MONROE - Don't believe for a moment that the best years of Monroe hoops have already happened.
Two teams of Cheesemakers-in-the-making placed 13th or better out of 80 community-based youth basketball teams that took part in the Wisconsin State Invitational Championship tournament series on Saturday, March 29.
Monroe's eighth-grade girls team, perhaps inspired by the high school varsity's state title, battled but came up just short, 42-40 against Union Grove in the first round in the championship bracket that featured the final 16 clubs.
Monroe lost its next two games, 35-21 to Freedom and 55-44 to Richland Center to finish 12th in the annual showcase.
Monroe defeated Catholic Memorial and Hayward and went 2-1 in pool play.
Monroe's seventh-grade boys club also went 2-1 in pool play, but that's where the similarities ended to the girls' team's path.
New Berlin Eisenhower, coincidentally the team that ended the varsity boys' season at Kohl Center in March, busted up another title bid with a 62-44 victory to open championship bracket play.
Monroe, cast into the 13th-16th bracket, rebounded with a 52-50 barnburning victory over Rice Lake before knocking off Fort Atkinson, 46-41 to place a hard-earned 13th.
Two teams of Cheesemakers-in-the-making placed 13th or better out of 80 community-based youth basketball teams that took part in the Wisconsin State Invitational Championship tournament series on Saturday, March 29.
Monroe's eighth-grade girls team, perhaps inspired by the high school varsity's state title, battled but came up just short, 42-40 against Union Grove in the first round in the championship bracket that featured the final 16 clubs.
Monroe lost its next two games, 35-21 to Freedom and 55-44 to Richland Center to finish 12th in the annual showcase.
Monroe defeated Catholic Memorial and Hayward and went 2-1 in pool play.
Monroe's seventh-grade boys club also went 2-1 in pool play, but that's where the similarities ended to the girls' team's path.
New Berlin Eisenhower, coincidentally the team that ended the varsity boys' season at Kohl Center in March, busted up another title bid with a 62-44 victory to open championship bracket play.
Monroe, cast into the 13th-16th bracket, rebounded with a 52-50 barnburning victory over Rice Lake before knocking off Fort Atkinson, 46-41 to place a hard-earned 13th.
