MONROE — The Cheesemakers played only a fraction of the number of games as usual last basketball season — all in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was also the first year under Patrick Kenny’s watch as coach, and Monroe finished 6-4. The team graduated three seniors: Guards Sydney Updike and Alyse Maurer, plus former first-team all-conference forward Megan Benzschawel, one of the top scorers in program history.

Returning for the Cheesemakers are seniors Sloane Ambrose, Breanna Giasson, Payton Johnson and Lola Parga, plus junior Taylor Jacobson. Giasson averaged 8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game last season in the post, while Ambrose, a guard, averaged 6 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 1.4 assists. 

Jacobson, who is getting looks from multiple schools at the collegiate level, including Marquette, Wisconsin and UW-Milwaukee, averaged 8.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.5 apg and 2.1 steals.

Newcomers to the varsity team include senior forward Kaitlyn Murphy, plus junior guards Sydnee Conway, Iris Martinez and Allison Wunschel. 

“We need our guards to make better decisions with the basketball so that we can maximize our offensive opportunities as well as put more pressure on the rim in order to open up scoring opportunities,” Kenny said. “We also must improve our on-the-ball defense in order to find success this year.”

Kenny predicts Oregon and Edgewood will be tough in the new-look section of the Badger Conference, especially given their experience. 

Edgewood went 17-7 a season ago and returns nine players, though the top two scorers graduated — post players Sarah Lazar (14.2 ppg) and Baluck Deang (11.7). Oregon was 7-3 a year ago, but went to the state tournament in 2020.

“Finishing in the top half of the conference and above .500 for the season is always one of our goals every year,” Kenny said. “We also want the girls to learn to play competitively and challenge themselves to work outside their comfort zone. We aim to develop good character on and off the court so that we can learn to find success outside of basketball.”

The Badger Conference is completing its full realignment this winter, breaking the league up East/West instead of North/South as it had been for the previous 20 years. Going further, each half of the conference is divided a second time by North and South, creating four pods of teams in the same region. Monroe, Edgewood, Oregon and Mount Horeb are in the Badger West-South Division and will play each other twice, while Baraboo, Portage, Reedsburg and Sauk Prairie occupy the West-North and will play Monroe once this season. Monroe will also face East-South schools Fort Atkinson, Milton, Monona Grove and Stoughton once during the season. 

East-North schools Beaver Dam, DeForest, Watertown and Waunakee are not on the school’s schedule.