The time has arrived to write the final chapter in the storied Verona-Monroe rivalry and the stakes couldn't be higher.
Final bragging rights. A continued chance to attain perfection for the Cheesemakers. The Badger South Conference championship.
Tonight marks the final time these juggernaut programs will take the court against each other in conference play as the Wildcats make the move into the Big Eight Conference next school year. Monroe head coach Pat Murphy has made it abundantly clear since Day One that he wants to end a 40-plus year drought of back-to-back championships for the Cheesemakers.
The state tournament is a hope. The Badger South crown is the reality.
"My thought has always been, in a conference it seems like the best teams always win," Murphy said. "Whereas I don't know if you can say that about a state championship. In the tournament series you have to get on a roll and win seven games in a row."
"You can have one off-night and you're done and I honestly believe that in conference championships, your best teams can do it over the long haul."
Monroe's ability to stay within itself is remarkable. They're a collective unit that screams "together" at the end of every huddle. Sitting at a perfect 16-0 (10-0 Badger South) with two weeks left to play, tonight is the only night that matters.
"Right now our goal is to win conference," senior Chase Sellnow said. "That's the main thing. We try and keep all that other stuff (out)."
What makes Murphy and the Cheesemakers great is the dependency they have on one another. The same could be said about the state championship squad from last year, but they had alpha dog and All-State player Brock Bidlingmaier to fall back on in tough conferences matches. This season, when senior reserve Shawn Hart gets the flu - like he did last week - everyone suffers. When Matt Turek misses a practice due to a prior commitment, the team isn't as sharp as it could be, according to Murphy.
"Once you get this deep into the season you need all 14 guys pulling in the same direction," Murphy said. "When you lose one of those guys that you've battled with for so long it throws you off."
"That's why it's so important to do the right things, on and off the court."
In order for Murphy and the Cheesemakers to stake their claim they have to find a way to limit 6-4 junior powerhouse forward Jason Ziemer. Ziemer had a game-high 27 points, but the Wildcats' inability at the line (42 percent on the game, 4-12 in the fourth quarter) gave Monroe the outright lead in the Badger South, a title the Cheesemakers aren't planning to relinquish.
Murphy calls the teams of 1963-65 "the gold standard" of basketball in Monroe. He's hoping all the motivational speeches he's passed along have sunken in and will come to a head tonight versus Verona.
"I tell them all the time that I'm going to be coaching a lot longer than they're going to be playing," Murphy said. "The hard thing to try and get kids to understand is the importance of the moment. You talk to guys that are out of school five or 10 years they understand what a great game that was."
Sixteen victories and counting tells something to the world. The Cheesemakers are ready to join elite company.
- John McNally is a sports reporter with The Monroe Times.
He can be reached at jmcnally@themonroetimes.com
Final bragging rights. A continued chance to attain perfection for the Cheesemakers. The Badger South Conference championship.
Tonight marks the final time these juggernaut programs will take the court against each other in conference play as the Wildcats make the move into the Big Eight Conference next school year. Monroe head coach Pat Murphy has made it abundantly clear since Day One that he wants to end a 40-plus year drought of back-to-back championships for the Cheesemakers.
The state tournament is a hope. The Badger South crown is the reality.
"My thought has always been, in a conference it seems like the best teams always win," Murphy said. "Whereas I don't know if you can say that about a state championship. In the tournament series you have to get on a roll and win seven games in a row."
"You can have one off-night and you're done and I honestly believe that in conference championships, your best teams can do it over the long haul."
Monroe's ability to stay within itself is remarkable. They're a collective unit that screams "together" at the end of every huddle. Sitting at a perfect 16-0 (10-0 Badger South) with two weeks left to play, tonight is the only night that matters.
"Right now our goal is to win conference," senior Chase Sellnow said. "That's the main thing. We try and keep all that other stuff (out)."
What makes Murphy and the Cheesemakers great is the dependency they have on one another. The same could be said about the state championship squad from last year, but they had alpha dog and All-State player Brock Bidlingmaier to fall back on in tough conferences matches. This season, when senior reserve Shawn Hart gets the flu - like he did last week - everyone suffers. When Matt Turek misses a practice due to a prior commitment, the team isn't as sharp as it could be, according to Murphy.
"Once you get this deep into the season you need all 14 guys pulling in the same direction," Murphy said. "When you lose one of those guys that you've battled with for so long it throws you off."
"That's why it's so important to do the right things, on and off the court."
In order for Murphy and the Cheesemakers to stake their claim they have to find a way to limit 6-4 junior powerhouse forward Jason Ziemer. Ziemer had a game-high 27 points, but the Wildcats' inability at the line (42 percent on the game, 4-12 in the fourth quarter) gave Monroe the outright lead in the Badger South, a title the Cheesemakers aren't planning to relinquish.
Murphy calls the teams of 1963-65 "the gold standard" of basketball in Monroe. He's hoping all the motivational speeches he's passed along have sunken in and will come to a head tonight versus Verona.
"I tell them all the time that I'm going to be coaching a lot longer than they're going to be playing," Murphy said. "The hard thing to try and get kids to understand is the importance of the moment. You talk to guys that are out of school five or 10 years they understand what a great game that was."
Sixteen victories and counting tells something to the world. The Cheesemakers are ready to join elite company.
- John McNally is a sports reporter with The Monroe Times.
He can be reached at jmcnally@themonroetimes.com
