have been smiling as Monroe senior Kevin Frint scored 14 points and had seven rebounds. Five of Frint's rebounds came on the offensive end as he powered the Cheesemakers to a 53-32 win over the Vikings.
"Coach Gratz challenged everyone to get three offensive rebounds in a game," Monroe coach Pat Murphy said. "Kevin took it to heart. We have to find ways to score. Getting offensive rebounds is as good of a way as any."
Both Monroe (7-1, 4-1 Badger South) and the Vikings got off to slow starts. The Cheesemakers went almost three minutes without a field goal. Frint snapped the scoreless drought when he scored down low with 5 minutes, 19 seconds left in the first quarter to tie the game at 2. The Cheesemakers went on an 8-2 spurt at the end of the first quarter.
"We haven't played in almost a week," Frint said. "We were chomping at the bit to get back out here."
Monroe junior Bryan Tordoff, who scored 13 points, drilled a 3-pointer on the break and Frint scored on a putback after an offensive rebound with 1:13 to go in the first quarter to give the Cheesemakers a 14-6 lead. Mount Horeb junior Luke Webber kept the Vikings within striking distance by scoring six of his team's seven points in the first period. Monroe junior Michael Barrett, who scored 12 points, helped the Cheesemakers close the first quarter with a bang as he tipped in a missed shot to beat the buzzer to give the Cheesemakers a 16-7 lead.
Junior Damian Penniston hit a baseline jumper about midway through the second quarter to give Monroe a 20-10 lead and the Cheesemakers rolled to a 12-point halftime lead.
"Mount Horeb has always been a good team because they take you out of your rhythm and make you do weird things with the ball," Tordoff said. "It was very important to come out and get this win and get back on track this season."
The Cheesemakers broke the game open with a 14-5 third-quarter run.
The spurt started when Tordoff was fouled shooting a 3-pointer. He drained all three free throws to give the Cheesemakers a 32-20 lead. Monroe used some stifling defense to limit the Vikings to just one field goal in the third quarter.
"We shut them down on defense. Coach always tells us the first three minutes of the third quarter are key. It will either be a close game or we will shut the door," Frint said.
Tordoff, who scored eight of his 13 points in the third quarter, helped the Cheesemakers slam the door. Tordoff scored down low and drilled a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a 37-22 lead with 3:22 left in the third quarter. Barrett again closed the third quarter with some heroics as he grabbed an offensive rebound and drained a jumper to beat the buzzer to give the Cheesemakers a 43-25 lead.
Monroe led by as many as 28 points as the starters came back in the fourth quarter and pushed the lead.
"We were just not extending the lead," Murphy said of his starters earlier in the game. "They were just happy to be there. At the start of the fourth quarter, the starters came back in and extended the lead. They wanted to get everyone playing time. It's always good when you can get all 14 guys playing time."
Monroe will play at Fort Atkinson Friday.
