MONROE — The Cheesemakers trailed just once in a 66-50 nonconference win over Elkhorn Jan. 14, but the story of the game is in the final stretch of the second half.

The Elks (7-3) took their only lead on the opening bucket of the game, and Monroe (9-1) led by as much as 10 in the first half before settling into the locker room with a 36-28 advantage. Elkhorn methodically pulled itself back into the game, and thrice trailed by just two points in the second half.

“Every halftime (assistant coach Jake) Grinnell tells them that we want to win the first three minutes; we want to bury them in the first three minutes — and we haven’t done it this year. It’s a struggle,” Monroe coach Brian Bassett said.

With eight minutes left in regulation, sophomore guard Carson Leuzinger took over. JT Seagreaves, who scored 17 points in the first half, flipped a pass out to Leuzinger, who hit an NBA-range 3-pointer at the 7:55 mark. On Monroe’s next possession, Leuzinger drove the lane and used a power move to score in the paint to extend the lead to eight. He then buried a jumper on the following trip up the court.

“That (3-pointer) is really what got me going in the second half. It helped pick up my defensive intensity and gave me a lot of energy to finish out the game,” Leuzinger said.

Leuzinger’s 7-point outburst gave the Cheesemakers a comfortable 10-point lead with six minutes to play, but he wasn’t done there. In all, he scored 15 of Monroe’s final 18 points — with the other three coming off of free throws. Leuzinger finished with a game-high 23 and was a perfect 6 for 6 from the line in the final two minutes.

“At the end of the games I like to step up. I can hit free throws and I’m confident with the ball in my hands and I know my teammates trust me. I like to be in charge at the end,” Leuzinger said.

Seagreaves didn’t score in the second half, but his 17 first half points keyed the Cheesemakers, who tallied just 19 points without him.

“I was feeling pretty good,” Seagreaves said. “We kind of let up on them and let them get back to two (points), and then we knew we just had to focus back in and play our game.”

Seagreaves hit three 3s in the first half and had his mid-range jumper working as well.

“JT was really hot. We have to do a better job of getting him the ball when he is hot like that — more touches. But I was happy with our possessions in the first half,” Bassett said. “When Cade (Meyer) didn’t have his best game, (Seagreaves and Leuzinger) stepped up really well and did their damage.”

Meyer, Monroe’s leading scorer at over 20 points per game, finished the game with, while Tyler Matley had seven points and both Max Golembiewski and Aaron Ziolkowski each chipped in five.

“We still aren’t crisp on our decision-making. I’d like to see us recognize what is available quicker,” Bassett said. 

Jordan Johnson, who averages 22.1 points per game, led Elkhorn with 17, and Nick Brown and Devon Davey each added 10.

The Elks play a physical brand of basketball, and several bodies from both teams hit the hardwood with a bang. Elkhorn reached the WIAA Division 2 state tournament a season ago, led in part by Johnson, Brown and Davey. Johnson will play for UW-Parkside next season.

“That team is really good. That team will probably be a sectional final team. I think they are the best team in their half of the sectional. I hope that we can get there and play them again,” Bassett said.

Monroe (5-0 Badger South) was set to play at Milton (6-5, 3-3) Jan. 16 and then host Watertown (6-5, 3-2) Jan. 17. The Cheesemakers game at Milwaukee Bay View was moved up from Jan. 28 to Jan. 24. Monroe’s postponed game against Freeport on Jan. 10 has been rescheduled for Feb. 22.