MONROE - Basketball is a game of swings.
Any team can pick up momentum and take control of a contest, which means an inferior team can put the superior team on its heels.
Friday night the Cheesemakers used a burst to open the game and equal energy to close the game, wiping away the memory of a near fatal collapse in the middle. Monroe knocked off Sauk Prairie 75-51 in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal.
"It was one of those where it seemed like it was coming easy early - passing, cutting, inside shots, the outside -everything was really clicking," Monroe head coach Sam Mathiason said. "Then I don't know if it was human nature and we just let up a little bit."
Monroe (21-2) has been one of the top teams in the state all season, ranked in the Top 5 in both the WisSports.net Coaches and Associated Press polls. Wanting to make a return trip to the state tournament in Green Bay, the Cheesemakers know they have a target on their back. After a first-round bye, Monroe got that opportunity against a scrappy Eagles team.
"Our goal was to start fast because we've been struggling a little lately getting started right away," Monroe junior Sydney Hilliard said.
Hilliard is Monroe's go-to player on a team filled with high-quality starters. She's been recruited by all four NCAA Division 1 schools and led the team in scoring all season. In Friday's playoff game, she scored 15 of her team-high 19 points in the opening half.
Everything seemed to go Monroe's way to open up the game. The Cheesemakers made 7 of their first 10 shots and built up a 23-4 lead with 10 minutes to play before halftime. Then, like the flip of a switch, everything changed.
"We started out really good - making our shots and getting stops on defense," senior Sydney Mathiason said. "Then we started to slow down a little, couldn't make our shots and let them get to the basket."
Sauk Prairie (9-15) closed the half on a 30-12 run, shooting 50 percent from the field during the stretch while the Cheesemakers closed the half just 7 of 22.
"All of a sudden Sauk can't miss and were making shots," Coach Mathiason said. "Credit to them."
Sauk Prairie, showing no fear, got its spark from freshman Naomi Breunig, who had 15 points in the final eight minutes of the half. Monroe had its own freshman looking to make her mark - Megan Benzschawel. While Breunig would go on to lead all scorers with 22 points, six rebounds and three blocks, Benzschawel finished with 9 points and 14 rebounds.
"Some kids just have a nose for that ball and can go and find it, and Megan does that," Coach Mathiason said. "Credit to the kids that we didn't give in. When you're in the position of being a 1-seed versus a 9-seed and it's a one-point game at halftime, you can let that get into your head. I thought we did a good job of responding."
The Cheesemakers went into the locker room just ahead at 35-34, but Coach Mathiason told them to trust the process and stay the course. Benzschawel's knack for rebounding spread to the rest of the team, and Monroe dominated the glass in the second half.
"We've really been focusing on rebounding in practice," Hilliard said. "In this game we really wanted to focus on getting the boards and pushing it back up the floor."
Monroe's first possession of the second half lasted nearly 90 seconds and the Cheesemakers grabbed three offensive rebounds. The rest of the half continued on the same level, except for one thing - the game was deadlocked in a 44-44 tie with 12 minutes to play.
"No. 1, when you can get the other team to not make and you do a good job rebounding, you can find ways to score and build that energy," Coach Mathiason said. "We were able to do that. We've talked before that pressure is not knowing what to do. We shouldn't feel pressure. We've been playing the game for a long time. Trust, as they say, the process. So even though things weren't going all our way in the first half, we were able to build and build and build in the second half."
After Grace Mathiason coolly knocked down a pair of free throws, Grace Tostrud scored on offensive put-backs on back-to-back possessions. Emily Benzschawel started getting in on the act, too. Emily, a junior, was second on the team in scoring this year but had a rare poor shooting performance much of the night. But in the back-end of the second half, Emily Benzschawel came through with seven of her 12 points and the Cheesemakers went on a 22-0 run to put away the game with 3:55 to play.
However, defense was key during the stretch.
"We just started to talk more and we were getting our help defense to work and rotating to the shooter," Sydney Mathiason said. "We made sure their shots were contested."
Hillard led the Cheesemakers with 19 points and seven boards. Tostrud added 13 points, six rebounds and three assists; Emily Benzschawel finished with 12 points and Sydney Mathiason had 10 points, six rebounds and seven blocks in the game.
Up next for Monroe is Oregon (16-7), which finished third in the Badger South and lost both regular season games to the Cheesemakers. Oregon knocked off Monona Grove in their game Friday night, 57-51.
"We said before the game that 64 teams are still playing, and only 32 will be after," Coach Mathiason said. "We know Oregon, and we know they are good enough to come in and win. We have to be able to build off the crowd - we had a great crowd here tonight. We have to go out there and make the most of our last time at the Monroe High School gym (this season) and get that extra win."
The regional championship game at 7 p.m. tonight will be the last one at Monroe High School for the seniors.
"We just want to start out fast like we did tonight and keep it going throughout the whole game," Hilliard said. "Oregon is scrappy. They clamp down on defense and want to push it up the floor and finish hard. We just have to be ready."
Any team can pick up momentum and take control of a contest, which means an inferior team can put the superior team on its heels.
Friday night the Cheesemakers used a burst to open the game and equal energy to close the game, wiping away the memory of a near fatal collapse in the middle. Monroe knocked off Sauk Prairie 75-51 in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal.
"It was one of those where it seemed like it was coming easy early - passing, cutting, inside shots, the outside -everything was really clicking," Monroe head coach Sam Mathiason said. "Then I don't know if it was human nature and we just let up a little bit."
Monroe (21-2) has been one of the top teams in the state all season, ranked in the Top 5 in both the WisSports.net Coaches and Associated Press polls. Wanting to make a return trip to the state tournament in Green Bay, the Cheesemakers know they have a target on their back. After a first-round bye, Monroe got that opportunity against a scrappy Eagles team.
"Our goal was to start fast because we've been struggling a little lately getting started right away," Monroe junior Sydney Hilliard said.
Hilliard is Monroe's go-to player on a team filled with high-quality starters. She's been recruited by all four NCAA Division 1 schools and led the team in scoring all season. In Friday's playoff game, she scored 15 of her team-high 19 points in the opening half.
Everything seemed to go Monroe's way to open up the game. The Cheesemakers made 7 of their first 10 shots and built up a 23-4 lead with 10 minutes to play before halftime. Then, like the flip of a switch, everything changed.
"We started out really good - making our shots and getting stops on defense," senior Sydney Mathiason said. "Then we started to slow down a little, couldn't make our shots and let them get to the basket."
Sauk Prairie (9-15) closed the half on a 30-12 run, shooting 50 percent from the field during the stretch while the Cheesemakers closed the half just 7 of 22.
"All of a sudden Sauk can't miss and were making shots," Coach Mathiason said. "Credit to them."
Sauk Prairie, showing no fear, got its spark from freshman Naomi Breunig, who had 15 points in the final eight minutes of the half. Monroe had its own freshman looking to make her mark - Megan Benzschawel. While Breunig would go on to lead all scorers with 22 points, six rebounds and three blocks, Benzschawel finished with 9 points and 14 rebounds.
"Some kids just have a nose for that ball and can go and find it, and Megan does that," Coach Mathiason said. "Credit to the kids that we didn't give in. When you're in the position of being a 1-seed versus a 9-seed and it's a one-point game at halftime, you can let that get into your head. I thought we did a good job of responding."
The Cheesemakers went into the locker room just ahead at 35-34, but Coach Mathiason told them to trust the process and stay the course. Benzschawel's knack for rebounding spread to the rest of the team, and Monroe dominated the glass in the second half.
"We've really been focusing on rebounding in practice," Hilliard said. "In this game we really wanted to focus on getting the boards and pushing it back up the floor."
Monroe's first possession of the second half lasted nearly 90 seconds and the Cheesemakers grabbed three offensive rebounds. The rest of the half continued on the same level, except for one thing - the game was deadlocked in a 44-44 tie with 12 minutes to play.
"No. 1, when you can get the other team to not make and you do a good job rebounding, you can find ways to score and build that energy," Coach Mathiason said. "We were able to do that. We've talked before that pressure is not knowing what to do. We shouldn't feel pressure. We've been playing the game for a long time. Trust, as they say, the process. So even though things weren't going all our way in the first half, we were able to build and build and build in the second half."
After Grace Mathiason coolly knocked down a pair of free throws, Grace Tostrud scored on offensive put-backs on back-to-back possessions. Emily Benzschawel started getting in on the act, too. Emily, a junior, was second on the team in scoring this year but had a rare poor shooting performance much of the night. But in the back-end of the second half, Emily Benzschawel came through with seven of her 12 points and the Cheesemakers went on a 22-0 run to put away the game with 3:55 to play.
However, defense was key during the stretch.
"We just started to talk more and we were getting our help defense to work and rotating to the shooter," Sydney Mathiason said. "We made sure their shots were contested."
Hillard led the Cheesemakers with 19 points and seven boards. Tostrud added 13 points, six rebounds and three assists; Emily Benzschawel finished with 12 points and Sydney Mathiason had 10 points, six rebounds and seven blocks in the game.
Up next for Monroe is Oregon (16-7), which finished third in the Badger South and lost both regular season games to the Cheesemakers. Oregon knocked off Monona Grove in their game Friday night, 57-51.
"We said before the game that 64 teams are still playing, and only 32 will be after," Coach Mathiason said. "We know Oregon, and we know they are good enough to come in and win. We have to be able to build off the crowd - we had a great crowd here tonight. We have to go out there and make the most of our last time at the Monroe High School gym (this season) and get that extra win."
The regional championship game at 7 p.m. tonight will be the last one at Monroe High School for the seniors.
"We just want to start out fast like we did tonight and keep it going throughout the whole game," Hilliard said. "Oregon is scrappy. They clamp down on defense and want to push it up the floor and finish hard. We just have to be ready."
