RECAP: Monona Grove 81, McFarland 52
With about 12 minutes to go in the first half, McFarland battled back from a 10-5 hole to make it 10-9, giving early appearances of this game being a back-and-forth battle between the third-place team in the Badger South (Monona Grove) and the first-place team in the Rock Valley North (McFarland).
The Silver Eagles then ripped off an 18-2 run over the course of the next six minutes, highlighted by an Alec Ogden steal and dunk, and never looked back en route to a blowout 81-52 win.
In the first half, Monona Grove's leading scorer Jake Schroeckenthaler had five baskets, all in the paint, to help spur the Silver Eagles along. Schroeckenthaler finished with 16 points. Mitch Kelsey added 10, and all told, 13 Silver Eagles got a point in the game.
McFarland got 15 points from Braondon Acker, and 18 points off the bench, but didn't have the firepower to keep up with Monona Grove.
Monona Grove will face Stoughton and Edgewood in Badger South rematches the rest of the way, the two teams ahead of the Silver Eagles in the standings. They'll also get Waunakee in the penultimate game of the season. McFarland still has a key game remaining against Evansville, who they beat on the road in December.
Monona Grove's win tonight was their sixth straight in the series. The last time either team won a game by 29 or more in this series was in December 2003, when Monona Grove won 61-32.