MONROE — After another slow start, the Cheesemakers found their rhythm in the second half and soundly defeated Stoughton 63-45 in a Badger South girls basketball game Feb. 11.
“The first half was just kind of rough and we were all just really disappointed with it. We just kind of turned it on in the second half and got going,” said Monroe freshman Taylor Jacobson.
Monroe (10-9, 4-6 Badger South) struggled to string together momentum in the opening half, never leading by more than two possessions. Shooting struggles by team scoring leaders Megan Benzschawel and Grace Tostrud meant much of the offense had to come from elsewhere. The duo averages a combined 30 points per game this season, with Benzschawel the leading scorer in the entire conference at 17.5 points per game. But Benzschawel, a junior, went into the locker room at halftime with just four points, while Tostrud was scoreless.
Enter senior Grace Mathiason, who hit three 3-pointers in the first half and went into halftime with 11 of her eventual 16 points under her belt — a career high.
“They just kind of went in,” said Mathiason, who is averaging 7.2 points per game this season.
This season, Mathiason has attempted 64 3-pointers, but connected on just 23.4%. A season ago, she shot just 17.9% on two attempts a game.
“It gives her confidence to be able to knock down 3s,” said father and head coach Sam Mathiason. “She’s taken some this year and hasn’t made as many as she would like, but she’s worked hard at those. To see multiple ones go in tonight was that lift that we needed — it was nice for her and good for the team. That was something that we needed tonight, and it was an important part of spreading that wealth around and finding some different ways to score.”
I think in that second half we were a little bit better about getting their defense to move, and then being able to take advantage of that; and then having that feel of where was the ‘right’ next pass. We gave up some good shots, but more importantly, we were able to get some better shots and knock them down.Sam Mathiason, Monroe head coach
Baskets by Chloe Bunker, Taylor Jacobson, Kayleigh Nesbitt and a 3 from Sydney Updike helped stake the Cheesemakers to a 24-22 advantage at the break.
“I think that it would be better if we started out stronger, but it’s good that we can get it back,” Jacobson said of the slow start and fast finish.
Monroe opened the second half rolling. Jacobson hit a jumper in the opening minute, then Tostrud fed Benzschawel for a jumper. A possession later, Emma Towne stole a pass, dished a fast break pass to Mathiason, who then fed Benzschawel for the hoop and the harm. Mathiason then blocked a shot on the next defensive trip, and Benzschawel found Tostrud in the post for a bucket that made it 33-24 less than four minutes into the half.
“I think in that second half we were a little bit better about getting their defense to move, and then being able to take advantage of that; and then having that feel of where was the ‘right’ next pass,” Sam Mathiason said. “We gave up some good shots, but more importantly, we were able to get some better shots and knock them down.”
The Cheesemakers were just heating up. Jacobson, a freshman, and senior Sadie Conway buried 3-pointers over the next few minutes to put Monroe ahead by 11. Towne then got in on the action with a triple of her own.
“In that first half we could never string some of those scores and stops together; we could never quite stretch it. In that second half we got a few more stops that we followed up with scores,” Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said.
Jacobson would go on to score 14 of her 16 points in the second half, while Benzschawel added nine to finish with 13. All 10 Cheesemakers saw the court in the second half, with nine finishing the game with points in the scorebook.
“She kind of has that knack to get to the basket and knock down that 3 — she has those skills, and now it’s just finding that confidence and finding that consistency to do it night-in and night-out,” Sam Mathiason said of the young Jacobson.
She has a lot of skills, so it’s really fun to see her continue to get better and help the team out even more. She’s really held her own and she’s kind of guiding herself.Grace Mathiason, Monroe senior on playing with freshman Taylor Jacobson
Grace Mathiason said that Jacobson is fun to play with. “She has a lot of skills, so it’s really fun to see her continue to get better and help the team out even more. She’s really held her own and she’s kind of guiding herself,” she said.
Monroe outscored Stoughton 39-23 in the second half. For the game, the Cheesemakers grabbed 37 rebounds and tallied 18 assists and nine steals.
Ava Loftus led Stoughton (7-13, 3-9) with 18 points, while Mya Davidson had 10.
As the regular season is coming to a close, the Cheesemakers are looking to snag two big wins before the sectional seeding meeting, which is set to take place Feb. 16. Monroe was scheduled to host Milton (7-13, 4-8) Feb. 13, and then host Watertown (14-5, 9-2) at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 15. The final game of the regular season is slated for Feb. 20 at Stoughton.
“The good thing is that we are at home — we don’t have the travel part of it. And then, can we build a little bit of momentum,” Sam Mathiason said. “The Stoughton game was important for seeding, because they’ll be a team in our half sectional. We need to figure out how we are going to work our way up that conference standings and see where is that final spot that we can go. We want to get on a roll to end the season as we head into the tournament.”
