MONROE - After Monroe senior Sydney Mathiason climbed the ladder and cut down a part of the net after the Cheesemakers rolled to a 70-47 win over Oregon in a WIAA Division 2 regional championship game Saturday, the significance of her final home game hit her.
"It's very bittersweet," Mathiason said. "I won't be able to play here anymore. I hope we can keep winning games and this isn't the end. It feels really good. We want to go one game at a time, and we were able to come out on top tonight."
Monroe (22-2), ranked No. 4 in the Division 2 Associated Press state poll, advances to a sectional semifinal and will play Badger South Conference rival Stoughton Thursday in Middleton.
A turning point was when Oregon junior Sydona Roberts picked up her second foul of the first half and was forced to the bench. The Cheesemakers had a 6-point lead at the time. With Roberts on the bench, Monroe closed the first half on a 13-2 run.
Monroe junior Emily Benzschawel scored on a layup, and sophomore Grace Tostrud knocked down a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 27-15 lead with 4:02 left. Monroe junior Sydney Hilliard scored on a layup and Tostrud drilled a 3-pointer to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 34-16. Monroe built a 17-point lead at the half and never relinquished control.
"When she (Roberts) picked up her second foul, we really wanted to take advantage of it," Hilliard said.
Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said Oregon considers Roberts their best defender.
"She's always on the other team's best player," Mathiason said. "She guarded McKenna Warnock (of Monona Grove) Friday and she guarded Sydney (Hilliard) tonight. She has that length and moves well."
The Cheesemakers are two steps away from a return to the state tournament. As a team favored to make a run back to the sectional, Sam Mathiason said he was excited they accomplished that feat.
"Winning is never easy," he said. "Having that moment of time where they can soak it all in and enjoy it is important."
Hilliard scored a game-high 22 points and had two steals. Sydney Mathiason added 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had four blocks. Emily Benzschawel had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Tostrud chipped in 10 points. It's the second straight year the Cheesemakers have won a regional title.
"It's awesome," Hilliard said. "I'm really grateful that we get to do it (win a regional title) on our home court. I wouldn't want to do it on any other team than this. We have put in the work all season, and it showed."
Monroe held Oregon senior Ellen McCorkle scoreless in the first half. She scored all 12 of her points in the second half.
"The thing I'm most proud of is the defense we played," coach Mathiason said. "We held them to 17 points in the first half. We had a lot of possessions where we were pretty good on the defensive end. She (McCorkle) does a really good job of posting up strong and getting to her spot. She's a really good player."
It didn't take the Cheesemakers long to extend their lead in the second half. Mathiason hit a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a 39-20 lead with 15:35 left in the game. Sophomore Grace Mathiason converted a layup to push the Cheesemakers' lead to 20-points, 41-21, with 14 minutes left. The Cheesemakers limited the Panthers to 36 percent shooting in the second half (9 of 25). The Panthers were also plagued by 13 turnovers and foul trouble.
Now Monroe will gear up to play Stoughton for the first time this season. The Cheesemakers swept two games against the Vikings in the regular season.
"We know they will work really hard and compete really hard," Sam Mathiason said of Stoughton. "They never give up anything easy. They just have to be the better team one night. We have three days to practice to get ready for Thursday night. We just have to come ready to play."
"It's very bittersweet," Mathiason said. "I won't be able to play here anymore. I hope we can keep winning games and this isn't the end. It feels really good. We want to go one game at a time, and we were able to come out on top tonight."
Monroe (22-2), ranked No. 4 in the Division 2 Associated Press state poll, advances to a sectional semifinal and will play Badger South Conference rival Stoughton Thursday in Middleton.
A turning point was when Oregon junior Sydona Roberts picked up her second foul of the first half and was forced to the bench. The Cheesemakers had a 6-point lead at the time. With Roberts on the bench, Monroe closed the first half on a 13-2 run.
Monroe junior Emily Benzschawel scored on a layup, and sophomore Grace Tostrud knocked down a jumper to give the Cheesemakers a 27-15 lead with 4:02 left. Monroe junior Sydney Hilliard scored on a layup and Tostrud drilled a 3-pointer to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 34-16. Monroe built a 17-point lead at the half and never relinquished control.
"When she (Roberts) picked up her second foul, we really wanted to take advantage of it," Hilliard said.
Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said Oregon considers Roberts their best defender.
"She's always on the other team's best player," Mathiason said. "She guarded McKenna Warnock (of Monona Grove) Friday and she guarded Sydney (Hilliard) tonight. She has that length and moves well."
The Cheesemakers are two steps away from a return to the state tournament. As a team favored to make a run back to the sectional, Sam Mathiason said he was excited they accomplished that feat.
"Winning is never easy," he said. "Having that moment of time where they can soak it all in and enjoy it is important."
Hilliard scored a game-high 22 points and had two steals. Sydney Mathiason added 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had four blocks. Emily Benzschawel had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Tostrud chipped in 10 points. It's the second straight year the Cheesemakers have won a regional title.
"It's awesome," Hilliard said. "I'm really grateful that we get to do it (win a regional title) on our home court. I wouldn't want to do it on any other team than this. We have put in the work all season, and it showed."
Monroe held Oregon senior Ellen McCorkle scoreless in the first half. She scored all 12 of her points in the second half.
"The thing I'm most proud of is the defense we played," coach Mathiason said. "We held them to 17 points in the first half. We had a lot of possessions where we were pretty good on the defensive end. She (McCorkle) does a really good job of posting up strong and getting to her spot. She's a really good player."
It didn't take the Cheesemakers long to extend their lead in the second half. Mathiason hit a 3-pointer to give the Cheesemakers a 39-20 lead with 15:35 left in the game. Sophomore Grace Mathiason converted a layup to push the Cheesemakers' lead to 20-points, 41-21, with 14 minutes left. The Cheesemakers limited the Panthers to 36 percent shooting in the second half (9 of 25). The Panthers were also plagued by 13 turnovers and foul trouble.
Now Monroe will gear up to play Stoughton for the first time this season. The Cheesemakers swept two games against the Vikings in the regular season.
"We know they will work really hard and compete really hard," Sam Mathiason said of Stoughton. "They never give up anything easy. They just have to be the better team one night. We have three days to practice to get ready for Thursday night. We just have to come ready to play."
