MONROE - Maybe the gift wrappings and New Year's party favors have all been bagged, tagged and scrapped.
But the Lady Cheesemakers hope to keep that warm and fuzzy holiday feeling going when they battle Verona for the top of Badger South Conference at home Thursday night.
Despite boasting perhaps the youngest roster Kevin Keen has yet to skipper, Monroe (5-1, 4-0 Badger South) hasn't looked back since a season-opening 41-39 hiccup against a solid Elkhorn club.
The Wildcats (5-4, 3-0 Badger South) are riding a virtually unprecedented three-game skid, the most recent loss coming 46-44 at the hands of 6-0 Columbus last Wednesday at the Badger Classic at the Kohl Center. Nail-biting has been all the craze for the Wildcats faithful as the three losses have been by a combined 10 points.
Thursday night all eyes are going to be dialed in on one matchup that shouldn't disappoint, as Monroe sophomore Jamie Armstrong will do battle with 6-2 junior Leslie Schaefer for property of the painted area.
Schaefer is physically tenacious and boasts a bevy of moves. Like Armstrong, she's also developed a devastating knack for passing from the block. Armstrong gladly steps outside to handle the ball so this particular marquee matchup should be battled out all over the floor.
What will inevitably be a capacity crowd in the house of Cheese should look for Monroe's fellow 6-footer Ashley Hermanson, Morgan Kennison and Verona's Amanda Curtis to be the beneficiaries of the attention paid to Armstrong and Schaefer down low.
Keen has talked all season long about how Badger South squads will try to make a conscious effort to take away interior looks, and it was never more evident than in Monroe's only barn-burning conference game of the season. Armstrong and Hermanson scored all of one field goal against Oregon's stingy zone scheme, and it took a desperation 3-pointer from Emily Rufenacht with seven ticks left to deliver the Cheesemakers to a 41-38 win.
So don't be surprised to see a number of wrinkles from Wildcats coach Angie Murphy, who has probably gotten her fill of Badger Conference chat over the holiday as sister-in-law of Monroe boys coach Pat Murphy.
It's hard to fathom, but one might say that last year's Monroe-Verona series was a letdown as Monroe cruised to victories of 50-41 and 44-31. Peering into the stat book, however, reveals that recent Cheesemaker grad Marissa Young averaged nearly half her squad's points over the two contests at 20.5 per.
This time around, Young's backcourt mate and fellow 2007 grad Sydnee Wyss has been replaced by sophomore Gwen Sutter. The clutch shooting responsibilities have been eagerly snatched up by the tenaciously-defending junior Rufenacht, who, as previously eluded to, never met a last-second shot she didn't like.
She and Sutter will be relied upon heavily to contain Verona's fine bookend to Schaefer, prototype point guard Megan McGowan. The senior is a total-package player, and it will be up to Keen's squad to communicate, fight through picks and keep her at arm's reach at all times.
Bragging rights will be at a premium as the game marks the last time the Wildcats will travel to Monroe ... that is in a league setting. Verona exits the Badger next season for the Big Eight Conference.
With its recent losing streak, Verona finds itself unranked in the Associated Press Poll. The Cheesemakers are narrowly on the outside looking in on familiar territory as they received votes but couldn't crack the top 10.
For those that just can't help but look ahead to Monroe's last conference contest in Verona (these are likely the same readers that were caught sneaking peaks under the tree before the big day), it's slated for Friday, Jan. 25.
But the Lady Cheesemakers hope to keep that warm and fuzzy holiday feeling going when they battle Verona for the top of Badger South Conference at home Thursday night.
Despite boasting perhaps the youngest roster Kevin Keen has yet to skipper, Monroe (5-1, 4-0 Badger South) hasn't looked back since a season-opening 41-39 hiccup against a solid Elkhorn club.
The Wildcats (5-4, 3-0 Badger South) are riding a virtually unprecedented three-game skid, the most recent loss coming 46-44 at the hands of 6-0 Columbus last Wednesday at the Badger Classic at the Kohl Center. Nail-biting has been all the craze for the Wildcats faithful as the three losses have been by a combined 10 points.
Thursday night all eyes are going to be dialed in on one matchup that shouldn't disappoint, as Monroe sophomore Jamie Armstrong will do battle with 6-2 junior Leslie Schaefer for property of the painted area.
Schaefer is physically tenacious and boasts a bevy of moves. Like Armstrong, she's also developed a devastating knack for passing from the block. Armstrong gladly steps outside to handle the ball so this particular marquee matchup should be battled out all over the floor.
What will inevitably be a capacity crowd in the house of Cheese should look for Monroe's fellow 6-footer Ashley Hermanson, Morgan Kennison and Verona's Amanda Curtis to be the beneficiaries of the attention paid to Armstrong and Schaefer down low.
Keen has talked all season long about how Badger South squads will try to make a conscious effort to take away interior looks, and it was never more evident than in Monroe's only barn-burning conference game of the season. Armstrong and Hermanson scored all of one field goal against Oregon's stingy zone scheme, and it took a desperation 3-pointer from Emily Rufenacht with seven ticks left to deliver the Cheesemakers to a 41-38 win.
So don't be surprised to see a number of wrinkles from Wildcats coach Angie Murphy, who has probably gotten her fill of Badger Conference chat over the holiday as sister-in-law of Monroe boys coach Pat Murphy.
It's hard to fathom, but one might say that last year's Monroe-Verona series was a letdown as Monroe cruised to victories of 50-41 and 44-31. Peering into the stat book, however, reveals that recent Cheesemaker grad Marissa Young averaged nearly half her squad's points over the two contests at 20.5 per.
This time around, Young's backcourt mate and fellow 2007 grad Sydnee Wyss has been replaced by sophomore Gwen Sutter. The clutch shooting responsibilities have been eagerly snatched up by the tenaciously-defending junior Rufenacht, who, as previously eluded to, never met a last-second shot she didn't like.
She and Sutter will be relied upon heavily to contain Verona's fine bookend to Schaefer, prototype point guard Megan McGowan. The senior is a total-package player, and it will be up to Keen's squad to communicate, fight through picks and keep her at arm's reach at all times.
Bragging rights will be at a premium as the game marks the last time the Wildcats will travel to Monroe ... that is in a league setting. Verona exits the Badger next season for the Big Eight Conference.
With its recent losing streak, Verona finds itself unranked in the Associated Press Poll. The Cheesemakers are narrowly on the outside looking in on familiar territory as they received votes but couldn't crack the top 10.
For those that just can't help but look ahead to Monroe's last conference contest in Verona (these are likely the same readers that were caught sneaking peaks under the tree before the big day), it's slated for Friday, Jan. 25.
