MONROE - The Monroe girls basketball team received a No. 2 seed in the top half of the WIAA Division 2 Middleton sectional and received a first-round regional bye when the tournament begins Feb. 21.
Monroe (16-2, 10-1 Badger South), ranked seventh in the Associated Press Division 2 state poll, will play the winner of seventh-seeded Portage and 10th-seeded Oregon on Feb. 24 in a regional semifinal. Stoughton (18-3) received the No. 1 seed in the top part of the Middleton sectional. The WIAA released the regional brackets and first-round games Sunday after coaches had seeding meetings.
"The goal was to get one of those top two seeds," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We will have one home game and a possible second home game. It's really a reward for the kids and the season they have had."
The Cheesemakers have already secured at least a share of the Badger South Conference championship and can win it outright by beating Madison Edgewood Thursday. Stoughton, ranked fourth in Division 2 and one game behind the Cheesemakers in the conference, split two games with Monroe this season on games that came down to the wire. Monroe is 3-2 this year against teams ranked in the top 10 in the state and Stoughton is 5-3 in those same types of games. Stoughton did beat fifth-ranked West De Pere 55-48 Feb. 4 and beat Middleton, which is ranked seventh in Division 1, 74-66 Feb. 7.
"They have won two games against two really good teams," Mathiason said, "and that is why they are the No. 1," he said.
Monroe will play at Clinton today before closing the regular season with a showdown at Madison Edgewood on Thursday.
"Edgewood has been playing really well right now," Mathiason said. "They handled Stoughton handily after they beat us. It will be a tournament-type atmosphere for us. It will be a good lead in to the next week for the tournament."
If the Cheesemakers win the regional championship this year, they could face Stoughton in a sectional semifinal game on a neutral site at Sun Prairie High School March 2.
The regional quarterfinal games are scheduled as follows:
Division 3
Brodhead received a ninth seed and will play at eighth-seeded East Troy.
Division 4
New Glarus received a ninth seed and will play at eighth-seeded Lancaster.
Darlington received a fourth seed and will have a first-round bye. The Redbirds will play the winner of fifth-seeded Belleville and 12th-seeded Parkview in a regional semifinal on Feb. 24.
Division 5
Black Hawk (19-0), ranked second in the Associated Press Division 5 state poll, received a No. 1 seed in the top half of the Watertown sectional. The Warriors received a first-round bye. Black Hawk will play the winner of ninth-seeded Randolph and eighth-seeded Argyle in a regional semifinal Feb. 24. Argyle will host Randolph in a regional quarterfinal Feb. 21.
14th-seeded Pecatonica will play at third-seeded Rio.
10th-seeded Albany will play at seventh-seeded Juda.
Monroe (16-2, 10-1 Badger South), ranked seventh in the Associated Press Division 2 state poll, will play the winner of seventh-seeded Portage and 10th-seeded Oregon on Feb. 24 in a regional semifinal. Stoughton (18-3) received the No. 1 seed in the top part of the Middleton sectional. The WIAA released the regional brackets and first-round games Sunday after coaches had seeding meetings.
"The goal was to get one of those top two seeds," Monroe coach Sam Mathiason said. "We will have one home game and a possible second home game. It's really a reward for the kids and the season they have had."
The Cheesemakers have already secured at least a share of the Badger South Conference championship and can win it outright by beating Madison Edgewood Thursday. Stoughton, ranked fourth in Division 2 and one game behind the Cheesemakers in the conference, split two games with Monroe this season on games that came down to the wire. Monroe is 3-2 this year against teams ranked in the top 10 in the state and Stoughton is 5-3 in those same types of games. Stoughton did beat fifth-ranked West De Pere 55-48 Feb. 4 and beat Middleton, which is ranked seventh in Division 1, 74-66 Feb. 7.
"They have won two games against two really good teams," Mathiason said, "and that is why they are the No. 1," he said.
Monroe will play at Clinton today before closing the regular season with a showdown at Madison Edgewood on Thursday.
"Edgewood has been playing really well right now," Mathiason said. "They handled Stoughton handily after they beat us. It will be a tournament-type atmosphere for us. It will be a good lead in to the next week for the tournament."
If the Cheesemakers win the regional championship this year, they could face Stoughton in a sectional semifinal game on a neutral site at Sun Prairie High School March 2.
The regional quarterfinal games are scheduled as follows:
Division 3
Brodhead received a ninth seed and will play at eighth-seeded East Troy.
Division 4
New Glarus received a ninth seed and will play at eighth-seeded Lancaster.
Darlington received a fourth seed and will have a first-round bye. The Redbirds will play the winner of fifth-seeded Belleville and 12th-seeded Parkview in a regional semifinal on Feb. 24.
Division 5
Black Hawk (19-0), ranked second in the Associated Press Division 5 state poll, received a No. 1 seed in the top half of the Watertown sectional. The Warriors received a first-round bye. Black Hawk will play the winner of ninth-seeded Randolph and eighth-seeded Argyle in a regional semifinal Feb. 24. Argyle will host Randolph in a regional quarterfinal Feb. 21.
14th-seeded Pecatonica will play at third-seeded Rio.
10th-seeded Albany will play at seventh-seeded Juda.
