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Cheesemakers ready for rematch
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Monroes Emily Benzschawel shoots the ball against Oregon at the high school earlier this year. Benzschawel is averaging 8.4 points per game for the Cheesemakers this season. To order this photo, click here. (Times photo: Marissa Weiher)
MONROE - The Mount Horeb girls basketball team has knocked Monroe out of the tournament the last two years. Now, Monroe is looking to reverse its fortune against the Vikings this year.

Mount Horeb (8-14) enters the tournament on a hot streak going 6-2 in its last eight games. Monroe (9-13) looks to put a stop to Mount Horeb's hot streak when the Cheesemakers host the Vikings in a WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

"If we don't come out and play our best our season could be over," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said.

The Vikings are led by junior Nikki Arneson who is averaging 15 points per game.

"She (Arneson) does it all for them," Mathiason said. "She's a post. She will go inside and outside and take the three."

The Vikings have a trio of guards they rely on, including Sydney King (8 ppg), Jessica Fisher (7.3 ppg) and Abby Epping (5.9 ppg).

"They can shoot it and handle the ball well," Mathiason said. "They have been able to knock down free throws to finish off games. We will have to be very good defensively and not let Arneson have a big night. They have enough other kids who can shoot it."

Mathiason expects a heavy dose of a sagging-man defense to bottle up the lane to keep the Cheesemakers from penetrating.

"From what we have seen they (Mount Horeb) want to keep you out of the lane," Mathiason said. "We will get some open shots and we have to just find ways to play well, knock them down and get conversions. We have to take what the defense gives us. We just have to find a way to be better on Tuesday."

The Cheesemakers are led by freshman point guard Sydney Hilliard who is averaging 15.3 ppg. Sophomore Sydney Mathiason (8.6 ppg) and freshman Emily Benzschawel (8.4 ppg) are also proven scorers.

If Monroe beats Mount Horeb, they would play at Stoughton Friday in a regional semifinal. Eight of Monroe's 13 losses have come against teams ranked in the top 10 in the state.

"I will not worry about that until we get to that one," Mathiason said of Stoughton. "All we can do is focus on playing our best on Tuesday. If we don't come out and play our best on Tuesday, the beyond doesn't matter."

Stoughton (20-2), the No. 1 seed in the sectional and ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Division 2 state poll, is coming off a win over Verona, ranked No. 2 in Division 1.

"Stoughton is deserving of the No. 1 seed," Mathiason said. "It (beating Verona) just shows the level they are playing at and how good they are."



Division 3

Brodhead (19-3), ranked No. 9 in Division 3, is in a loaded Sun Prairie sectional with only two out 12 teams with losing records. The sectional includes defending state champion Whitewater (21-1), which the Cardinals could see in the sectional semifinals.

However, there are a couple of tests for the Rock Valley Conference co-champion Cardinals before that potential showdown. Brodhead received a first-round bye, but will play the winner of sixth-seeded and No. 6-ranked Lakeside Lutheran (19-3) and 11th-seeded Clinton (10-12) in a regional semifinal on Friday. If the Cardinals win that game, a showdown with unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Marshall (22-0) could await in the regional championship game.

"Our sectional is brutal as far as the competition," Brodhead coach Brian Kammerer said. "We have to come out and bring our 'A' game or we could be going home."

Brodhead senior Kylie Moe, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh recruit, is averaging 22.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. The Cardinals also rely on sophomore Erin Nyhus (15.2 ppg) and senior Amber Pickel (14.1 ppg) to shoulder the scoring load.



Division 4

Darlington (8-12) received a No. 9 seed and will play at No. 8 Waterloo. If the Redbirds knock off the Pirates, Darlington would face No. 1 seed Mineral Point (20-2). Darlington is coming off a 64-41 win over Fennimore in the regular season finale.

New Glarus (17-5) received a No. 3 seed and has a first-round bye. The Glarner Knights will host the winner of No. 6 Belleville and No. 11 Parkview on Friday in a regional semifinal.

The Knights have a balanced scoring attack led by senior Vanessa Narveson (12 ppg), Willow Lee (10 ppg) and senior Tamara Elzen (9.6 ppg). The Knights are 11-3 in their last 14 games with two of the losses coming against Capitol South Conference champion and unbeaten Marshall. If the Knights win their regional semifinal game, a potential regional title game against Cuba City (20-2) may await.



Division 5

Fourth-seeded Black Hawk will host No. 13 Madison Country Day. Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan never expected a No. 4 seed since the Warriors defeated Randolph, the No. 2 seed. If Black Hawk (12-9) can make a run, the Warriors could face No. 2-ranked Fall River (18-4) in a regional title game.

"I never quite frankly thought we would be the No. 4," Flanagan said. "We felt pretty slighted since we have beaten Randolph. It doesn't compute in my book. You have to live with it. You just have to take the mentality that you would run into a team like Fall River eventually. We were just hoping it would be in the sectional and not the regional final. It's a tall order."

First, Black Hawk must beat Madison Country Day. The Warriors would then get a regional semifinal game against the winner of 12th-seeded Argyle (3-19) and fifth-seeded Rio (16-6). Argyle junior Kayla Butler-Paulson (12.2 ppg) and freshman Jena Saalsaa (10.7 ppg) are key for the Orioles.

Black Hawk senior Aleigha Sigafus is averaging 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Flanagan said a lot of teams will pack it in on defense against Sigafus.

"They will come in and try to take her away," he said. "We can't go away from that. When the defense does collapse, we need to have kids who are able to knock down some shots. We have kids who can make perimeter shots. You just have to shoot with confidence."

Randolph may have a much different road to the sectional.

"I think it would be a fluke if Randolph is not playing in the sectional," Flanagan said.

Juda (9-9) received a No. 7 seed and will host 10th seed Cambria-Friesland. If the Panthers win Tuesday, a matchup against Randolph awaits in a regional semifinal game on Friday. The Panthers are led by the guard play of juniors Alexis Goecks (11.5 ppg) and Chelsea Burkhalter (7.4 ppg).

Ninth-seeded Albany (5-17) will play at eighth- Williams Bay. The Comets are led by the freshmen duo of Payton Zurfluh (9.1 ppg) and Libby Beck 6.0 ppg). Albany enters the tournament 2-7 in its last nine games.

Barneveld (22-0), ranked No. 1 and the two-time defending state champions, is the top seed in the Richland Center sectional. Barneveld will host Pecatonica (1-21).

The Vikings are looking to pull of an upset. Pecatonica coach Bobby Rose understands the Vikings are underdogs, but he wants his team to play hard.

Pecatonica is led by junior Liz Tisch (9.1 ppg). The Eagles are led by University of Nebraska recruit Hannah Whitish who is averaging 20.4 ppg.

"I have been telling the girls we have no pressure," Rose said. "We just have to come out with everything we got. We will see if we can do something that no one else has been able to do this year."