MONROE — The Cheesemakers made a rumble in the Rock Valley Conference with an 80-63 win over Whitewater on Thursday, Dec. 7. 

Although the Monroe football team has been playing in the Rock Valley for four seasons, the rest of the school’s sports made the transition this year. Sophomore starter Logan Taylor and the rest of his team were excited to open their new conference schedule with a win.

“It felt really good coming off a loss. It was the first conference win. It gives us a big boost — our confidence goes up,” Taylor said. “It (the Rock Valley Conference) is supposed to be easier, but there is still good competition. We can’t let that get in our heads.”

In fact, the first three minutes of the game were competitive with two ties and a lead change. A pair of free throws from Taylor, though, gave Monroe a 7-5 lead. The Cheesemakers held the advantage from that point on.

James Seagreaves followed with a dunk — his first of three in the game — and Cuba City transfer Josh Meyer’s free throw extended Monroe’s lead to 10-5.

Whitewater’s Casey Lyon single-handedly got his team back within one point, as the sophomore scored eight straight with two 3-pointers. Lyon’s second three, taken in transition, forced Monroe head coach Brian Bassett to call his first timeout. 

The Whippets hung around for a majority of the first frame, staying within a possession. Brandon Bassett took a charge from Lyon with three minutes left in the half, though, and the sacrifice sparked a rally.

Brandon Bassett then went down the floor and sank his second 3-pointer of the game. Ryan Mathiason followed with his own 3-point play, scoring through contact and making the and-one. After a Lyon bucket, Mathiason scored on an offensive putback. Seagreaves then fed Taylor for a bucket before scoring his own.

Although Lyon scored with 13 points left in the period, Monroe still took a 10-point advantage (35-25) into the locker room. The lead could have been greater, however, as the Cheesemakers missed 13 shots in the paint in the first half.

“We are just running too fast through our offense and not looking at what’s open,” coach Bassett said. “We were roadrunners. Everyone’s trying to run as fast as they can, and that’s not what we do.”

For the first six minutes of the second period, the two team exchanged points, as the Cheesemaker lead hovered around 10 points. The closest Whitewater got back to was seven points, when Jaylyn Ewing drained a 3-pointer and Marcos Sagrero made a fade-away, which cut it to 48-41.

The Cheesemakers regained a double-digit lead moments later with Seagreaves’s and-one dunk on an inbounds play. Ewing fouled him in the process, and Seagreaves made the subsequent free throw for a 54-43 lead.

As the half wore on, Monroe steadily extended its advantage to 20 points. Mekhi Brown, one of three sophomores on the Cheesemaker roster, sparked an eight-point rally with a pair of free throws. Marcus Ott then stole the ball from Lyon and assisted Brandon Bassett for a transition bucket. Taylor drew Wyatt Nixon’s third foul while scoring, and Seagreaves went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line for a 68-47 lead.

Lyon broke up the run with his fourth of five 3-pointers, but Monroe pressed on. A basket from Mathiason gave the Cheesemakers a 20-point lead again. He then got a pass from Brown for two more. With another dunk from Seagreaves, Monroe took a 74-50 lead — its largest of the game.

The Cheesemakers led by 24 points two other times in the second half.

The game ended at the free-throw line, as there were seven combined fouls in the last four minutes. Down the stretch, Monroe was 4-for-7 at the charity stripe, while Whitewater was 4-for-6. 

Four different players scored in double figures for Monroe, led by Taylor with 19 points. Mathiason scored a career-high 17 points. Seagreaves also scored 17, and Brandon Bassett chipped in 15 points with three 3s. The quartet shot 27-for-47 from the field (57.4%) — a mark that coach Bassett knows can be improved. 

“Brandon, LT (Logan Taylor), Marc(us Ott), Mekhi — those guys are shooting better in practice at a higher percentage than any guys we’ve had since Carson (Leuzinger),” he said. “It just hasn’t fallen for them in games yet. Shots will fall.”

Seagreaves also chipped in a team-high nine rebounds with five assists — the latter being a point of emphasis. 

“James is starting to learn to kick the ball to other people,” coach Bassett said. “The more he kicks it out, the easier it’s going to be as we go. He watched his brother (JT) when he was on that team. He understands what it takes, and he’s getting better on that part.”

Ott led the team in assists (6) and steals (7).