MONROE - A year ago, the Cheesemakers knocked off Stoughton on a buzzer-beating running 3-point bank shot from Mitch Tordoff, who now plays at UW-Platteville. Three hundred and sixty-four days later, younger brother Bryan went hard off of the glass from halfcourt at the horn and Monroe dropped its second straight game, 56-54.
"I remembered it being about the same situation as last year," said Bryan Tordoff, who scored a game-high 31 points and hit six 3-pointers. "I wish we could have gotten better of a shot off."
In 2009, a Stoughton player missed a bonus free throw with 4.3 seconds left and Mitch Tordoff dribbled down the floor for the shot. Friday night, Stoughton's Ben Cleveland missed the back end of a bonus free throw with five seconds left.
"I threw it to Bryan and when he put it up, I thought it looked good," center Kevin Frint said. Earlier this season, Stoughton knocked off Monroe, 50-47.
The two teams found it tough to get ahead by more than two scores all game. Trailing 8-3 midway through the first, Stoughton went on a 10-0 run and held Monroe off the scoreboard for 4:55. The Cheesemakers rebounded in the second quarter, moving the ball inside the arc to take a 24-22 lead into halftime.
"It got real physical out there," Frint said. "They were a little unconscious out there hitting 3s."
Of the Vikings' 22 points, six were off of 3-pointers, including a couple from nearly 25-feet away. Stoughton hit 10 3s in the game.
"It's kind of demoralizing, but we got into our shooting groove a little bit," said Tordoff, who hit three of his long balls in the half. "Our coaches teach lockdown defense. It wasn't really working. There's not a lot you can do."
In the second half, the two teams worked the ball inside and the defensive intensity increased. For Monroe, sophomore Tyler Barta was called upon to guard Stoughton senior Sean Gerber, one of the top players in the Badger South.
"It feels really good. It shows that the coaches have confidence in me and us. I worked my hardest," Barta said.
Gerber finished the game with 19 points and was 6-for-7 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
Monroe (10-3, 5-2 Badger South) led by as much four in the fourth, 43-39. But a 12-2 run, which consisted of three 3s, put the Vikings (8-7, 5-2) on top 51-45.
The Cheesemakers crept back to within a point twice in the final two minutes on free throws by Tordoff, but Monroe could not hit a shot to put itself back on top.
"Stoughton's tough. They are just as good as Waunakee even though their record doesn't show it," Tordoff said. Waunakee knocked off Monroe in the Badger Challenge game a week ago. "I thought we were going to come back and get this one, but we just couldn't pull it off at the end."
Monroe's next task is on the road at Milton (2-12, 1-6) Feb. 2.
"We still have five more conference games. If we win out, we still have a good shot at sharing the conference championship. We're still motivated and trying to get better," Frint said.
Monroe and Stoughton trail Madison Edgewood (8-6, 6-1) for the conference lead.
"I remembered it being about the same situation as last year," said Bryan Tordoff, who scored a game-high 31 points and hit six 3-pointers. "I wish we could have gotten better of a shot off."
In 2009, a Stoughton player missed a bonus free throw with 4.3 seconds left and Mitch Tordoff dribbled down the floor for the shot. Friday night, Stoughton's Ben Cleveland missed the back end of a bonus free throw with five seconds left.
"I threw it to Bryan and when he put it up, I thought it looked good," center Kevin Frint said. Earlier this season, Stoughton knocked off Monroe, 50-47.
The two teams found it tough to get ahead by more than two scores all game. Trailing 8-3 midway through the first, Stoughton went on a 10-0 run and held Monroe off the scoreboard for 4:55. The Cheesemakers rebounded in the second quarter, moving the ball inside the arc to take a 24-22 lead into halftime.
"It got real physical out there," Frint said. "They were a little unconscious out there hitting 3s."
Of the Vikings' 22 points, six were off of 3-pointers, including a couple from nearly 25-feet away. Stoughton hit 10 3s in the game.
"It's kind of demoralizing, but we got into our shooting groove a little bit," said Tordoff, who hit three of his long balls in the half. "Our coaches teach lockdown defense. It wasn't really working. There's not a lot you can do."
In the second half, the two teams worked the ball inside and the defensive intensity increased. For Monroe, sophomore Tyler Barta was called upon to guard Stoughton senior Sean Gerber, one of the top players in the Badger South.
"It feels really good. It shows that the coaches have confidence in me and us. I worked my hardest," Barta said.
Gerber finished the game with 19 points and was 6-for-7 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
Monroe (10-3, 5-2 Badger South) led by as much four in the fourth, 43-39. But a 12-2 run, which consisted of three 3s, put the Vikings (8-7, 5-2) on top 51-45.
The Cheesemakers crept back to within a point twice in the final two minutes on free throws by Tordoff, but Monroe could not hit a shot to put itself back on top.
"Stoughton's tough. They are just as good as Waunakee even though their record doesn't show it," Tordoff said. Waunakee knocked off Monroe in the Badger Challenge game a week ago. "I thought we were going to come back and get this one, but we just couldn't pull it off at the end."
Monroe's next task is on the road at Milton (2-12, 1-6) Feb. 2.
"We still have five more conference games. If we win out, we still have a good shot at sharing the conference championship. We're still motivated and trying to get better," Frint said.
Monroe and Stoughton trail Madison Edgewood (8-6, 6-1) for the conference lead.
