MONROE — The 14th annual Snack Bowl rested in the hands of the boys varsity game, as the Cheesemakers and Pretzels had split the previous affairs. The added pressure didn’t faze Monroe or senior Ryan Mathiason, who scored a career-high 20 points in a 74-61 victory.

“In your senior year, it’s something that you’re always thinking about — let’s get that Snack Bowl win,” Mathiason said. “Being able to do that as a team was great. Everyone knew what was on the line, but I didn’t have any extra nerves.”

The JV2 boys won 61-38, and the JV boys prevailed 63-38. The girls, on the other hand, dropped two games — JV 49-28 and varsity 75-37. As there is no JV2 Monroe girls team, the fate of the Snack Bowl trophy would be decided outright — there would be no tiebreaker.

James Seagreaves set the tone early, putting the Cheesemakers on the board with a slam dunk. He went fully horizontal hanging onto the rim, as Andrew Seward contested the play. Logan Taylor pulled up for a jumper, and Brandon Bassett drained a 3-pointer for a 7-2 lead three minutes into the game.

“Tonight we came out and hit them in the face early. We played really well,” Monroe head coach Brian Bassett said.

Freeport battled back, staying within a possession for three minutes before taking its first lead at 17-16. Kazion Morehead grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the ball up the court for a fastbreak bucket. 

Mekhi Brown tied the game at 17 with a free throw, and Seagreaves regained the lead for Monroe with a putback. Four minutes later, the Cheesemakers built up a 10-point advantage. 

Taylor knocked down a 3-pointer at the top of the key, and Mathiason completed a 3-point play at the line. He then fought through more contact for two points, while Brandon Bassett hit a three in transition. Seagreaves’s bucket in the paint put Monroe ahead 33-23 with just over two minutes left in the frame.

The last five points occurred at the charity stripe — two for Monroe and three for Freeport — as the Cheesemakers took a 35-26 edge into the locker room.

In the first six minutes of the second frame, there were nearly as many fouls as points. 

The Pretzels scored on back-to-back possessions but committed three fouls. The Cheesemakers scored on two inbounds plays but also picked up three fouls. In that span, Seward also committed two fouls. Halfway through the frame, Monroe reached bonus. 

“It’s a physical game,” Mathiason said. “You have to hold your own ground. Drawing fouls is one of the more important parts of the game, and we were able to do that tonight. It helped us get to the line and slow down the game.”

Brody Cornfield went 1-for-2 at the line, sparking a 15-point Cheesemaker run. Mathiason’s own pair of free throws gave Monroe a 48-38 edge. Taylor knocked down his second 3-pointer of the game, and Monroe scored four points in the paint. Brown’s own three put the Cheesemakers ahead by 20. Seagreaves then capped the run with a monster dunk.

The rally, which effectively secured the game, began on the defensive end.

“Defensively, we started doing what we talked about the whole game,” coach Bassett said. “Any time they got in the paint, they were going to spin back to the middle. If you’re in the gaps, you’re going to be able to get your hands on it. We got our hands on a lot of them and were able to get some fast breaks. That made a huge difference.”

The final five minutes of the game was spent largely at the free-throw line. Freeport’s Seward fouled out of the game and Dedric Macon picked up his fourth foul. Monroe’s Brown finished the game with four fouls, too. The Cheesemakers entered double bonus with two minutes left, and the Pretzels followed seconds later. Down the stretch, Monroe went 10-for-14 at the line, while Freeport was 7-for-9.

Seagreaves led the Cheesemakers with a season-high 23 points. Mathiason set a new career high with 20 points, and Taylor recorded 12. 

SAUK PRAIRIE 66, MONROE 56

OREGON — Monroe faced former Badger Conference opponent Sauk Prairie in the Oregon Holiday Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 28. The Cheesemakers held an early 9-3 lead entered the locker room trailing 24-20. The Eagles also outscored the Cheesemakers in the second half, 42-36.

Brown (17), Taylor (16) and Seagreaves (11) led Monroe, finishing in double figures. Mathiason grabbed a team-best eight boards. 

MONROE — In Game 4 of the Snack Bowl between Freeport and Monroe, the Lady Pretzels chomped the Lady Cheesemakers 75-37.

Sophie Golembiewski put Monroe on the board first with a 1-for-2 trip to the line, but Freeport responded with a 10-point run. Brinley Roidt made the Cheesemakers’ first field goal of the game seven and a half minutes in — a 3-pointer kissed off the glass.

Rachel Salazar accounted for four of Freeport’s next six points, giving the Pretzels a 17-4 lead — their largest of the first half. Braylee Friedrich then drained a 3-pointer to cut Freeport’s deficit to 10 points. 

As the half wore on, Monroe attacked the basket to draw fouls and get to the line. The Cheesemakers made six free throws in the final eight minutes of the half.

The smallest deficit Monroe faced was 20-15 with just under four minutes left in the first frame. Alexis Gertsch’s free throw capped a 7-point run that began with a pair of free throws from Brinley Roidt.

Freeport still took a 29-19 advantage into the locker room. From there, Monroe got gassed. The Pretzels built up a 20-point lead seven minutes into the second half and a 30-point lead six minutes later. The final, 75-37, was Freeport’s largest lead at 38 points.

Monroe has not won a game since its season opener against Juda.