MONONA — The Cheesemakers had their hearts ripped out in their WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal game Feb. 28. A rollercoaster contest had seen Monroe lead by as much as eight, then trail by 21 with 8:55 to play, only to see a brief 1-point lead with 1:29 left disappear in the final minute.

Down by three with five seconds left, Monroe was unable to get off a game-tying 3-point attempt, having to go the length of the court after a missed free throw. As the final horn sounded, ball in hand, the Cheesemakers walked off the court in tears after the 77-74 loss at Monona Grove.

“I’m really proud of the effort these kids showed tonight; they really left it all on the floor. It was a really good high school game,” Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said.

The game saw nine lead changes and five ties — with six lead changes and two ties in the first half alone. Five times in the game — three in the first half, two in the second — MG went on runs of 9-2 or better. Monroe did it twice in each half. 

The swings didn’t overwhelm the players on the court for long, as both teams were able to pick up the pieces. After Monroe went up 10-2 to open the game, the Silver Eagles ran off an 11-2 run to claim a 13-12 advantage less than six minutes into the contest. A bit of back and forth over the next six minutes kept the lead from getting no further than two possessions apart in either direction. With 5:03 to play in the first half, MG held a 34-26 lead after sophomore Avery Poole hit a 3-pointer and then drove to the hoop after a Monroe turnover.

The Cheesemakers then ran off a 12-2 run to close out the half and hold a 38-36 advantage at the break.

“I thought that first half was really even there for a while; they made a little bit of a run but we were able to answer,” Sam Mathiason said.

Part of the reason Monroe was able to stay in the game was the hot shooting of senior Grace Mathiason, who hit five 3s in the half. Mathiason had heated up in the second half of the regular season and found her groove early on and consistently found a way to knock down key shots for the Cheesemakers.

“It helps when the first one goes down. My teammates were doing a great job getting me open looks, so I have to give them credit for it,” Grace Mathiason said.

Both teams had just four turnovers in the first half, and both hit 15 field goals. Monroe was 15 of 38 (39.4%) from the field, while MG was 15 of 33 (45.5%).

“(Coach) said that we had to stay focused and know that they are going to come and try and get it back,” Grace Mathiason said of the lead. “We had to play good defense and continue working on offense.”

The second half looked almost nothing like the first, however. The Cheesemakers came out of the locker room cold and shot just 3 for 16 (18.8%) over the first nine minutes, all while turning the ball over 12 times. The Silver Eagles, meanwhile, converted Monroe’s misfortune for points. MG made its first eight shots of the half, plus a couple of free throws, and ran off a 31-8 run to go ahead 67-46.

Almost as quickly as the Silver Eagles caught fire, they went ice cold. Over the next 7 1/2 minutes of the game, the Cheesemakers methodically worked their way not just back into contention, but into the lead on a 26-4 run.

“We struggled for a little bit, but we found a way to come back. When you take it one shot at a time, you don’t really feel” how long it takes, Grace Mathiason said of the comeback.

Grace Mathiason hit three 3s in that stretch, including back-to-back triples at the 2:06 and 1:29 marks to take the lead at 72-71. On MG’s next possession, Poole tried to drive the lane but Grace Tostrud was in the way and appeared to put on a clean block, only for a whistle to be called. Poole knocked down both free throws to give her squad the lead again. 

After Mathiason missed a 1-and-1 opportunity with 1:07 to play, MG got the ball back and hit another free throw to go up by two points. With 30.4 seconds left, Tostrud went to the line and buried both free throws to knot it up at 74 again. MG’s ensuing possession ended with a missed shot, but Megan Benzschawel was called for a foul on the rebound. Jadee Christiansen hit both free throws to make it 76-74. 

Monroe looked to be holding the ball for a near final shot, but Benzschawel was called for a charge in a close call under the hoop with 7.4 seconds remaining. A foul after the inbound put Peighton Nelson at the line with two free throws in the double bonus. She hit the first, but missed the second with 5.5 seconds left. Benzschawel grabbed the rebound and passed up the court to Taylor Jacobson, who was covered and unable to get the shot off before the buzzer sounded.

“In the second half defensively, we really struggled early. We couldn’t get those stops and got into a huge hole. Credit to our kids — they didn’t back down. They could have folded. We talked about getting stops and scores, and we were able to string enough together to give us that chance,” Sam Mathiason said. “We just needed to find a way and like some other games, we were a possession or two short.”

Grace Mathiason finished the night with a career-best 26 points, hitting eight 3-pointers in the process. She added nine rebounds.

“She would rather have her team win, and that’s the way she always played. She wanted the team to win and she would do whatever to help the team win — and tonight she was a little more aggressive on those shots and they went down,” Sam Mathiason said of his daughter. “I’m proud of her, and I’m proud of these kids. It would have been nice to get a chance at that next one, but that’s not the way that it works.”

Tostrud, a senior, scored 12 of her 13 points in the second half. Tostrud had 12 rebounds to complete a double-double. Benzschawel also had a double-double, finishing the night with 12 points and 10 boards.  Taylor Jacobson, a freshman, had eight points and eight rebounds, while senior Emma Towne capped her career with a seven-point performance. Overall, seven of Monroe’s 10 varsity players from this season are graduating.

“We got down by 20 in the second half and managed to come back — we gave it our all,” Benzschawel said, adding that it was hard to see the year come to a close for the seniors on her team. “It’s hard and it didn’t end how we wanted it to, but I’m thankful for the great season we had with them.”

Poole led the Silver Eagles with 23 points. Nelson had 17 points and Jenny Gorton added 10. Monroe hit 11 3s to MG’s nine. The Silvers Eagles finished with three more free throws (12) and Monroe (9).

Monroe’s season ends with a 12-11 mark. Monona Grove (14-10) saw its year end with a 56-35 loss at DeForest in the regional final Feb. 29.

“This group of seniors, they’ve put a lot of time in starting from when they were in fourth grade all the way to now. They helped make contributions. I’m proud of their effort, and I’m proud of the way they competed and didn’t give in,” Sam Mathiason said. “Those are some of those life lessons you learn — you could have been done, you could have given in, but you didn’t and you found a way to battle back. You’re going to have times in your life when things don’t seem to go your way and you’re going to have to dig in. That’s where I’m proud of them.”