Bruce Springsteen would likely dig the Cheesemakers' style.
"The Boss" can make the whitest of dancers hop out of their seats with "Dancin' In the Dark" and then turn around to chill his listeners' bones with ballads like, "I'm on Fire."
Friday night, Murf's gang showed that they'll not only play the way they want to play; they'll write a hit no matter how many beats per minute are involved.
Monroe's WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal opponent, Wisconsin Dells, had been held below 45 points all of once all season long and never been pinned below 38.
Admittedly, the Chiefs didn't exactly come out looking to light up the scoreboard as they used a deliberate pace and appeared content to simply trade well-developed possessions. But 25 points? Be proud Murf, somewhere your favorite teacher, Bo Ryan, is smiling over that staunch defensive effort.
Dells failed to score more than 10 points in any one quarter and was nearly held to just two first-quarter points before a pair of Ryan Wenkman free throws doubled the output with less than two seconds left.
Wenkman, a left-handed prep hoops answer to Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz with stocky build but super-deceptive quicks, never truly got on track. Even though he managed a team-high 10 points, nothing came easy as Mitch Tordoff showed why he has emerged as one of the state's finest all-around point guards. The Cheesemaker junior got to every spot first and blanketed Wenkman on defense. On the other end, Tordoff played the role of maestro to perfection as he directed the offense, protected the ball at all times and, oh by the way, led all scorers yet again with 13 points.
It's truly a pleasure to watch a court general who defines the prototypical point guard as, simply put, Tordoff plays the game right in every phase.
And he's not alone. Freeport coach Jeff Lawfer, one of just two coaches that boasts a victory over Monroe in the past year-plus, called the Cheesemakers "the closest thing to the Wisconsin Badgers on the high school level" for a reason. The Badger mentality was on full display Friday night as the Cheesemakers' footwork, discipline and defensive diagnosis was beyond sharp. From Chase Sellnow drawing a crucial charge early to Tony Cates and Matt Turek affecting virtually every shot attempted by Chief shooters, school was in session for all 32 minutes.
One could only imagine what the tempo may have been like had East Troy been upset by Madison Edgewood, who played two chess-match contests with Monroe in the regular season, in Friday's other semifinal.
But, the Crusaders couldn't seize Troy and fell, 53-39. As a result, all bets are off for the last step before state.
Whether it's a slow jam or a pyrotechnic-inspiring, fret-thrashing number, if East Troy lets the Cheesemakers lead, it's not going to be a pleasant dance for the Trojans.
- Christopher Heimerman is the sports editor at The Monroe Times. He can be reached at sportseditor@themonroetimes.com
"The Boss" can make the whitest of dancers hop out of their seats with "Dancin' In the Dark" and then turn around to chill his listeners' bones with ballads like, "I'm on Fire."
Friday night, Murf's gang showed that they'll not only play the way they want to play; they'll write a hit no matter how many beats per minute are involved.
Monroe's WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal opponent, Wisconsin Dells, had been held below 45 points all of once all season long and never been pinned below 38.
Admittedly, the Chiefs didn't exactly come out looking to light up the scoreboard as they used a deliberate pace and appeared content to simply trade well-developed possessions. But 25 points? Be proud Murf, somewhere your favorite teacher, Bo Ryan, is smiling over that staunch defensive effort.
Dells failed to score more than 10 points in any one quarter and was nearly held to just two first-quarter points before a pair of Ryan Wenkman free throws doubled the output with less than two seconds left.
Wenkman, a left-handed prep hoops answer to Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz with stocky build but super-deceptive quicks, never truly got on track. Even though he managed a team-high 10 points, nothing came easy as Mitch Tordoff showed why he has emerged as one of the state's finest all-around point guards. The Cheesemaker junior got to every spot first and blanketed Wenkman on defense. On the other end, Tordoff played the role of maestro to perfection as he directed the offense, protected the ball at all times and, oh by the way, led all scorers yet again with 13 points.
It's truly a pleasure to watch a court general who defines the prototypical point guard as, simply put, Tordoff plays the game right in every phase.
And he's not alone. Freeport coach Jeff Lawfer, one of just two coaches that boasts a victory over Monroe in the past year-plus, called the Cheesemakers "the closest thing to the Wisconsin Badgers on the high school level" for a reason. The Badger mentality was on full display Friday night as the Cheesemakers' footwork, discipline and defensive diagnosis was beyond sharp. From Chase Sellnow drawing a crucial charge early to Tony Cates and Matt Turek affecting virtually every shot attempted by Chief shooters, school was in session for all 32 minutes.
One could only imagine what the tempo may have been like had East Troy been upset by Madison Edgewood, who played two chess-match contests with Monroe in the regular season, in Friday's other semifinal.
But, the Crusaders couldn't seize Troy and fell, 53-39. As a result, all bets are off for the last step before state.
Whether it's a slow jam or a pyrotechnic-inspiring, fret-thrashing number, if East Troy lets the Cheesemakers lead, it's not going to be a pleasant dance for the Trojans.
- Christopher Heimerman is the sports editor at The Monroe Times. He can be reached at sportseditor@themonroetimes.com
