MONROE — With a narrow, 5-point margin of victory, Monroe defeated Juda 35-30 Nov. 17 for the Cheesemakers’ first season-opening win in three seasons. 

The last time Monroe won its first game of the season was head coach Patrick Kenny’s first year in 2020-21. The Cheesemakers defeated Elkhorn 50-48 on the road.

“It really was a team win. It’s a great feeling. It’s a feeling we haven’t had a in a while,” Kenny said. “Right now, we are continuing to learn and grow.”

While it was Monroe’s first game of the season, Juda already had three games under its belt. The extra game experience showed early on, as the Panthers led for much of the first half.

“Those first couple minutes of the game really tell you where you are at,” Juda first-year head coach Justy Roth said. “We were right there with them. It was a good sign for us, and we fed off that energy.”

It took both teams nearly two minutes to score, though, as there were a combined five missed shots. Abbey Matley broke the scoring draught with a made free throw, giving Monroe a 1-0 lead. 

The advantage held for two and a half minutes before freshman Phoenix Homan banked a 3-pointer on an inbounds play. She got the throw in from Katie Brooks, took one dribble to the right and popped her shot.

Juda extended its lead to 5-1 with a basket from Brooks in the post, but that’s when Monroe’s Breanne Kundert came off the bench.

The junior made the most of her opportunity, making a shot just inside the 3-point arc. The points were the first for Monroe in five minutes. She followed it up with a 3-pointer, cutting Juda’s deficit to just 7-6.

“I’m just playing hard and we are just being our team,” Kundert said.

Monroe took regained the lead midway through the half on a 2-pointer from Matley. The Cheesemakers gained possession on a jump ball, and Matley scored on the subsequent inbounds play.

The two teams tied the game up three times in the remaining eight minutes. Juda had two opportunities to push ahead, but Homan missed three free throws. Instead, the first frame ended in a 12-12 tie.

The Cheesemakers, after talking about small adjustments in the locker room, came out hot in the second half. Lindsay Leuzinger swished a 3-pointer, and Sophie Goelmbiewski followed with a 2-for-2 trip to the free-throw line for a 17-12 Monroe lead.

“We didn’t want to change too much,” Kenny said. “Offensively, we just wanted to shoot the ball with confidence. We were getting good looks, we just needed to knock them down.”

Leuzinger and Golembiewski’s teammates fed off their energy, as Alexis Gertsch made a shot from the elbow. After an empty Panther possession, Kundert banked another 3-pointer. Anna Bartels failed to intercept the pass from Leuzinger, leaving Kundert wide-open.

With his team trailing 22-13, Roth called a timeout. The breather helped the Panthers, as Briley Swedlund stole the ball at the top of the key and dribbled down the court for two points. Homan then grabbed on offensive rebound and was fouled on the put-back. She made both of her free throws, trimming Monroe’s lead to 22-17.

Brinley Roidt returned the favor, stealing the ball from Homan in transition. She made the subsequent shot, despite a foul from Rianna Sullivan. Roidt made the and-one to finish the 3-point play. After a Matley free throw, Roidt gave Monroe an 11-point lead with a basket from the block.

The double-digit lead — the Cheesemakers’ largest of the game — lasted all of 11 seconds, as Anna Bartels scored on an offensive rebound. 

“You have to give Juda a lot of credit,” Kenny said. “They didn’t back down. We had an 11-point lead at one point, and they didn’t go away.”

Roth called a timeout immediately to apply a press. The decision paid off, as Juda got back within two.

Homan grabbed her own missed shot and drew a foul on Leuzinger on the put-back. She went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line. Less than a minute later, Briliey Swedlund grabbed Leuzinger’s missed 3-point attempt and went down the floor for two points.

On Monroe’s next possession, Bartels stole a pass from Matley and turned it into two more points. With a contested make from Homan, Juda trailed just 28-26 with 3:36 left in the game.

“We just kept our head in the game and didn’t think about it too much,” Homan said of the brief, 11-point deficit. “I told myself that I can do this and not to give up.”

Just as Juda gained momentum and appeared to stage a comeback, Alexis Gertsch went to the charity stripe for bonus. She made both of her shots, stifling the Panther crowd.

“There was a time where it was getting dicey, but Alexis Gertsch stepped up and knocked down two really big free throws,” Kenny said. “It stopped the bleeding, which was huge.”

Although Juda remained strong with two buckets from Brooks, Monroe’s free-throw shooting secured the victory. Throughout the game, the Cheesemakers were just 5-for-10 from the charity stripe. In the final 2:48, Monroe made seven of its 12 free throws.

“Free throws can win basketball games,” Kundert said. “They put points up on the board.”

Kundert led all scorers with 10 points, going 2-for-3 beyond the arc. Leuzinger was the second-highest scorer for Monroe, tallying nine points with four three throws. On the boards, Monroe had three players with seven rebounds — Golembiewski, Gertsch and Delaney Fortney.

Homan paced Juda with eight points and six rebounds. The Panthers outrebounded the Cheesemakers 51-45 thanks to efforts from Sullivan (10 rebounds), Brooks (7), Bartels (7) and Lavinia Rufer (11).

Despite another one in the loss column, Roth considered the matchup a win. Juda, a Division 5 team, competed with Monroe, a Division 2 team, for much of the game. His freshmen stepped up and his seniors led the way.

“The future is bright for Juda,” Roth said. “If they (freshmen) work hard and put in the effort — which they are — and they are led by that great group of seniors, it’s going to be a great mesh for this year and years to come.”

BENTON 57, JUDA 36

BENTON — Juda lost its second game of the season to nonconference opponent Benton on Thursday, Nov. 16. Swedlund led the Panthers with 12 points, all from inside the arc. Brooks also scored in double-digits with 11 points. As a team, Juda shot just 6-for-16 from the charity stripe.