Talawanda (3-4) built a 40-31 lead early in the fourth quarter before Monroe (2-6) rallied.
The Hornets tied the game at 44 on a Nick Osterman 3-pointer, but Kelvin Reisenfeld answered with two free throws to give the Braves the lead for good.
The Hornets didn’t help their cause by hitting only 3 of 7 free throws in the fourth.
Evan James scored all 13 of his team-high points in the second half for the Braves. Reisenfeld added 10 points, while Josh DeWitt came off the bench to score nine points and grab six rebounds.
Monroe was undone by poor shooting in the second half, hitting only six 6 of 23 field goals after intermission.
Tristan Backas poured in a game-high 22 points and pulled down nine boards to lead the Hornets. Lawrence Puleo hit three treys for Monroe.
The Hornets built a 25-23 halftime lead by attacking the Braves, but found the second half to be a different story on both ends.
Next for Talawanda is a trip to Madison for the Brian Cook Classic. Thursday’s first-round matchups are Madison vs. Miami Valley at 6 p.m. and the Braves vs. Cincinnati Christian at 7:30 p.m.
Monroe will host Madison on Jan. 3.
Talawanda 12-11-15-14—52
Monroe 13-12-6-16—47
TALAWANDA (3-4): Evan James 4 5 13, Kelvin Reisenfeld 2 4 10, Justin Boggs 3 0 7, Andrew O’Donnel 1 2 4, Ty Hornsby 2 2 6, Charlie Winkler 1 1 3, Josh DeWitt 4 0 9. Totals: 17-14-52
MONROE (2-6): Tristan Backas 8 5 22, Thryceton Deckard 2 3 7, Nick Osterman 1 0 3, Lawrence Puleo 3 0 9, Tucker Triplett 0 2 2, Chad Rolph 1 2 4. Totals: 15-12-47
3-pointers: T 4 (Reisenfeld 2, Boggs, DeWitt), M 5 (Puleo 3, Backas, Osterman)
CaptionTalawanda’s Josh DeWitt hits a 3-pointer over Monroe guard Tucker Triplett during Tuesday night’s game at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Talawanda’s Josh DeWitt hits a 3-pointer over Monroe guard Tucker Triplett during Tuesday night’s game at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe forward Chad Rolph shoots over Talawanda’s Justin Boggs during Tuesday night’s game at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe forward Chad Rolph shoots over Talawanda’s Justin Boggs during Tuesday night’s game at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Talawanda’s Evan James has his shot knocked away by Monroe forward Tristan Backas during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Talawanda’s Evan James has his shot knocked away by Monroe forward Tristan Backas during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Talawanda’s Ty Hornsby (23) is challenged by Monroe guard Thryceton Deckard during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Talawanda’s Ty Hornsby (23) is challenged by Monroe guard Thryceton Deckard during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe guard Thryceton Deckard puts in two points against visiting Talawanda on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe guard Thryceton Deckard puts in two points against visiting Talawanda on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe guard Tucker Triplett has his shot blocked by Talawanda’s Andrew O’Donnel during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe guard Tucker Triplett has his shot blocked by Talawanda’s Andrew O’Donnel during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe guard Thryceton Deckard draws a foul from Talawanda’s Justin Boggs during Tuesday night’s game at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe guard Thryceton Deckard draws a foul from Talawanda’s Justin Boggs during Tuesday night’s game at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Talawanda coach Eddie Glaser signals a play to his team Tuesday night during a game at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Talawanda coach Eddie Glaser signals a play to his team Tuesday night during a game at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe’s Thryceton Deckard (left) and Talawanda’s Blake Cooke battle for a rebound during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe’s Thryceton Deckard (left) and Talawanda’s Blake Cooke battle for a rebound during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe coach Kenny Molz instructs his team during Tuesday night’s game against Talawanda at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe coach Kenny Molz instructs his team during Tuesday night’s game against Talawanda at Monroe. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe forward Tristan Backas eyes the basket during Tuesday night’s game against visiting Talawanda. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Monroe forward Tristan Backas eyes the basket during Tuesday night’s game against visiting Talawanda. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Talawanda’s Justin Boggs puts up a shot while being covered by Monroe guard Tucker Triplett during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
Caption Talawanda’s Justin Boggs puts up a shot while being covered by Monroe guard Tucker Triplett during their game at Monroe on Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY E.L. HUBBARD
