MOUNT HOREB — The Cheesemakers had a series of “lasts” this past weekend. On Friday, March 6, Monroe defeated former Badger Conference rival Stoughton in a tight back-and-forth game, 81-70. It was the last varsity game in any sport inside the gym the Cheesemakers have called home since 1957. 

The very next night in a WIAA Division 2 regional championship game at Mount Horeb, eight Cheesemakers played the final high school game of their careers, as the host Vikings won 84-60.

“We had some good looks — shots that we’ve made all season, but up here, they don’t fall,” Monroe coach Brian Bassett said. “But they (Mount Horeb) are good. This is not the right team to try and play catch-up to.”

Mount Horeb senior Josh Manchester torched the Cheese to the tune of 38 points. In early December this season, Manchester surpassed the vaunted 2,000 career point milestone. While he hasn’t officially selected which one of the dozen interested NCAA Division I schools he’ll attend next year, he had another memorable night in his compact, filled-to-capacity home gym. Manchester scored 13 points in the first half as the Vikings jumped out to a 40-29 advantage at halftime. 

“I thought our game plan was good, but they hit shots and ours didn’t fall. That happens sometimes. That’s basketball,” Monroe senior Mekhi Brown said. “It’s hard to beat a team when you aren’t making many shots, and they are — and it’s at their home, in their environment.”

In the second half, Manchester took over, dropping 25 points, including hitting 12 of 14 free throws.

Monroe found itself trailing by 23 points with less than eight minutes to play. While baskets started to drop late for MHS, Mount Horeb — especially Manchester — answered the call on the other end. The closest Monroe would get in the final minutes was 15 points at 75-60 with just 2:58 left on a three by Logan Taylor. The Vikings (21-5) closed the rest of the game on a 9-0 run to advance to sectionals.

“It’s hard to make a comeback when every time you hit a three, they match it,” Brown said.

During the game, Brown reached the 1,000 career points threshold, adding one more accomplishment to his playing career.

“We’ve had a good season, and it was nice to hit a milestone, for sure,” said Brown, who was the Rock Valley-Valley Player of the Year in 2024-25. “Not a lot of people get to hit a milestone like this, so I am glad I got to leave my mark on Monroe basketball.”

Brown led Monroe (18-8) with 18 points in the game, while fellow senior Marcus Ott had 16.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to hitting shots. We knew you can’t always hit 100% of your shots, but we struggled early, and that makes it tough to come back,” Ott said.

Aiding offense for the Vikings were juniors Alex Chapman and Mason Williams, who had 20 and 11 points each.

The night before, Monroe played a strong second half to knock off another clan of Vikings, the travelers from Stoughton.

The first half was a back and forth battle, with Stoughton converting 8 of 14 3-point attempts. A 10-2 Vikings run had Monroe trailing 37-34 at halftime.

“Our coaches know we are a second half team and we have the ability to pull it out,” said junior Kam Gerber-Reamer.

While Monroe made five threes of its own in the first half, the Cheesemakers splashed seven more in the second half — while Stoughton made just four.

Defense is a phase of the game Monroe’s coaches emphasize, and in the second half, the players responded. Brown spent much of the time facing against Holden Ackerman, who had 14 points at halftime. In the second half, Ackerman went scoreless.

“Our coaches said we were going to go on a run at some point, we just have lock them down on defense until then,” Brown said.

After Stoughton scored the first bucket of the second half, Monroe rattled off a 9-0 run to regain the lead. There were three lead changes in the second half, and the last Viking lead departed with just under seven minutes to play. The Cheesemakers closed the game on a 29-10 run over the final 9:04. 

“I think that came from the crowd tonight. They were loud. It gave us energy and gave us momentum,” Brown said.

Brown’s 25 points paced Monroe, while Gerber-Reamer had 17.

“I’m just glad we ended on a high note in this gym,” Gerber-Reamer said. “I had to put my body on the line — I didn’t want to let the seniors down.”

Ott finished with 13 points and Grayson Bartholf added 12 thanks to four 3-pointers.

“For Grayson it was huge. He’s done it all year (hit threes) in the Rock Valley, but when we play the Badger, it’s just bigger-faster-stronger and he’s just not gotten his shot off as well,” Bassett said.

Logan Taylor added eight points in his final home game, and had five in the finale against Mount Horeb.

“It was not the way we wanted it to end, but it is what it is,” Taylor said.

Brown said he’s proud of how well the basketball program battled adversity over his tenure, and that he’s developed lifelong friendships.

“I think just making my mark on the community is something special to me; getting looked up to by the younger generations. It’s something special. 

Ott said the relationships with his teammates will stick out more than any highlight from the court in front of fans. 

“Honestly, to me, this is the closest I’ve ever been with people in my entire life. The chemistry we have in basketball, talking with your buddies in the warm-up line, I can’t explain it,” Ott said.

Bassett said this year’s senior group was one of the most talented and dedicated he’s coached in his 26 years at Monroe.

“The leadership that these guys have, and seeing how they’ve grown to be men ... this is one of the closest-knit teams I have ever had, and it was all because of Marcus, Logan and Mekhi’s leadership. They got along great,” Bassett said.

The younger players having to replace the graduating seniors will have some work to do, Bassett said.

“If you want to beat a team like this, you have to put in the work in the offseason,” he said.