MONROE - The Cheesemakers continued to be solid in the post and hit free throws when it mattered, knocking off Monona Grove in their Badger South opener, 56-47.
"(Monona Grove) seemed quicker than us at many many positions, and we're fortunate to win," said Pat Murphy, Monroe head coach. "They came in here hungry and on a mission. But we made our free throws when it mattered."
After the score went back and forth several times, the Cheesemakers were the first to put themselves ahead by more than three points in the first quarter, as senior center Kevin Frint showed off his range and hustle, hitting a long jumper and running baseline to baseline in transition for a layup. Fellow big man Kyle Klinzing then knocked down back-to-back shots down low to put Monroe head 15-10.
"Our coaches really have been working with us bigs on running the court because that's what will happen - getting open baskets," Frint said, who had 11 points and eight rebounds. Klinzing also scored seven points.
In the second, however, Monona Grove found its groove. Trailing 17-12, the Silver Eagles (0-2, 0-1 Badger South) stepped up their defense, forcing three turnovers and reeling off a 12-0 run over the course of two and a half minutes.
"We told them to just get after it better. They did a good job of finding the open guy and made some open shots," Murphy said.
The Cheesemakers (2-0, 1-0) turned the momentum around and closed the half on a 13-2 run, including the final 11 unanswered.
"We knew we had to play tougher and make smart decisions," said Bryan Tordoff, a three-year varsity guard, who scored a game-high 18 points, five steals and three assists. "It was as intense as I've seen out of the Badger South. You can never take a team too lightly in this conference."
Monroe never trailed the rest of the game, knocking down shots and free throws in the second half to hold Monona Grove at bay. The Cheesemakers, which shot 9-for-12 from the charity stripe in the first half, hit 10 of their final 13 free throws in the fourth quarter. Tordoff was 5-for-6 in the frame and Michael Barrett (13 points) was 3-for-4.
"We kept them back enough in distance to seal it," Murphy said.
Murphy also stuck with only five players in the fourth.
"Those guys hung pretty tough in there. To go eight minutes straight against a pretty good team is hard," he said.
Frint, who grabbed three offensive rebounds and dominated in the paint, hit just five of 10 free throws, including only two of his final six in the fourth.
Monroe now gets three days of practice before its first road game, which is Saturday at Stoughton.
"Stoughton is going to be a really good opponent. I'm just happy we're 2-0. We've just got to keep being consistent in our possessions, not panicking with the ball and keeping the other guys out of the lane," Murphy said.
"(Monona Grove) seemed quicker than us at many many positions, and we're fortunate to win," said Pat Murphy, Monroe head coach. "They came in here hungry and on a mission. But we made our free throws when it mattered."
After the score went back and forth several times, the Cheesemakers were the first to put themselves ahead by more than three points in the first quarter, as senior center Kevin Frint showed off his range and hustle, hitting a long jumper and running baseline to baseline in transition for a layup. Fellow big man Kyle Klinzing then knocked down back-to-back shots down low to put Monroe head 15-10.
"Our coaches really have been working with us bigs on running the court because that's what will happen - getting open baskets," Frint said, who had 11 points and eight rebounds. Klinzing also scored seven points.
In the second, however, Monona Grove found its groove. Trailing 17-12, the Silver Eagles (0-2, 0-1 Badger South) stepped up their defense, forcing three turnovers and reeling off a 12-0 run over the course of two and a half minutes.
"We told them to just get after it better. They did a good job of finding the open guy and made some open shots," Murphy said.
The Cheesemakers (2-0, 1-0) turned the momentum around and closed the half on a 13-2 run, including the final 11 unanswered.
"We knew we had to play tougher and make smart decisions," said Bryan Tordoff, a three-year varsity guard, who scored a game-high 18 points, five steals and three assists. "It was as intense as I've seen out of the Badger South. You can never take a team too lightly in this conference."
Monroe never trailed the rest of the game, knocking down shots and free throws in the second half to hold Monona Grove at bay. The Cheesemakers, which shot 9-for-12 from the charity stripe in the first half, hit 10 of their final 13 free throws in the fourth quarter. Tordoff was 5-for-6 in the frame and Michael Barrett (13 points) was 3-for-4.
"We kept them back enough in distance to seal it," Murphy said.
Murphy also stuck with only five players in the fourth.
"Those guys hung pretty tough in there. To go eight minutes straight against a pretty good team is hard," he said.
Frint, who grabbed three offensive rebounds and dominated in the paint, hit just five of 10 free throws, including only two of his final six in the fourth.
Monroe now gets three days of practice before its first road game, which is Saturday at Stoughton.
"Stoughton is going to be a really good opponent. I'm just happy we're 2-0. We've just got to keep being consistent in our possessions, not panicking with the ball and keeping the other guys out of the lane," Murphy said.
