STOUGHTON - There was no miracle shot at the buzzer against the Vikings this time for the Cheesemakers. After winning two-straight games over Stoughton last year on baskets as time expired, Monroe was on the receiving end Saturday.
"I think the law of averages caught up a little bit. (Stoughton) played hard, played tough and made plays," Cheesemakers head coach Pat Murphy said, after his team suffered its first loss of the season, 50-47, in overtime. "There's a reason why I picked Stoughton to win the league (Badger South). They bring back a lot of guys and play well."
Junior guard Michael Barrett, who flipped in a shot at the buzzer a year ago in the same gym, was knocked out of the game with an apparent concussion in the third quarter. Diving for a loose ball, Barrett found himself on the ground as a Stoughton player's knee rammed into the side of his head. To make matters worse, Barrett was tagged for a foul on the play.
"The loss of Michael was huge. To lose somebody who has played as much as he has doesn't help," Murphy said.
Bryan Tordoff took over full control of scoring from there. The junior guard scored Monroe's final 14 points of the game; 26 points total.
"I'd rather have zero points and a win than 30 in a loss. It was probably my fault too, not getting other guys involved as much as I probably should have," Tordoff said. "It was tough without (Michael). To mix in new guys and have it be continuous, it will be tough."
Murphy wasn't displeased with Tordoff's shot selection.
"Guys have to grow up a little bit quicker than maybe they want to. Bryan tried to take some big shots, but that's because no other guys really wanted to take those shots. To his credit, he wasn't afraid to do it," Murphy said.
Monroe opened the game on top, holding a 10-7 lead with two minutes left in the opening quarter. Over the next six minutes, Stoughton went on a 13-2 run to take a 20-12 advantage. By halftime, the Cheesemakers brought the difference back to three points at 26-23.
In the third, the Vikings (3-1, 1-0) continued hitting shots as the Cheesemakers' (2-1, 1-1) shooting and ball control went sour. Stoughton led by 10 points with three minutes left in the third; many of their points coming off of turnovers.
"We had 15 turnovers for the second-straight game. It's hard to win when you turn the ball over that much," Murphy said.
With five seconds left in the third, senior guard Alex Capesius was called for a blocking foul after the official initially called for a charge. Eric Gerber drained both free throws, and Stoughton led 41-33 heading into the fourth.
Turnovers took their biggest toll in overtime. After Tordoff went off on a scoring spree and Monroe's defense kept Stoughton away from the basket in the final quarter of regulation, the Cheesemakers held a 47-45 lead with under 1:37 to play in overtime.
Stoughton's Tyler Kowalkowski, who scored 15 points and hit four 3-pointers, stole a pass and drained a lay up to tie the game. After another missed shot by Monroe, Stoughton wound down the clock and Tom Speth scored on a drive to the basket with 3.2 seconds left and drained a free throw to make it 50-47.
"We would have liked to have ran off some clock there and taken the last shot in the final minute, but they jumped our play. We might have went to the well a little too often. You live and learn and hopefully we'll bounce back," Murphy said.
Capesius' half-court prayer at the buzzer was wide right by a foot.
"We knew they would be tough on defense and we knew they could score. And they did," Tordoff said. "I don't like to lose. I hate losing about as much or more than anybody else. But, if I had to, I'd rather lose early in the season to get it out of the way. We're going to come back harder than ever now."
Monroe next plays Milton (0-3, 0-2) at home Friday and Murphy said he hopes the team's crowd support stays strong.
"We had a lot of fans up at Stoughton. I mean a lot of fans. It made for a great atmosphere and we're glad to see that," he said.
"I think the law of averages caught up a little bit. (Stoughton) played hard, played tough and made plays," Cheesemakers head coach Pat Murphy said, after his team suffered its first loss of the season, 50-47, in overtime. "There's a reason why I picked Stoughton to win the league (Badger South). They bring back a lot of guys and play well."
Junior guard Michael Barrett, who flipped in a shot at the buzzer a year ago in the same gym, was knocked out of the game with an apparent concussion in the third quarter. Diving for a loose ball, Barrett found himself on the ground as a Stoughton player's knee rammed into the side of his head. To make matters worse, Barrett was tagged for a foul on the play.
"The loss of Michael was huge. To lose somebody who has played as much as he has doesn't help," Murphy said.
Bryan Tordoff took over full control of scoring from there. The junior guard scored Monroe's final 14 points of the game; 26 points total.
"I'd rather have zero points and a win than 30 in a loss. It was probably my fault too, not getting other guys involved as much as I probably should have," Tordoff said. "It was tough without (Michael). To mix in new guys and have it be continuous, it will be tough."
Murphy wasn't displeased with Tordoff's shot selection.
"Guys have to grow up a little bit quicker than maybe they want to. Bryan tried to take some big shots, but that's because no other guys really wanted to take those shots. To his credit, he wasn't afraid to do it," Murphy said.
Monroe opened the game on top, holding a 10-7 lead with two minutes left in the opening quarter. Over the next six minutes, Stoughton went on a 13-2 run to take a 20-12 advantage. By halftime, the Cheesemakers brought the difference back to three points at 26-23.
In the third, the Vikings (3-1, 1-0) continued hitting shots as the Cheesemakers' (2-1, 1-1) shooting and ball control went sour. Stoughton led by 10 points with three minutes left in the third; many of their points coming off of turnovers.
"We had 15 turnovers for the second-straight game. It's hard to win when you turn the ball over that much," Murphy said.
With five seconds left in the third, senior guard Alex Capesius was called for a blocking foul after the official initially called for a charge. Eric Gerber drained both free throws, and Stoughton led 41-33 heading into the fourth.
Turnovers took their biggest toll in overtime. After Tordoff went off on a scoring spree and Monroe's defense kept Stoughton away from the basket in the final quarter of regulation, the Cheesemakers held a 47-45 lead with under 1:37 to play in overtime.
Stoughton's Tyler Kowalkowski, who scored 15 points and hit four 3-pointers, stole a pass and drained a lay up to tie the game. After another missed shot by Monroe, Stoughton wound down the clock and Tom Speth scored on a drive to the basket with 3.2 seconds left and drained a free throw to make it 50-47.
"We would have liked to have ran off some clock there and taken the last shot in the final minute, but they jumped our play. We might have went to the well a little too often. You live and learn and hopefully we'll bounce back," Murphy said.
Capesius' half-court prayer at the buzzer was wide right by a foot.
"We knew they would be tough on defense and we knew they could score. And they did," Tordoff said. "I don't like to lose. I hate losing about as much or more than anybody else. But, if I had to, I'd rather lose early in the season to get it out of the way. We're going to come back harder than ever now."
Monroe next plays Milton (0-3, 0-2) at home Friday and Murphy said he hopes the team's crowd support stays strong.
"We had a lot of fans up at Stoughton. I mean a lot of fans. It made for a great atmosphere and we're glad to see that," he said.
