MOUNT HOREB - Before the WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal game against Mount Horeb, Monroe coach Sam Mathiason warned about how much the Vikings thrived on the fastbreak.
Mount Horeb (10-13) turned to the break for some instant offense in rolling to a 54-31 win over Monroe Tuesday. Mount Horeb had six layups in the first quarter to spark a 17-3 run.
The Vikings led by as many as 16 points in the first half after senior Cassie Hendrick scored on a layup to give the Vikings a 22-6 lead with about 6 minutes left in the second quarter. The Vikings made eight layups in the first half and had 66 percent of their points in the first half on layups. Hendrick scored a game-high 16 points and had three steals. Senior teammate Alli Gordon scored 11 points and had four steals.
Mathiason didn't consider switching to a 2-3 zone because of the outside shooting ability the Vikings have displayed this season.
"You can always second guess," Mathiason said. "In their last game Portage played a zone and they (Mount Horeb) hit nine 3-pointers. It's one of those things where you want to take something away. I thought our best chance was with man defense. They did a good job of executing and getting it in the right person's hands and we didn't get it done on the defensive end."
Monroe senior Alacia Keegan and junior Brooke Adams each scored a team-high seven points. Keegan had a team-high seven rebounds. Monroe junior Hannah Vetterli and freshman Sydney Mathiason each added five points. Keegan, who will play basketball at Loars College next year, understood the emotional toll her final prep game took on her.
"I was just kind of frustrated with myself," Keegan said. "I didn't play very good. I just feel like I let my teammates down. I was just kind of heartbroken to know that I was going to be playing my last few minutes of high school basketball."
The Cheesemakers shot 17 percent in the first half (4 of 23) and finished 23 percent (9 of 39). Monroe also committed 19 turnovers. Despite the tough start, the Cheesemakers (8-15) battled back sparked by sophomore Lexi Hilliard's 3-pointer she banked in before the buzzer to cut the Vikings' halftime lead to 24-14.
The Cheesemakers whittled the Vikings' lead down to five points in the second half. Adams scored on a putback with 6 minutes, 40 seconds left in the third quarter to cut the Vikings' lead to 24-16. Sydney Mathiason scored on a putback to trim the deficit to six points. Vetterli scored down low to slice the Vikings' lead to 25-20. That is as close as the Cheesemakers would get.
"I feel at halftime we refocused and came out scoring in the third quarter," Keegan said. "Our momentum kept us going. It was exciting. It stinks we couldn't hold onto it."
The Vikings closed the third quarter with a 12-3 run to take a 37-23 lead into the fourth quarter. Mount Horeb sophomore Nikki Arneson scored down low and Hendrick nailed two 3-pointers during the surge.
"She (Hendrick) has a lot of speed," Adams said. "It was hard to keep everyone contained. They are a really good team. They did a lot of movement on offense. They just found a way to score. It just didn't end up well for us."
Keegan will savor the support she received from teammates and the community.
"Basketball related or not, I had a lot of supporters," she said. "They were really good supporters and friends. It's nice to have them on my side."
Adams has one more year left. She will always cherish the team dinners and bonding experiences they shared.
"I will always remember riding on the bus and the team sleepovers," Adams said. "We always had a fun time and could pick people up on and off the court when we needed it."
Monroe finished the season with two more wins than last season. With a talented freshman class incoming next year, Mathiason wants to see his team continue to take the next step in the Badger South Conference and the regional. The last time Monroe won a regional game was at the end of the 2012-13 season when they defeated Mount Horeb 47-33.
"I think we made some progress this year," Mathiason said. "Hopefully, they understand how much they will have to work in the offseason between now and November. They will have to work on their skill development and get better at basketball. Hopefully, they can stay motivated and we can take that next step."
Mount Horeb (10-13) turned to the break for some instant offense in rolling to a 54-31 win over Monroe Tuesday. Mount Horeb had six layups in the first quarter to spark a 17-3 run.
The Vikings led by as many as 16 points in the first half after senior Cassie Hendrick scored on a layup to give the Vikings a 22-6 lead with about 6 minutes left in the second quarter. The Vikings made eight layups in the first half and had 66 percent of their points in the first half on layups. Hendrick scored a game-high 16 points and had three steals. Senior teammate Alli Gordon scored 11 points and had four steals.
Mathiason didn't consider switching to a 2-3 zone because of the outside shooting ability the Vikings have displayed this season.
"You can always second guess," Mathiason said. "In their last game Portage played a zone and they (Mount Horeb) hit nine 3-pointers. It's one of those things where you want to take something away. I thought our best chance was with man defense. They did a good job of executing and getting it in the right person's hands and we didn't get it done on the defensive end."
Monroe senior Alacia Keegan and junior Brooke Adams each scored a team-high seven points. Keegan had a team-high seven rebounds. Monroe junior Hannah Vetterli and freshman Sydney Mathiason each added five points. Keegan, who will play basketball at Loars College next year, understood the emotional toll her final prep game took on her.
"I was just kind of frustrated with myself," Keegan said. "I didn't play very good. I just feel like I let my teammates down. I was just kind of heartbroken to know that I was going to be playing my last few minutes of high school basketball."
The Cheesemakers shot 17 percent in the first half (4 of 23) and finished 23 percent (9 of 39). Monroe also committed 19 turnovers. Despite the tough start, the Cheesemakers (8-15) battled back sparked by sophomore Lexi Hilliard's 3-pointer she banked in before the buzzer to cut the Vikings' halftime lead to 24-14.
The Cheesemakers whittled the Vikings' lead down to five points in the second half. Adams scored on a putback with 6 minutes, 40 seconds left in the third quarter to cut the Vikings' lead to 24-16. Sydney Mathiason scored on a putback to trim the deficit to six points. Vetterli scored down low to slice the Vikings' lead to 25-20. That is as close as the Cheesemakers would get.
"I feel at halftime we refocused and came out scoring in the third quarter," Keegan said. "Our momentum kept us going. It was exciting. It stinks we couldn't hold onto it."
The Vikings closed the third quarter with a 12-3 run to take a 37-23 lead into the fourth quarter. Mount Horeb sophomore Nikki Arneson scored down low and Hendrick nailed two 3-pointers during the surge.
"She (Hendrick) has a lot of speed," Adams said. "It was hard to keep everyone contained. They are a really good team. They did a lot of movement on offense. They just found a way to score. It just didn't end up well for us."
Keegan will savor the support she received from teammates and the community.
"Basketball related or not, I had a lot of supporters," she said. "They were really good supporters and friends. It's nice to have them on my side."
Adams has one more year left. She will always cherish the team dinners and bonding experiences they shared.
"I will always remember riding on the bus and the team sleepovers," Adams said. "We always had a fun time and could pick people up on and off the court when we needed it."
Monroe finished the season with two more wins than last season. With a talented freshman class incoming next year, Mathiason wants to see his team continue to take the next step in the Badger South Conference and the regional. The last time Monroe won a regional game was at the end of the 2012-13 season when they defeated Mount Horeb 47-33.
"I think we made some progress this year," Mathiason said. "Hopefully, they understand how much they will have to work in the offseason between now and November. They will have to work on their skill development and get better at basketball. Hopefully, they can stay motivated and we can take that next step."
