MONROE — A banner season continued for the Cheesemakers on Feb. 4. After yet another slow start, Monroe had to rally to score a win, that’s exactly what transpired.

Led by seniors Carson Leuzinger and JT Seagreaves, Monroe came back from an 8-point deficit in the first half and put the game away in the closing minutes defensively. 

“We’ve got two really experienced seniors in me and JT, so when it comes to crunch time, we are comfortable in these positions. We’ve been here hundreds of times and we know how to finish it off,” Leuzinger said. 

The win was the 100th for head coach Brian Bassett. 

It also clinched at least a share of the Badger West title, as the Cheesemakers are four wins ahead of Mount Horeb with four conference games to play.

The two teams battled for every inch on the court, with the officials “letting them play” as just one free throw was attempted by Sauk — and none by Monroe.

The Eagles also hit six 3s in the half to cushion the lead.

In the final minute of the first half, Leuzinger pulled up from 3 on a fast break with his team down eight, but clanked it off the iron. Sauk regained possession, but then turned it over with five seconds left. This time, from nearly the exact same spot, Leuzinger pulled up and buried the 3 as time expired, sending his team into the locker room down by five at 29-24.

Leuzinger had 12 points in the half. Tucker Markham added a spark for Monroe as well, hitting three shots inside the lane.

In the second half, Monroe clamped down defensively, allowing just 17 points — and another singular free throw.

The Cheesemakers, meanwhile, picked up their scoring over the final 18 minutes — and hit free throws down the stretch. Despite a brief 0-for-3 stretch from the line, Monroe hit its other seven attempts. 

Leuzinger was 5-for-6 from the line and finished with a game-high 24 points. Markham added 14 points and JT Seagreaves had eight.

“We’re still pulling out wins, but we’re still not playing as well as we feel we should. I think we’ll pick it up to finish off the season. I feel pretty good about the end of the season going into the playoffs,” Seagreaves said.

Up next for Monroe (16-2, 10-0 Badger West) is a nonconference game against Lodi Feb. 8. The Cheesemakers were honoring longtime scorekeeper Chuck Ekena that night. Ekena kept book at Monroe games for 55 years, from the 1965 season through 2021.

After that, Monroe had road games at Portage (Feb. 10), Mount Horeb (Feb. 15) and Edgewood (Feb. 18). Monroe will also host Oregon Feb. 12.

Brodhead 73, Whitewater 43

WHITEWATER — The Cardinals picked up another Rock Valley Conference win Feb. 4, keeping themselves tied atop the league standings with East Troy.

Owen Leifker scored 19 points to lead Brodhead, while Cullen Walker hit four 3s and scored 16, and Brady Malkow added 11. Leifker and Malkow each had a double-double, with Leifker grabbing 10 rebounds and Malkow snagging 12. Gage Boegli tallied eight boards and six points. 

Brodhead out-rebounded Whitewater 42-15. The Cardinals led 44-19 at halftime.

Darlington 63, Southwestern 57

DARLINGTON — The Redbirds led by four points at halftime and did just enough to topple the Wildcats in their game Feb. 4. 

Easton Evenstad scored 20 points to lead Darlington, while teammate Hunter Hardyman chipped in with 19 and Brady Long tallied 14. 

Belleville 76, New Glarus 68

BELLEVILLE — The host Wildcats rallied in the second half, taking a four-point halftime deficit and flipping the script by outscoring the Glarner Knights 53-41 in the second half.

Carson Syse scored a game-high 27 points for the Wildcats, including a 7-for-8 mark from the free throw line and four 3-pointers. Andrew Ace finished with 16 points for Belleville, and Gavin Boyum added 10. Also contributing to Belleville’s balanced scoring were Trevor Syse (8), DeMarcus Conner (7) and Anthony Nolden (7).

Dain Walter led New Glarus with 21 points. AC Strok tallied 17 and Jack Parman notched 16 points. 

Six Rivers West nearly sweeps East

The Six Rivers Conference held it’s annual crossover night Feb. 4, with the West winning six of the seven games. Only Barneveld scored a win for the east, defeating Benton 66-49. All games were played in Six Rivers West facilities.

Six Rivers Crossover:

●  Barneveld 66, Benton 49

●  Belmont 66, Albany 54

●  Highland 63, Argyle 39

●  Cassville 87, Black Hawk 62

●  Shullsburg 47, Juda 34

●  River Ridge 75, Monticello 50

●  Potosi 77, Pecatonica 40

In other area action, Madison Abundant Life/St. Ambrose defeated Albany 67-48 in a nonconference game Feb. 5. MALSA had four players in double figures.