MONROE - For 6-foot-6 Monroe junior Kade King, the basketball season has already been a roller-coaster filled with challenges. King tore a ligament in his knee in the first practice, but that hasn't stopped him from making his presence felt.
King scored 9 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to help power the Monroe boys basketball team to a 74-49 win over Fort Atkinson in the Badger South Conference opener Friday night.
"Since I was coming back from a knee injury, I have been getting better," King said. "I definitely have to wear the knee brace, but it feels really good. Now, it's just starting to get into a flow with paint touches and scoring."
Scoring was not a problem for the Cheesemakers (2-1, 1-0 Badger South) early on. Monroe opened the game with a 13-2 run that included senior Bradyen Zettle and junior Nick Schumacher knocking down 3-pointers. Fort Atkinson senior Josh Bilau drilled a 3-pointer to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 32-28 with 1 minute, 48 seconds left in the first half. King scored all nine of his points in the first half to spark the Cheesemakers to a 35-30 lead at the half.
Zettle scored a game-high 17 points and Schumacher added 12 points and hit two 3-pointers. Senior Hunter Ward added eight points and grabbed seven rebounds and senior Jonah Tostrud also added eight points.
Zettle said defense was the key to picking up the first conference win in dominating fashion.
"They didn't play as many guys as we did," Zettle said. "I just think we kept dogging them and wore them out."
The Cheesemakers enjoyed a big rebounding edge in the first half 18-9 and outrebounded the Blackhawks, 34-18 before the final minutes of the game.
"It was really huge," King said. "I think we really kept our foot on the gas and we didn't let them back into the game. When you give up second-chance points that can just kill you. That (rebounding) was a big part of the game plan."
Playing with a post presence inside like the Cheesemakers haven't had in a couple of years, King allows the Cheesemakers to add a different dimension to their offense. Monroe coach Brian Bassett sees an opportunity to find scoring opportunities easier with the 6-6 King down low.
"Just having a post presence down there that you have to respect is great," Bassett said of King. "We haven't had that for a long time. Being able to have a force like that who you can throw it into and he can kick it out is outstanding."
Fort Atkinson senior Kyle Kutz scored all 13 of his points in the first half to keep the Blackhawks within striking distance. However, Tostrud's defense and the Cheesemakers held Kutz scoreless in the second half.
"He's a great player and a first-team all-conference guy," Bassett said of Kutz. "When Jonah went out with two fouls in the first half that is when he got going and they really made their ruin. Jonah is our best defensive player. Our plan at the half was to have someone else beat us. Once Jonah came back in, he defended him and we were better off."
The Cheesemakers put the game away with a 22-6 run to start the second half. Zettle scored eight points during the surge. Schumacher and Ward each drilled 3-pointers during the spurt. Tostrud scored on a layup to give the Cheesemakers a 57-36 lead with 12:10 left in the second half.
Monroe junior Alex Lange buried a jumper and after Tostrud made two free throws, junior Ross Jacobson knocked down a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 67-40 lead with 7:23 left. Senior teammate Brian McKeon got fans cheering even more when he hit a 3-pointer. Lange chipped in 6 points to go along with 6 rebounds.
Coming up with a stronger rebounding game as a team after a four-point loss to DeForest Tuesday was a positive step.
"It obviously shows our team's resiliency," Zettle said. "It just feels great to come out in the second half and execute a game plan."
Bassett saw the Cheesemakers take a step forward on offense.
"I think we shared the ball better than we have any other game this year," he said. "I thought it was a lot less dribbling and more passing. I think that was a big key tonight."
King scored 9 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to help power the Monroe boys basketball team to a 74-49 win over Fort Atkinson in the Badger South Conference opener Friday night.
"Since I was coming back from a knee injury, I have been getting better," King said. "I definitely have to wear the knee brace, but it feels really good. Now, it's just starting to get into a flow with paint touches and scoring."
Scoring was not a problem for the Cheesemakers (2-1, 1-0 Badger South) early on. Monroe opened the game with a 13-2 run that included senior Bradyen Zettle and junior Nick Schumacher knocking down 3-pointers. Fort Atkinson senior Josh Bilau drilled a 3-pointer to slice the Cheesemakers' lead to 32-28 with 1 minute, 48 seconds left in the first half. King scored all nine of his points in the first half to spark the Cheesemakers to a 35-30 lead at the half.
Zettle scored a game-high 17 points and Schumacher added 12 points and hit two 3-pointers. Senior Hunter Ward added eight points and grabbed seven rebounds and senior Jonah Tostrud also added eight points.
Zettle said defense was the key to picking up the first conference win in dominating fashion.
"They didn't play as many guys as we did," Zettle said. "I just think we kept dogging them and wore them out."
The Cheesemakers enjoyed a big rebounding edge in the first half 18-9 and outrebounded the Blackhawks, 34-18 before the final minutes of the game.
"It was really huge," King said. "I think we really kept our foot on the gas and we didn't let them back into the game. When you give up second-chance points that can just kill you. That (rebounding) was a big part of the game plan."
Playing with a post presence inside like the Cheesemakers haven't had in a couple of years, King allows the Cheesemakers to add a different dimension to their offense. Monroe coach Brian Bassett sees an opportunity to find scoring opportunities easier with the 6-6 King down low.
"Just having a post presence down there that you have to respect is great," Bassett said of King. "We haven't had that for a long time. Being able to have a force like that who you can throw it into and he can kick it out is outstanding."
Fort Atkinson senior Kyle Kutz scored all 13 of his points in the first half to keep the Blackhawks within striking distance. However, Tostrud's defense and the Cheesemakers held Kutz scoreless in the second half.
"He's a great player and a first-team all-conference guy," Bassett said of Kutz. "When Jonah went out with two fouls in the first half that is when he got going and they really made their ruin. Jonah is our best defensive player. Our plan at the half was to have someone else beat us. Once Jonah came back in, he defended him and we were better off."
The Cheesemakers put the game away with a 22-6 run to start the second half. Zettle scored eight points during the surge. Schumacher and Ward each drilled 3-pointers during the spurt. Tostrud scored on a layup to give the Cheesemakers a 57-36 lead with 12:10 left in the second half.
Monroe junior Alex Lange buried a jumper and after Tostrud made two free throws, junior Ross Jacobson knocked down a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 67-40 lead with 7:23 left. Senior teammate Brian McKeon got fans cheering even more when he hit a 3-pointer. Lange chipped in 6 points to go along with 6 rebounds.
Coming up with a stronger rebounding game as a team after a four-point loss to DeForest Tuesday was a positive step.
"It obviously shows our team's resiliency," Zettle said. "It just feels great to come out in the second half and execute a game plan."
Bassett saw the Cheesemakers take a step forward on offense.
"I think we shared the ball better than we have any other game this year," he said. "I thought it was a lot less dribbling and more passing. I think that was a big key tonight."
