MADISON - Mitch Tordoff is as American as they come - but he still knows a little Foreigner.
Monroe's senior guard had ice running through his veins in overtime Tuesday (and it wasn't because of the sub-zero temperatures outside). Tordoff hit a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers the final lead, then made two free throws to freeze out conference rival Madison Edgewood, 56-52, in overtime.
"I've felt nervous before and missed," Tordoff said.
But that experience cast no shadow this time around.
As usual, the Crusaders and Cheesemakers were in a battle Tuesday. After losing its first eight games against Edgewood, Monroe has won seven straight and 10 of the past 11. Monroe has a 10-9 edge in the nine-year rivalry that started when Edgewood switched from the WISAA (a private school league) to the WIAA.
"Coach (Chris) Zwettler has done such a great job with this program and we know we are always going to have one heck of a game with these guys," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said.
The Cheesemakers (4-3, 3-0 Badger South) needed more than recent history on their side. The Crusaders (6-3, 3-2) scored the game's first 11 points in just 3 minutes, 38 seconds, forcing Murphy to call a timeout early in the Cheesemakers' first game since a loss to Menomonee Falls 17 days earlier.
"You could really see the rust in the first quarter," assistant coach Brian Bassett said. "I think it was just the nerves of getting back into regular games and knowing that each play actually counts, unlike in practice."
Tordoff, who scored a game-high 26 points, took matters into his own hands. He scored on a jumper and a 3-pointer, and Bryan Tordoff hit a shot from the baseline to close the gap to 11-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Cheesemakers continued to shoot well, taking a brief 12-11 lead 1:20 into the second quarter when Jake Grinnell hit one of his two big 3-pointers.
From there, Edgewood and Monroe went shot-for-shot the rest of the half, with the Crusaders leading 30-25 at the break.
"Our guys just dug down and fought hard," Bassett said. "It wasn't just everyone waiting for Mitch to take over. Other guys stepped up."
In the second half, Bryan Tordoff hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring and Mitch added another jumper. Monroe rolled off a 16-5 run in the third. Mitch McArdle hit back-to-back 3-pointers, then found Grinnell alone in the right corner for another big bucket from beyond the arc.
Then, with less than a half-minute left in the quarter, Zach Rast grabbed a big offensive rebound, took a dribble and hit a short jumper with 29 seconds left to give Monroe a 41-34 lead.
"That was huge, absolutely huge," Bassett said of Rast's rebound and putback. "And that's what he does every day in practice. He works hard and it paid off."
Edgewood had its own run in the fourth quarter. Zwettler sent his team on double-team crusades against McArdle and guard Michael Barrett, forcing turnovers. Edgewood stormed back to take a 47-45 lead with 4:22 left after a 3-pointer by Patrick Lagman (18 points, four 3-pointers).
The Cheesemakers trailed by as many as five points (50-45) with 1:40 left to play, but Mitch Tordoff nailed a 3-pointer moments later and Grinnell hit a pair of free throws.
Edgewood had a shot to win the game. Freshman Spencer Brink missed a bonus free throw with just 1.9 seconds left, and the game went into overtime. Murphy, who called two timeouts before the free throw to freeze the freshman, felt somewhat apologetic afterwards.
"I feel sorry for (Brink)," Murphy said. "I was in that position as a junior, I missed a free throw in a sectional final and I still think about it today. But he's young and he's only going to learn from it and get better.
"And this was just a game where, as a basketball fan, you didn't want to see either team lose. This was just a great game."
Mitch Tordoff hit a 3-pointer to start the overtime and Monroe played ball control throughout much of the extra session. After a few turnovers and a missed 3-pointer by Michael Eshun (nine points), Tordoff was back to the line with just 16 seconds left. He hit both bonus shots, giving Monroe a 55-50 lead. Barrett hit another one with 5.4 seconds left and Edgewood got a putback at the buzzer.
"We definitely caught some breaks there at the end and we capitalized on them," Tordoff said.
Bryan Tordoff finished with 11 points. McArdle and Grinnell each added eight. The Cheesemakers hit nine 3-pointers to the Crusaders' eight.
Derek Braucht, Edgewood's top scorer at more than 19 points per game, finished with 15. McArdle, who gives up nearly nine inches to the Crusader center (6-feet, 6-inches), held Braucht to just nine points in the teams' first matchup earlier this season.
"(Mitch) did a tremendous job on Braucht the last time. (Braucht) has had a few 20-point games his last few times out, so we just felt that we needed to shut him down again. It was a little harder this time because he was a little more aggressive and took his opportunities going to the basket," Tordoff said.
The Cheesemakers are back on the road Thursday at Monona Grove (1-9, 0-4).
Monroe's senior guard had ice running through his veins in overtime Tuesday (and it wasn't because of the sub-zero temperatures outside). Tordoff hit a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers the final lead, then made two free throws to freeze out conference rival Madison Edgewood, 56-52, in overtime.
"I've felt nervous before and missed," Tordoff said.
But that experience cast no shadow this time around.
As usual, the Crusaders and Cheesemakers were in a battle Tuesday. After losing its first eight games against Edgewood, Monroe has won seven straight and 10 of the past 11. Monroe has a 10-9 edge in the nine-year rivalry that started when Edgewood switched from the WISAA (a private school league) to the WIAA.
"Coach (Chris) Zwettler has done such a great job with this program and we know we are always going to have one heck of a game with these guys," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said.
The Cheesemakers (4-3, 3-0 Badger South) needed more than recent history on their side. The Crusaders (6-3, 3-2) scored the game's first 11 points in just 3 minutes, 38 seconds, forcing Murphy to call a timeout early in the Cheesemakers' first game since a loss to Menomonee Falls 17 days earlier.
"You could really see the rust in the first quarter," assistant coach Brian Bassett said. "I think it was just the nerves of getting back into regular games and knowing that each play actually counts, unlike in practice."
Tordoff, who scored a game-high 26 points, took matters into his own hands. He scored on a jumper and a 3-pointer, and Bryan Tordoff hit a shot from the baseline to close the gap to 11-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Cheesemakers continued to shoot well, taking a brief 12-11 lead 1:20 into the second quarter when Jake Grinnell hit one of his two big 3-pointers.
From there, Edgewood and Monroe went shot-for-shot the rest of the half, with the Crusaders leading 30-25 at the break.
"Our guys just dug down and fought hard," Bassett said. "It wasn't just everyone waiting for Mitch to take over. Other guys stepped up."
In the second half, Bryan Tordoff hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring and Mitch added another jumper. Monroe rolled off a 16-5 run in the third. Mitch McArdle hit back-to-back 3-pointers, then found Grinnell alone in the right corner for another big bucket from beyond the arc.
Then, with less than a half-minute left in the quarter, Zach Rast grabbed a big offensive rebound, took a dribble and hit a short jumper with 29 seconds left to give Monroe a 41-34 lead.
"That was huge, absolutely huge," Bassett said of Rast's rebound and putback. "And that's what he does every day in practice. He works hard and it paid off."
Edgewood had its own run in the fourth quarter. Zwettler sent his team on double-team crusades against McArdle and guard Michael Barrett, forcing turnovers. Edgewood stormed back to take a 47-45 lead with 4:22 left after a 3-pointer by Patrick Lagman (18 points, four 3-pointers).
The Cheesemakers trailed by as many as five points (50-45) with 1:40 left to play, but Mitch Tordoff nailed a 3-pointer moments later and Grinnell hit a pair of free throws.
Edgewood had a shot to win the game. Freshman Spencer Brink missed a bonus free throw with just 1.9 seconds left, and the game went into overtime. Murphy, who called two timeouts before the free throw to freeze the freshman, felt somewhat apologetic afterwards.
"I feel sorry for (Brink)," Murphy said. "I was in that position as a junior, I missed a free throw in a sectional final and I still think about it today. But he's young and he's only going to learn from it and get better.
"And this was just a game where, as a basketball fan, you didn't want to see either team lose. This was just a great game."
Mitch Tordoff hit a 3-pointer to start the overtime and Monroe played ball control throughout much of the extra session. After a few turnovers and a missed 3-pointer by Michael Eshun (nine points), Tordoff was back to the line with just 16 seconds left. He hit both bonus shots, giving Monroe a 55-50 lead. Barrett hit another one with 5.4 seconds left and Edgewood got a putback at the buzzer.
"We definitely caught some breaks there at the end and we capitalized on them," Tordoff said.
Bryan Tordoff finished with 11 points. McArdle and Grinnell each added eight. The Cheesemakers hit nine 3-pointers to the Crusaders' eight.
Derek Braucht, Edgewood's top scorer at more than 19 points per game, finished with 15. McArdle, who gives up nearly nine inches to the Crusader center (6-feet, 6-inches), held Braucht to just nine points in the teams' first matchup earlier this season.
"(Mitch) did a tremendous job on Braucht the last time. (Braucht) has had a few 20-point games his last few times out, so we just felt that we needed to shut him down again. It was a little harder this time because he was a little more aggressive and took his opportunities going to the basket," Tordoff said.
The Cheesemakers are back on the road Thursday at Monona Grove (1-9, 0-4).
