Whether it is state tournament jitters, an off shooting night or problems with Monroe’s zone defense, things aren’t going too well for Altoona in its Division 2 state semifinal against Monroe at the Alliant Energy Center.
The Railroaders are shooting 31.8 percent from the floor while Monroe is connecting at a 52.6-percent clip. The result is a 30-16 lead for the Cheesemakers, who won the state title in 2006 but have an almost entirely new roster from that championship team.
Brittany Gregorich leads Altoona with eight points while Tiffany Gregorich has five.
Altoona missed its first nine shots and fell behind 12-1 before Tiffany Gregorich’s 3-pointer with 49 seconds left in the first quarter. She added a driving layup just before the buzzer to make the score 12-6 at the end of the first quarter.
The Rails cut it to two points on two occasions, but were stuck on 14 points for almost 3 minutes. Meanwhile, Monroe took advantage of a depleted Altoona frontline. Six-foot sophomores Ashley Hermanson and Jamie Armstrong scored 13 of Monroe’s 18 points in the second quarter.
Foul trouble became an issue in the second quarter. Four players — Brittany Gregorich, Aimee Reyzer, Rachel Larson and Monica Rasmussen — had two fouls midway through the second. That’s partly why Hermanson and Armstrong have taken over.
They have a combined 18 points and 10 rebounds at the half.
On another note, I don’t see the Monroe mouse. I’m devastated.
- John Casper Jr.
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