MONROE - The Cheesemakers silenced NCAA Division I recruit J.J. Panoske and Brodhead in the season opener Saturday, 45-30.
Monroe's Kevin Frint and Kyle Klinzing held Panoske and forward Nick Jacobson to a combined nine points.
"We have a lot of guys who want to prove that Monroe basketball isn't dead. This is a big step forward for our big guys, we told them they can't back down and they have to be strong, and they were," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said.
Panoske, a 6-foot, 9-inch center who has been offered scholarships from several schools, including UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay, has been attracting interest from Wisconsin, Northwestern, Arizona State and Creighton.
Last season, the Cheesemakers finished as state-runner up, but graduated nearly its entire starting lineup. Bryan Tordoff (13 points), Micheal Barrett (12) and Frint (14) are the only mainstays from a year ago, so to get 39 points from the big three was huge, according to Murphy.
"Frint is a guy who worked his butt off all summer trying to do something with his senior year," he said.
Frint scored a career-high 14 points, including four buckets in the paint and two on put-backs.
"It felt really good out there. First game, you're always going to feel a little nervous because you never really know what's going to happen. But we did a good job inside and crashed the boards, which got a lot of easy baskets," Frint said.
Murphy was pleased at what his center accomplished, both on offense and defense.
"Holding (Brodhead) to 30 points is something we'll take every day, but the guys will tell you, there are things we'd like to take back. We want to maximize our offensive game better," Murphy said.
Barrett erupted in the third quarter, scoring eight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers to push the score to 30-17 with 4 minutes, 32 seconds left in period.
"It felt good to get going. I had been struggling the entire game. But my teammates did a good job of getting me open and I just started hitting the shots," Barrett said.
Monroe jumped out quickly in the first quarter, grabbing a 10-4 lead and ending the frame with a 16-9 advantage.
A sluggish second quarter, in which the Cheesemakers scored just two free throws, allowed Brodhead to bring the game to 18-15 at the break.
"Monroe is a great basketball program and we have some work to do before we get up to their level," Brodhead head coach Brian Kammerer said. "Nerves weren't a factor in the second half for us when we couldn't knock down free throws and were throwing the ball into the ocean. So we need to get better at those things before we can be on Monroe's level."
But Barrett's big third quarter, including Monroe's dominance in the paint, put the Cheesemakers up by nine after three quarters. The closest the Cardinals would come again would be seven points.
"It was a tough atmosphere, more like a playoff game. (Monroe) did a good job. We had some other guys step up, but it wasn't enough," Panoske said. "Coach talked to us before, saying that to be the best we have to beat the best. We took them on here early in the season so it's more of a wakeup call than anything because it will get us ready for conference."
Brodhead (1-1) hosts Clinton (1-1) Thursday in the Cardinals' Rock Valley opener.
The win gives Monroe some confidence headed into the Badger South opener Tuesday against Monona Grove.
Monroe's Kevin Frint and Kyle Klinzing held Panoske and forward Nick Jacobson to a combined nine points.
"We have a lot of guys who want to prove that Monroe basketball isn't dead. This is a big step forward for our big guys, we told them they can't back down and they have to be strong, and they were," Monroe head coach Pat Murphy said.
Panoske, a 6-foot, 9-inch center who has been offered scholarships from several schools, including UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay, has been attracting interest from Wisconsin, Northwestern, Arizona State and Creighton.
Last season, the Cheesemakers finished as state-runner up, but graduated nearly its entire starting lineup. Bryan Tordoff (13 points), Micheal Barrett (12) and Frint (14) are the only mainstays from a year ago, so to get 39 points from the big three was huge, according to Murphy.
"Frint is a guy who worked his butt off all summer trying to do something with his senior year," he said.
Frint scored a career-high 14 points, including four buckets in the paint and two on put-backs.
"It felt really good out there. First game, you're always going to feel a little nervous because you never really know what's going to happen. But we did a good job inside and crashed the boards, which got a lot of easy baskets," Frint said.
Murphy was pleased at what his center accomplished, both on offense and defense.
"Holding (Brodhead) to 30 points is something we'll take every day, but the guys will tell you, there are things we'd like to take back. We want to maximize our offensive game better," Murphy said.
Barrett erupted in the third quarter, scoring eight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers to push the score to 30-17 with 4 minutes, 32 seconds left in period.
"It felt good to get going. I had been struggling the entire game. But my teammates did a good job of getting me open and I just started hitting the shots," Barrett said.
Monroe jumped out quickly in the first quarter, grabbing a 10-4 lead and ending the frame with a 16-9 advantage.
A sluggish second quarter, in which the Cheesemakers scored just two free throws, allowed Brodhead to bring the game to 18-15 at the break.
"Monroe is a great basketball program and we have some work to do before we get up to their level," Brodhead head coach Brian Kammerer said. "Nerves weren't a factor in the second half for us when we couldn't knock down free throws and were throwing the ball into the ocean. So we need to get better at those things before we can be on Monroe's level."
But Barrett's big third quarter, including Monroe's dominance in the paint, put the Cheesemakers up by nine after three quarters. The closest the Cardinals would come again would be seven points.
"It was a tough atmosphere, more like a playoff game. (Monroe) did a good job. We had some other guys step up, but it wasn't enough," Panoske said. "Coach talked to us before, saying that to be the best we have to beat the best. We took them on here early in the season so it's more of a wakeup call than anything because it will get us ready for conference."
Brodhead (1-1) hosts Clinton (1-1) Thursday in the Cardinals' Rock Valley opener.
The win gives Monroe some confidence headed into the Badger South opener Tuesday against Monona Grove.
