8:01 p.m. - Ballgame. Beaver Dam wins 65-46. Valiant effort by the Cheesemakers. Monroe just couldn't get over that early 16-point hole from the opening minutes. Congratulations on the silver ball, Monroe.
7:51 p.m. - Just 3:46 remains in regulation. Monroe has it back down to 11 points at 56-45, but Beaver Dam is shooting free throws after a timeout. Cheesemakers still 0-for-everything from deep. Ok, I have the official stats tonight, they are 0-for-7. Sorry for the hyperbole.
7:44 p.m. - Beaver Dam lead has fluctuated between 15 and 20 the last few minutes. Monroe trails 54-39 at the moment with 5:53 left and possession of the ball.
In other action, the New Glarus boys lead Belleville at the half in a WIAA Division 4 boys sectional final 36-22.
7:36 p.m. - The 3s keep falling for Beaver Dam and not for Monroe. It's now 52-32 in favor of the Beavers with 10:36 left. Beaver Dam is 7-for-15 from beyond the arc, including a 4-for-5 mark this half. Monroe is 0-for-6 overall from deep.
7:29 p.m. - Cheesemakers twice bought the deficit back to single digits, but then Beaver Dam hit a couple of 3s and are now back up by 15 at 44-29 with 14:12 left in regulation.
7:15 p.m. - While it seems like the Cheesemakers are completely unmatched on the court, they are also 0-for-5 from beyond the arc. If two of those shots fall the story line here is completely different. Monroe is not out of it by any stretch of the imagination, but falling behind by 16 in the first 7-plus minutes was not the opening the Cheesemakers had in mind.
7:11 p.m. - Monroe is able to cut the lead to 11 by halftime, and got a crucial jump ball with 1.4 seconds left that gives them possession to open the second half. Beaver Dam leads 30-19. Tara Stauffacher leads all scorers with nine for BD, while Hilliard now has eight for Monroe.
7:06 p.m. - Monroe keeps trying to cut into the lead an has twice now cut it to 11, only for Beaver Dam to go on a spurt to regain a 15-point advantage. It's 30-15 here with 2:05 left. Not the first half the Cheesemakers had hoped for.
7:00 p.m. - Beaver Dam is shooting 9 of 18 (50%), while Monroe is 5 of 14 (35.7%). Monroe is also loosing the turnover battle 8-4 and has zero 3s to BD's three. Score is 26-11 Beavers with just under six to play in the first half.
6:57 p.m. - Hilliard is on the board and Emily Benzschawel now has five points, but Monroe trails 21-7 after Natalie Jens hits a 3 for Beaver Dam, just under 7:30 left in the first.
6:51 p.m. - A bad start just got worse. Beaver Dam now leads Monroe 18-2 with 10:42 left in the first. Monroe has seven (7) turnovers and just six (6) shot attempts.
6:44 p.m. - We are underway and Beaver Dam is showing why they are arguably the best team in the state in any conference. They scored 10 points before Monroe got on the board, it's currently 10-2 with 14:14 left in the first half.
6:10 p.m. - Wilke leads the Beavers in scoring at 13.9 points per game. Stauffacher averages over 11 and is the only other player in double figures. But don't be fooled, Beaver Dam (26-1) hasn't lost a game against a Wisconsin team in years, and spreads the ball all around the court where all of their stars get their moments to shine.
Monroe (21-6) will need a big game from not just Hilliard and Emily Benzschawel, but sophomore forward Megan Benzschawel and junior guard Grace Tostrud will need to be ready to pound around for rebounds and hit open looks when they present themselves. Easier said than done.
6:04 p.m. - The Cheesemakers are set to face back-to-back defending state champion Beaver Dam in the WIAA Division 2 state championship at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Tip-off is set for 6:35 p.m., with warmups beginning in about 10-15 minutes.
The two teams met three times between the 2016-18 seasons, with Beaver Dam winning all three - including in this same building in the state semifinal two years ago. Monroe is looking for it's first state title since 2008.
The Cheesemakers are led by seniors Sydney Hilliard and Emily Benzschawel. Both players will be playing college basketball next year - Hilliard at Wisconsin and Benzschawel at Lindenwood University in Missouri. B
eaver Dam has a slew of players with the college game in their futures. Six players have offers to play DI after high school, three of which are already committed. The best of the lot is sophomore Matyson Wilke, with offers from 17 schools. Senior Tara Stauffacher will join Hilliard as a Badger next fall.
