MONROE - The Cheesemakers couldn't hold on to a 38-34 fourth quarter lead against Stoughton on Thursday and lost 56-50 to finish fourth in the Badger South.
"We needed to find a way to get a defensive stop, but we could never find it," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said.
The Vikings, which hit seven 3-pointers in the game, got sparks from Tessa Mersberger and Brianna Bower. The duo led a 16-5 charge in the middle of the fourth that forced Monroe to foul and put Stoughton at the free-throw line for bonus shots.
"In the fourth quarter they had 11 possessions and scored 24 points. They scored on every possession. If a team does that you're going to have a hard time," Mathiason said.
Bower's shot in the lane with 5:57 gave Stoughton its first lead since the second quarter and gave her 1,000 points in her career.
The Vikings (9-13, 4-8) had jumped out to a 16-6 lead after the first quarter, thanks to 4 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc. But Monroe (11-11, 5-7) worked its way back in the second quarter, hitting free throws and jump shots. The Cheesemakers took their first lead of the game with 3:09 left, when senior Kylee Ritschard took a steal and went coast-to-coast for a lay in.
"They made the four 3-pointers in the first quarter and we talked about getting back and making them have to work," Mathiason said. "We got ourselves down in that hole, but in that second quarter we really worked hard and got ourselves back into the game and took the lead."
Ritschard scored six points and Monroe was led in scoring by senior Kyleigh Sellnow (16) and junior Brooke McBain (15).
"I tried to stay locked in," Sellnow said. "I don't think we were back on our heels, we just needed to calm down. We got out of our game and had to come back."
Sellnow hit two 3s in the fourth quarter of what was the final regular-season game of her career. Sellnow, who has been on varsity since her freshman year, said she learned a lot this season.
"It's a new year and I've just been playing as a leading spot. I've had three years of captains show me how to do that and I'm thankful for that," said Sellnow, who has been to three state tournaments.
But now with just one more guaranteed game left on the schedule - a Tuesday, March 8, playoff game against Portage (10-11) - Sellnow knows time is winding down.
"I don't want to think about that," she said. "We want to go out there and play our best because we really want another chance at (Madison) Edgewood."
A game against the second-place Crusaders (15-7, 10-2) would come in the second round.
"We need to find that consistency. That's been the challenge all year. Tonight our defense wasn't so good and that's what we've been able to count on all the way throughout," Mathiason said. "We haven't had a margin for error this year."
"We needed to find a way to get a defensive stop, but we could never find it," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said.
The Vikings, which hit seven 3-pointers in the game, got sparks from Tessa Mersberger and Brianna Bower. The duo led a 16-5 charge in the middle of the fourth that forced Monroe to foul and put Stoughton at the free-throw line for bonus shots.
"In the fourth quarter they had 11 possessions and scored 24 points. They scored on every possession. If a team does that you're going to have a hard time," Mathiason said.
Bower's shot in the lane with 5:57 gave Stoughton its first lead since the second quarter and gave her 1,000 points in her career.
The Vikings (9-13, 4-8) had jumped out to a 16-6 lead after the first quarter, thanks to 4 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc. But Monroe (11-11, 5-7) worked its way back in the second quarter, hitting free throws and jump shots. The Cheesemakers took their first lead of the game with 3:09 left, when senior Kylee Ritschard took a steal and went coast-to-coast for a lay in.
"They made the four 3-pointers in the first quarter and we talked about getting back and making them have to work," Mathiason said. "We got ourselves down in that hole, but in that second quarter we really worked hard and got ourselves back into the game and took the lead."
Ritschard scored six points and Monroe was led in scoring by senior Kyleigh Sellnow (16) and junior Brooke McBain (15).
"I tried to stay locked in," Sellnow said. "I don't think we were back on our heels, we just needed to calm down. We got out of our game and had to come back."
Sellnow hit two 3s in the fourth quarter of what was the final regular-season game of her career. Sellnow, who has been on varsity since her freshman year, said she learned a lot this season.
"It's a new year and I've just been playing as a leading spot. I've had three years of captains show me how to do that and I'm thankful for that," said Sellnow, who has been to three state tournaments.
But now with just one more guaranteed game left on the schedule - a Tuesday, March 8, playoff game against Portage (10-11) - Sellnow knows time is winding down.
"I don't want to think about that," she said. "We want to go out there and play our best because we really want another chance at (Madison) Edgewood."
A game against the second-place Crusaders (15-7, 10-2) would come in the second round.
"We need to find that consistency. That's been the challenge all year. Tonight our defense wasn't so good and that's what we've been able to count on all the way throughout," Mathiason said. "We haven't had a margin for error this year."
