MONROE — The 280-day wait was grueling for senior Carson Leuzinger. On Feb. 27, the Monroe guard missed a key free throw and had his desperation heave clank off the rim as his Cheesemakers lost in the final seconds to Lake Mills in a WIAA Division 2 sectional championship game on his home court.
“Ever since we lost in the sectional final, there’s not many days where I haven’t thought about that moment and that game,” Leuzinger said.
In Monroe’s first home game since, on Dec. 3, Leuzinger knocked down two 3-pointers in the final 71 seconds, including a pull-up jumper with less than seven ticks left to lift the ninth-ranked Cheesemakers over Badger Conference rival Stoughton, 67-65. Leuzinger finished with four 3s and 23 points.
“It’s not a shot that most people think is ideal, but it’s a shot I practice a lot and I’m comfortable shooting those,” Leuzinger said. “I know my teammates trust me. I know my coaches trust me to shoot those. So I did it, and it worked out for us.”
The game was the similar to other come-from-behind victories in as many contests on the season, as it was a roller coaster ride throughout. The Vikings led this one 63-58 with less than two minutes to play, but Monroe scored 9 of the next 11 points to swipe the ‘W’.
“Coach Trame tells us every day that basketball is a game of runs. It’s been a theme all year — Belleville we were down big and came back; at Milton we were down 8-0 and came back. This game we were up, we were down — you just have to handle it, and that’s just what we did,” Leuzinger said.
The entire game was a back-and-forth affair. Monroe led for much of the first four minutes, then Stoughton went on an 11-0 run in a 5-minute stretch to get ahead by 7. The Cheesemakers rallied for 10-straight points to reclaim the lead, and got the crowd into it on a thunderous two-handed slam by 6-6 senior big man JT Seagreaves off a cut into the post from brother James Seagreaves, a sophomore. Monroe led 26-19 with 3:31 left in the first half after a Charlie Wiegel triple in the corner.
However, the Vikings countered with a 10-3 run of their own over the final 1:59 of the half to even it at 29-29.
“We dribbled way too much in the first half,” Monroe coach Brian Bassett said. “(Stoughton is) impressive — especially given how young they are, how disciplined they are and how they pass the basketball unbelievably well. They made us work so hard on defense that we couldn’t hardly function on offense. They really took away our help defense. Hats off to them.”
Neither team led by more than six points in the second half, though Stoughton’s hot shooting from beyond the arc kept the Vikings in front for much of the final 18 minutes.
Sophomore Ty Fernholz finished with 19 points for the Vikings, hitting five 3s in the process. Sawyer Schipper, also a sophomore, hit two 3s and finished with 14 points. Senior Luke Fernholz (19 points) played facilitator on offense — and used his quick hands on defense to keep Monroe off balance.
“The 3s weren’t great. But we were right there and we knew we had to stay in it,” JT Seagreaves said. “We had to compete on every possession.”
Monroe finished the game with 15 turnovers, including 11 in the first half. However, over the final 11 minutes, the Cheesemakers turned the ball over just once.
“We definitely have some things to clean up,” JT Seagreaves said.
Stoughton led 49-43 with 8:11 to play, but Monroe’s 6-6 senior big man JT Seagreaves began to take over the game, fighting for loose balls, rebounds, and welcoming contact in the paint. He went on a 10-point scoring binge over the next two minutes to give the Cheesemakers a 51-49 advantage. In all, he scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and hit 6 of 8 free throws down the stretch.
“I knew we were down and that we needed points, and my guy was up on me, so I just tried to take it hard to the rim and got some fouls and made some free throws,” JT Seagreaves said.
The final six minutes were a back-and-forth affair, with the two teams exchanging the lead nine times. Trailing 63-58, James Seagreaves, who had seven total in the game, scored in the paint off a pass from JT to make it a one-score game. Leuzinger then buried a 3 with 1:11 left to tie it at 63. Luke Fernholz to hit a runner with 48 seconds left to give Stoughton the lead again, then JT Seagreaves was fouled on a shot in the paint with :29.4 left in regulation.
“My hat’s off to Carson and JT for trusting what we wanted to run towards the end there. We went Old School on offense, and I by Old School, I mean we went back to the (coach Pat) Murphy-style Swing offense,” Bassett said. “We had JT setting a beautiful down-screen for Carson, setting up the open 3 to get them going. The next time we ran it, everybody ran to Carson and we got the slip and JT got fouled — it was perfect.”
Well, nearly perfect. Seagreaves missed the front end of a pair of free throws before hitting the second. Trailing by a point, Monroe opted to play tight defense, hoping for a steal in a trap before fouling and sending the Vikings to the line — a decision that was rewarded. As the Vikings crossed the timeline, three Cheesemakers ascended upon the ball handler, with the ball coming loose. Aaron Roidt dove into the stands, tipping the ball to his teammate for the turnover.
“We were all on the same page — trying to get a stop. We knew we might have to foul, but we wanted to play hard first and try to get a turnover, and that’s what we did,” JT Seagreaves said.
Leuzinger got the ball back and dribbled around the top of the key, but instead of winding the clock to wait for the last shot, he pulled up from downtown and dropped it through the net, putting his team up by two and sending the home crowd into a tizzy.
“If you watch my Twitter account, every morning between 7 and 7:30 he’s getting 500 shots up. He practices that one about 200 times a day. So, I knew it was going in, because I see it every day on the gun,” Bassett said. “A lot of people thing he just shows up and that he’s ultra-talented. But he’s ultra-talented because he shows up and he works harder than anybody else I’ve ever been around.”
Stoughton’s desperation corner 3 by Schipper was short of the mark, as JT Seagreaves’ outstretched arm forced a rainbow attempt. As the horn blew, Wiegel, Leuzinger and company joined classmates from the student section and bench in celebration before going through the handshake line.
“All summer I worked to get back here — in front of fans, in front of the student section — There’s nothing better. To put on a show for them, it’s one of the best feelings there is,” Leuzinger said.
Bassett was proud of the way his role-players performed, including James Seagreaves, Wiegel (6 pts), George Brukwicki, Charlie Briggs, Keatin Sweeney and Aaron Roidt, stuck to Luke Fernholz like glue, preventing him from scoring even more.
“Charlie Wiegel hit wide open shots in the corner, and that’s what we need from him. Keatin Sweeney, same thing the last couple of games. Brukwicki again, making plays, and James — what else can I say about him? And then you have Aaron Roidt who, absolutely, for two games in a row, made the play of the game. Aaron has been guarding big guys his whole life, and for the last two games he’s had quick guards. He’s doing an absolutely amazing job,” Bassett said. “I think the key with those guys is that every game someone different has stepped up. We have to reign these guys in a little bit. They understand what they are really good at individually, and then they get going too fast still. But they are young … but they trust the system that if we pass it around enough they’ll get a wide-open look.”
With the new layout of the Badger East/West instead of the former North/South, the two teams aren’t scheduled to meet again — unless in a league championship or in the playoffs. That mean’s the Cheesemakers hold bragging rights for possibly a full year on one of their toughest rivals.
“They are still our rivals. To beat them the one time we play this is a good feeling,” Leuzinger said, adding that the early turnovers give the team an area to focus on improvement. “(This) wasn’t the best of wins — it was pretty sloppy. We definitely have to shore that up. It’s a really tough start to our season, but we’re 3-0.”
Monroe’s early gauntlet of the season, which began with a tough win at Belleville Nov. 27 and another in Milton (Nov. 30), continues heading into the holiday break. The Cheesemakers were to travel to Monona Grove Dec. 7 and then are at No. 3 DeForest on Dec. 13 before returning home to face Fort Atkinson Dec. 16. The remaining games in 2021 include at Oregon Dec. 16, and a pair of games at the New Glarus Tournament Dec. 27-28, with the first against Brodhead (2-0) and the second game versus either host New Glarus (3-1) or Deerfield (2-1).
“We have to focus on what we need to do; focus on getting ready and lock in to the game plan,” Bassett said.
