WAUNAKEE - The Monroe High School boys basketball team's season came to an end with a 61-33 loss to Waunakee in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal game on Friday.
Monroe (11-13) trailed by as many as 22 points in the second half. Monroe junior David Keegan hit a few shots and junior Brayden Zettle drilled a 3-pointer to slice the Warriors' lead to 39-29 with 10 minutes to go.
Waunakee (21-2), ranked fourth in the Associated Press Division 2 state poll, went on a 20-4 run over the final nine minutes to seal the win.
"We thought we had it," Bassett said. "We had the momentum, and I thought we could come back and win it. Waunakee coach Dana McKenzie called a timeout. Then we just couldn't buy a basket. We had a lot of shots go in and roll back out. Against a team like Waunakee you have to be perfect."
Monroe senior Carter Sawdey scored a team-high 11 points. Zettle and Keegan each added eight points. Junior teammamte Jonah Tostrud had four points.
Waunakee, which made a state tournament appearance last year, built a 29-11 lead in the first half.
"Waunakee's Nate Carter is 6-(foot-)6, and he had five or six blocked shots in the first half," Bassett said. "That had an affect on us. We had so many shots go down in and out."
Waunakee's Mitch Listau scored a game-high 21 points, and Mason Steffen added 13 points.
Bassett, who served 17 years as an assistant coach under former Monroe boys head coach Pat Murphy before becoming the head coach in the offseason, said he likes the progress the Cheesemakers made in his first season of implementing a sideline fastbreak and an uptempo offense.
"We had a lot of really great senior leaders," Bassett said. "They would never give up. I really can't thank them enough for that. They really laid a foundation for the new program."
The Cheesemakers will lose seven seniors off a roster of 16 players.
It marks the final year of Waunakee in Division 2 for the tournament.
"Last year we were told they would be in Division 1 this year," Bassett said. "They had some kids who were rolled back and not counted, and they ended up in Division 2 again. ... It's kind of frustrating."
Monroe (11-13) trailed by as many as 22 points in the second half. Monroe junior David Keegan hit a few shots and junior Brayden Zettle drilled a 3-pointer to slice the Warriors' lead to 39-29 with 10 minutes to go.
Waunakee (21-2), ranked fourth in the Associated Press Division 2 state poll, went on a 20-4 run over the final nine minutes to seal the win.
"We thought we had it," Bassett said. "We had the momentum, and I thought we could come back and win it. Waunakee coach Dana McKenzie called a timeout. Then we just couldn't buy a basket. We had a lot of shots go in and roll back out. Against a team like Waunakee you have to be perfect."
Monroe senior Carter Sawdey scored a team-high 11 points. Zettle and Keegan each added eight points. Junior teammamte Jonah Tostrud had four points.
Waunakee, which made a state tournament appearance last year, built a 29-11 lead in the first half.
"Waunakee's Nate Carter is 6-(foot-)6, and he had five or six blocked shots in the first half," Bassett said. "That had an affect on us. We had so many shots go down in and out."
Waunakee's Mitch Listau scored a game-high 21 points, and Mason Steffen added 13 points.
Bassett, who served 17 years as an assistant coach under former Monroe boys head coach Pat Murphy before becoming the head coach in the offseason, said he likes the progress the Cheesemakers made in his first season of implementing a sideline fastbreak and an uptempo offense.
"We had a lot of really great senior leaders," Bassett said. "They would never give up. I really can't thank them enough for that. They really laid a foundation for the new program."
The Cheesemakers will lose seven seniors off a roster of 16 players.
It marks the final year of Waunakee in Division 2 for the tournament.
"Last year we were told they would be in Division 1 this year," Bassett said. "They had some kids who were rolled back and not counted, and they ended up in Division 2 again. ... It's kind of frustrating."
