Saturday's Schedule
(All times approximate)
• 3 p.m. - JV(Soph) Girls in the main gym / Freshman Boys in the auxiliary gym
• 4:30 p.m. - JV(Soph) Boys in the main gym
• 6 p.m. - Varsity Boys in the main gym
• 6:35 p.m. - Halftime ceremony honoring the 1989 Monroe girls basketball state championship team
• 7:30 p.m. - Varsity Girls in the main gym.
• 8:05 p.m. - Monroe Booster Club's "25 seconds to $2,500" halftime shootout
MONROE - On Saturday, the Monroe boys and girls basketball teams will host a party - with basketball included. Both programs will host their Illinois rival, the Freeport Pretzels, in a day packed with events.
The all-day event starts in the afternoon as the junior-varsity girls and the freshman boys face off at 3 p.m. The freshman boys play in the Auxiliary Gym, the girls in the main gym. There will be no girls freshman game, as Freeport's freshman team will be playing in a tournament the same day.
After the conclusion of the girls JV game, likely around 4:30 p.m., the boys JV teams will take the court.
Last season, when Monroe traveled to Freeport, the girls varsity played prior to the boys varsity teams. This year, they switch.
The boys varsity game will start around 6 p.m.
"We are fortunate that (Freeport) coach Jeff Lawfer has brought some kids to our summer league. I talked to him in the summer and we thought it would be great for both of us," Monroe boys head coach Pat Murphy said.
"And we're obviously thankful that a school of their size will play us. For a school that's twice our size, that says a lot about our program."
Last season, Monroe lost senior standout Brett Stangel to a knee injury and lost 47-44, ending the Cheesemakers' 33-game winning streak. This season, both teams find themselves with a slew of young players and a chance to prove that they are for real.
"If we don't do a little better than we did last year, they may not want to play us anymore. You want to keep the games competitive, and they got the best of us last year," Murphy said.
Murphy has made note recently about how great Monroe's home crowd can be. With a large school in a nearby community coming to pay a visit, he hopes the games can draw some big numbers that raise the decibel level.
"If Freeport brings people and we can get a packed gym, it should make for a pretty neat environment," Murphy said.
Murphy knows Lawfer fairly well, both having worked at Bo Ryan basketball camps. Murphy considers Lawfer a "Wisconsin guy."
The similar appearances between the two teams are deeper than just their players and head coaches. Murphy likened Pretzels assistant coach Don Tresemer to one of his assistants, Ken Gratz.
"They are both older guys who have seen a lot of basketball and really do great work for their teams," Murphy said.
At halftime, Monroe will honor the 20th anniversary of the 1989 state champion girls team and coaches.
"It was a pretty big deal," girls head coach Kevin Keen said. "They were the first group of ladies to win a state championship at Monroe High School. One of their goals that year was to get up on the wall of champions."
In 1989, Monroe went 27-0 in Keen's first year as the girls head coach, winning the state championship in Class A. The WIAA used only three divisions at the time, and in Class A (the biggest division) there were five teams that came into the state quarterfinals undefeated.
"To go undefeated and come out on top was awesome," Keen said. He's expecting about a dozen players and coaches to come back for the event.
"It will be fun to get a bunch of the ladies back together and reminisce the life 20 years ago," Keen said.
When the boys game concludes, the girls teams will take the court.
"(Freeport) is obviously having another outstanding year this year. They're returning several kids from their state-runner up team from last year," Keen said. "They return some good players that have size and quickness, but we do, too."
Freeport's girls team has been ranked as high in polls as No. 2 in IHSA's Class 3A and has four players on its roster with more than 1,000 career points. Last season, the Lady Pretzels were runners-up at state, while the Cheesemakers won the state championship in Wisconsin.
"There's nothing special that we need to do to win - just be solid on both ends of the floor. When we're careless with the basketball, that's when we run into problems," Keen said.
At halftime, the Monroe Booster Club will hold its "25 seconds to $2,500" shoot around. Four fans will be drawn from the crowd and will be given 25 seconds to make a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and half-court shot. If more than one person completes the test, the $2,500 will be split evenly. Tickets still can be purchased for $5 at Friday's boys game against DeForest and before the girls game Saturday evening.
The all-day event starts in the afternoon as the junior-varsity girls and the freshman boys face off at 3 p.m. The freshman boys play in the Auxiliary Gym, the girls in the main gym. There will be no girls freshman game, as Freeport's freshman team will be playing in a tournament the same day.
After the conclusion of the girls JV game, likely around 4:30 p.m., the boys JV teams will take the court.
Last season, when Monroe traveled to Freeport, the girls varsity played prior to the boys varsity teams. This year, they switch.
The boys varsity game will start around 6 p.m.
"We are fortunate that (Freeport) coach Jeff Lawfer has brought some kids to our summer league. I talked to him in the summer and we thought it would be great for both of us," Monroe boys head coach Pat Murphy said.
"And we're obviously thankful that a school of their size will play us. For a school that's twice our size, that says a lot about our program."
Last season, Monroe lost senior standout Brett Stangel to a knee injury and lost 47-44, ending the Cheesemakers' 33-game winning streak. This season, both teams find themselves with a slew of young players and a chance to prove that they are for real.
"If we don't do a little better than we did last year, they may not want to play us anymore. You want to keep the games competitive, and they got the best of us last year," Murphy said.
Murphy has made note recently about how great Monroe's home crowd can be. With a large school in a nearby community coming to pay a visit, he hopes the games can draw some big numbers that raise the decibel level.
"If Freeport brings people and we can get a packed gym, it should make for a pretty neat environment," Murphy said.
Murphy knows Lawfer fairly well, both having worked at Bo Ryan basketball camps. Murphy considers Lawfer a "Wisconsin guy."
The similar appearances between the two teams are deeper than just their players and head coaches. Murphy likened Pretzels assistant coach Don Tresemer to one of his assistants, Ken Gratz.
"They are both older guys who have seen a lot of basketball and really do great work for their teams," Murphy said.
At halftime, Monroe will honor the 20th anniversary of the 1989 state champion girls team and coaches.
"It was a pretty big deal," girls head coach Kevin Keen said. "They were the first group of ladies to win a state championship at Monroe High School. One of their goals that year was to get up on the wall of champions."
In 1989, Monroe went 27-0 in Keen's first year as the girls head coach, winning the state championship in Class A. The WIAA used only three divisions at the time, and in Class A (the biggest division) there were five teams that came into the state quarterfinals undefeated.
"To go undefeated and come out on top was awesome," Keen said. He's expecting about a dozen players and coaches to come back for the event.
"It will be fun to get a bunch of the ladies back together and reminisce the life 20 years ago," Keen said.
When the boys game concludes, the girls teams will take the court.
"(Freeport) is obviously having another outstanding year this year. They're returning several kids from their state-runner up team from last year," Keen said. "They return some good players that have size and quickness, but we do, too."
Freeport's girls team has been ranked as high in polls as No. 2 in IHSA's Class 3A and has four players on its roster with more than 1,000 career points. Last season, the Lady Pretzels were runners-up at state, while the Cheesemakers won the state championship in Wisconsin.
"There's nothing special that we need to do to win - just be solid on both ends of the floor. When we're careless with the basketball, that's when we run into problems," Keen said.
At halftime, the Monroe Booster Club will hold its "25 seconds to $2,500" shoot around. Four fans will be drawn from the crowd and will be given 25 seconds to make a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and half-court shot. If more than one person completes the test, the $2,500 will be split evenly. Tickets still can be purchased for $5 at Friday's boys game against DeForest and before the girls game Saturday evening.
