MONROE - Sharpshooter Bob Buchholtz may have been the smallest player in the state tournament in 1965, but he had the magic touch for Monroe in the state championship game.
Buchholtz scored a team-high 29 points to propel the Cheesemakers to a thrilling 74-71 win over Eau Claire Memorial at the University of Wisconsin Field House to win the school's first state title on March 20, 1965. Buchholtz shot 13 of 20 from the field. Teammate Tom Mitchell scored 19 points, Keith Burington added 13 points and Jim Dearth chipped in 11 points.
"He (Buchholtz) got hot," Mitchell said. "He just started launching long shots. Most of them would have been 3-pointers today."
Monroe went on an 8-0 run in the second quarter as both Mitchell and Buchholtz converted long jumpers to give the Cheesemakers a 25-17 lead.
Buchholtz and Mitchell did most of the damage in the first half, combining for 34 of the Cheesemakers' 36 points. Buchholtz drilled nine of 12 shots in the first half and Mitchell scored 16 of his points in the first half to pace the Cheesemakers to a 36-32 lead at the half. The Cheesemakers had the lead at the break, despite Dave Holling picking up his third foul and being forced to the bench.
And if there was a 3-point line?
"Buchholtz would have had a lot more points," Mitchell said. "It seemed like all season long we had been preparing for that game. Everything just fell into place."
Eau Claire had a tremendous height advantage with 6-8 big man Jeff Ellenson, who scored a game-high 31 points and 6-6 teammate Gary Rheingans who added 16 points. After the Cheesemakers grabbed a 65-59 lead, Ellenson and Rheingans sparked the Old Abes.
The game was tied three times in the fourth quarter and each time the Cheesemakers rose to the occasion. Buchholtz hit a long jumper, Burington grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback and the other answer came on Dearth's free throws with just over a minute left.
The game was locked in a tie at 69 late in the fourth quarter. Eau Claire Memorial's Bob Hall layed in the go-ahead basket to give the Abes a 71-69 lead with 1 minute, 40 seconds left. Burington, the Cheesemakers' leading scorer, scored to tie the game at 71.
With the game tied and 1:06 to go, Dearth stepped up and made two free throws to give the Cheesemakers a 73-71 lead. Dearth iced the win by knocking down a free throw with 6 seconds to go.
Mitchell was confident with Dearth at the foul line.
"We all had those moments during our careers where we had to make free throws when it counted," he said.
Monroe set four state records, including a single-game record for shooting percentage (62.5 percent), a title game record shooting percentage (58.8 percent) and a three-game record (57.4 percent). The Cheesemakers also eclipsed a single-game free throw percentage record, hitting 23 of 25 free throws, which was a 92-percent clip, against Brookfield Central.
"If you shoot close to 60 percent for the tournament, you are probably going to win," Mitchell said.
Monroe became the third unbeaten (26-0) state champion in the history of the WIAA state tournament. Dodgeville, which had defeated Monroe two straight years in the sectional final, won a state championship in 1964 when it went 26-0. The Cheesemakers capped the season ranked No. 1 from the start to the state championship homecoming in the end.
"After losing to Dodgeville in the sectional finals two years in a row, we wanted that pressure," Mitchell said. "Our main goal when we started the year is we wanted to go to state. It was the pinnacle of my career. If you grow up today and go to state in Division 3, it's probably just as big of a thrill as it was then."
Buchholtz scored a team-high 29 points to propel the Cheesemakers to a thrilling 74-71 win over Eau Claire Memorial at the University of Wisconsin Field House to win the school's first state title on March 20, 1965. Buchholtz shot 13 of 20 from the field. Teammate Tom Mitchell scored 19 points, Keith Burington added 13 points and Jim Dearth chipped in 11 points.
"He (Buchholtz) got hot," Mitchell said. "He just started launching long shots. Most of them would have been 3-pointers today."
Monroe went on an 8-0 run in the second quarter as both Mitchell and Buchholtz converted long jumpers to give the Cheesemakers a 25-17 lead.
Buchholtz and Mitchell did most of the damage in the first half, combining for 34 of the Cheesemakers' 36 points. Buchholtz drilled nine of 12 shots in the first half and Mitchell scored 16 of his points in the first half to pace the Cheesemakers to a 36-32 lead at the half. The Cheesemakers had the lead at the break, despite Dave Holling picking up his third foul and being forced to the bench.
And if there was a 3-point line?
"Buchholtz would have had a lot more points," Mitchell said. "It seemed like all season long we had been preparing for that game. Everything just fell into place."
Eau Claire had a tremendous height advantage with 6-8 big man Jeff Ellenson, who scored a game-high 31 points and 6-6 teammate Gary Rheingans who added 16 points. After the Cheesemakers grabbed a 65-59 lead, Ellenson and Rheingans sparked the Old Abes.
The game was tied three times in the fourth quarter and each time the Cheesemakers rose to the occasion. Buchholtz hit a long jumper, Burington grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback and the other answer came on Dearth's free throws with just over a minute left.
The game was locked in a tie at 69 late in the fourth quarter. Eau Claire Memorial's Bob Hall layed in the go-ahead basket to give the Abes a 71-69 lead with 1 minute, 40 seconds left. Burington, the Cheesemakers' leading scorer, scored to tie the game at 71.
With the game tied and 1:06 to go, Dearth stepped up and made two free throws to give the Cheesemakers a 73-71 lead. Dearth iced the win by knocking down a free throw with 6 seconds to go.
Mitchell was confident with Dearth at the foul line.
"We all had those moments during our careers where we had to make free throws when it counted," he said.
Monroe set four state records, including a single-game record for shooting percentage (62.5 percent), a title game record shooting percentage (58.8 percent) and a three-game record (57.4 percent). The Cheesemakers also eclipsed a single-game free throw percentage record, hitting 23 of 25 free throws, which was a 92-percent clip, against Brookfield Central.
"If you shoot close to 60 percent for the tournament, you are probably going to win," Mitchell said.
Monroe became the third unbeaten (26-0) state champion in the history of the WIAA state tournament. Dodgeville, which had defeated Monroe two straight years in the sectional final, won a state championship in 1964 when it went 26-0. The Cheesemakers capped the season ranked No. 1 from the start to the state championship homecoming in the end.
"After losing to Dodgeville in the sectional finals two years in a row, we wanted that pressure," Mitchell said. "Our main goal when we started the year is we wanted to go to state. It was the pinnacle of my career. If you grow up today and go to state in Division 3, it's probably just as big of a thrill as it was then."
