MONROE - When Monroe High School girls basketball coach Sam Mathiason looks on the court, the formula for winning may be different, but the connections between this year's Cheesemakers team and the Monroe team that went to state three straight years from 2008 to 2010 are eerily similar.
When Monroe claimed the WIAA Division 2 state championship in 2008 with a 42-34 win over Freedom, the Cheesemakers featured three sophomores in the starting lineup - Ashley Hermanson, Jamie Armstrong and Gwen Sutter. The three players were key cogs during one of the best eras in the history of Monroe girls basketball, compiling an 88-14 mark in a four-year span. The trio played in three straight state tournaments from 2008 to 2010. After winning the state title in 2008, Monroe fell in the state semifinals back-to-back years, losing 53-45 to Grafton in 2009 and 31-30 to Winneconne in 2010. Hermanson, Armstrong and Sutter also helped the Cheesemakers win a seventh straight Badger South Conference title in 2010. Both Hermanson and Armstrong eclipsed the 1,000-career point milestone their senior seasons.
The path the two teams took in turning into state championship contenders followed similar principles and featured young and upcoming players on the biggest stage at state. This year's Monroe team features two sophomores in its starting lineup - Sydney Hilliard and Emily Benzschawel. Both teams relied on the athleticism of multisport athletes, and the staples of success revolved around coaches who preached lockdown defense.
To Mathiason, who was an assistant coach under Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame coach Kevin Keen for six seasons, including the state championship teams in 2006 and 2008, the recipe for creating a strong team has revolved around dedicated and unselfish athletes.
"Both teams had really high level talent, but they were selfless and were willing to share the ball," Mathiason said of the Keen-helmed teams and his own. "They didn't care who scored the points."
Mathiason, a St. Clair, Minnesota, native, took over head coaching duties in April 2010 after Keen retired from coaching. Keen amassed a 394-127 career mark in 22 years as coach.
Each team had three primary scorers. The Cheesemaker team this season has relied on Hilliard (19.1 points per game), Benzschawel (13 ppg) and junior Sydney Mathiason (11.7 ppg, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game).
"In Monroe it's really always been about playing as a team," Mathiason said. "Basketball is a team game. Both of the groups have three primary scorers. You would never know who else would step up and score eight or 10 points like Jordan (Hirsbrunner) and Lexi (Hilliard) have done in games this year. Both groups (this year and 2008-10) got along with each other really well and had good team chemistry."
Armstrong, who was also named WBCA All-State in 2010, received a Division I scholarship and played volleyball and basketball for George Washington University. Sutter played two years of college basketball for Cardinal Stritch University and two years for Clarke University in Dubuque. Hermanson received a college basketball offer to play for Nebraska-Kearney. The coach left before Hermanson was going to attend school there and she opted not to play basketball when she went to Carthage College.
This year's Monroe team has two players who already have received Division I scholarship offers. Monroe senior Jordan Hirsbrunner received a track scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Hilliard, a sophomore, has received basketball scholarship offers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Marquette, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee, South Dakota State and Northern Colorado. Both Sydney Mathiason and sophomore Emily Benzschawel have received college basketball interest letters.
While the success and makeup of the teams from different eras are similar, the style of play on the court is not.
In 2010, the Cheesemakers relied on the inside post presence of 6-foot-1 Armstrong and 6-0 Hermanson. This year's Monroe team is led by Hilliard, a 5-9 player who thrives at driving to the basket and setting up teammates for open shots. The Monroe team this year excels at pushing the ball and scoring on the break.
"This group can pressure a little more, force turnovers and score in transition," he said. "They can turn that defense into points more. The other group (2008 to 2010 MHS teams) was really tough inside, and they were great rebounding and great limiting teams to one shot."
The community support seven years ago when Monroe played at state and now is still overwhelming for Mathiason.
"I think the community of Monroe has been just outstanding in their support," he said. "We had big crowds for the regional games in Monroe. There were really large crowds when we played Stoughton in Sun Prairie and when we played Milton last weekend in Middleton. It was the same back then (2008-10)."
A feat this year's Monroe team would like to replicate is winning a state championship with key players in their sophomore years. Hermanson remembers what it was like holding the gold ball after winning a WIAA Division 2 state championship in 2008. Hermanson remembered what it was like for her, Armstrong and Sutter to play in the state tournament before they could even drive.
"Going in at a younger age (to the state tournament), I thought was better because you didn't know what to expect," said Hermanson, who was a WBCA Division 2 All-State team selection in 2009 and 2010 and now works as a veterinarian assistant at the Banfield Pet Hospital in Madison. "It brings back a lot of memories. I haven't seen that (gold ball) since then. It's a flashback. We just wanted to play one more game. We obviously wanted to win the gold ball, but we were just worried about playing one more game. Then as we went on it became a little more stressful."
Both this year's Cheese-maker team and the teams from 2008 to 2010 have shown the ability to win at a high level. This year's Monroe team wants to leave its own lasting mark on the state tournament in Green Bay on Friday.
"We try to get them (players) to understand these opportunities don't happen everywhere," Mathiason said. "I'm just so happy the girls have this opportunity to experience this week. We know it will be a great challenge."
When Monroe claimed the WIAA Division 2 state championship in 2008 with a 42-34 win over Freedom, the Cheesemakers featured three sophomores in the starting lineup - Ashley Hermanson, Jamie Armstrong and Gwen Sutter. The three players were key cogs during one of the best eras in the history of Monroe girls basketball, compiling an 88-14 mark in a four-year span. The trio played in three straight state tournaments from 2008 to 2010. After winning the state title in 2008, Monroe fell in the state semifinals back-to-back years, losing 53-45 to Grafton in 2009 and 31-30 to Winneconne in 2010. Hermanson, Armstrong and Sutter also helped the Cheesemakers win a seventh straight Badger South Conference title in 2010. Both Hermanson and Armstrong eclipsed the 1,000-career point milestone their senior seasons.
The path the two teams took in turning into state championship contenders followed similar principles and featured young and upcoming players on the biggest stage at state. This year's Monroe team features two sophomores in its starting lineup - Sydney Hilliard and Emily Benzschawel. Both teams relied on the athleticism of multisport athletes, and the staples of success revolved around coaches who preached lockdown defense.
To Mathiason, who was an assistant coach under Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame coach Kevin Keen for six seasons, including the state championship teams in 2006 and 2008, the recipe for creating a strong team has revolved around dedicated and unselfish athletes.
"Both teams had really high level talent, but they were selfless and were willing to share the ball," Mathiason said of the Keen-helmed teams and his own. "They didn't care who scored the points."
Mathiason, a St. Clair, Minnesota, native, took over head coaching duties in April 2010 after Keen retired from coaching. Keen amassed a 394-127 career mark in 22 years as coach.
Each team had three primary scorers. The Cheesemaker team this season has relied on Hilliard (19.1 points per game), Benzschawel (13 ppg) and junior Sydney Mathiason (11.7 ppg, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game).
"In Monroe it's really always been about playing as a team," Mathiason said. "Basketball is a team game. Both of the groups have three primary scorers. You would never know who else would step up and score eight or 10 points like Jordan (Hirsbrunner) and Lexi (Hilliard) have done in games this year. Both groups (this year and 2008-10) got along with each other really well and had good team chemistry."
Armstrong, who was also named WBCA All-State in 2010, received a Division I scholarship and played volleyball and basketball for George Washington University. Sutter played two years of college basketball for Cardinal Stritch University and two years for Clarke University in Dubuque. Hermanson received a college basketball offer to play for Nebraska-Kearney. The coach left before Hermanson was going to attend school there and she opted not to play basketball when she went to Carthage College.
This year's Monroe team has two players who already have received Division I scholarship offers. Monroe senior Jordan Hirsbrunner received a track scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Hilliard, a sophomore, has received basketball scholarship offers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Marquette, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee, South Dakota State and Northern Colorado. Both Sydney Mathiason and sophomore Emily Benzschawel have received college basketball interest letters.
While the success and makeup of the teams from different eras are similar, the style of play on the court is not.
In 2010, the Cheesemakers relied on the inside post presence of 6-foot-1 Armstrong and 6-0 Hermanson. This year's Monroe team is led by Hilliard, a 5-9 player who thrives at driving to the basket and setting up teammates for open shots. The Monroe team this year excels at pushing the ball and scoring on the break.
"This group can pressure a little more, force turnovers and score in transition," he said. "They can turn that defense into points more. The other group (2008 to 2010 MHS teams) was really tough inside, and they were great rebounding and great limiting teams to one shot."
The community support seven years ago when Monroe played at state and now is still overwhelming for Mathiason.
"I think the community of Monroe has been just outstanding in their support," he said. "We had big crowds for the regional games in Monroe. There were really large crowds when we played Stoughton in Sun Prairie and when we played Milton last weekend in Middleton. It was the same back then (2008-10)."
A feat this year's Monroe team would like to replicate is winning a state championship with key players in their sophomore years. Hermanson remembers what it was like holding the gold ball after winning a WIAA Division 2 state championship in 2008. Hermanson remembered what it was like for her, Armstrong and Sutter to play in the state tournament before they could even drive.
"Going in at a younger age (to the state tournament), I thought was better because you didn't know what to expect," said Hermanson, who was a WBCA Division 2 All-State team selection in 2009 and 2010 and now works as a veterinarian assistant at the Banfield Pet Hospital in Madison. "It brings back a lot of memories. I haven't seen that (gold ball) since then. It's a flashback. We just wanted to play one more game. We obviously wanted to win the gold ball, but we were just worried about playing one more game. Then as we went on it became a little more stressful."
Both this year's Cheese-maker team and the teams from 2008 to 2010 have shown the ability to win at a high level. This year's Monroe team wants to leave its own lasting mark on the state tournament in Green Bay on Friday.
"We try to get them (players) to understand these opportunities don't happen everywhere," Mathiason said. "I'm just so happy the girls have this opportunity to experience this week. We know it will be a great challenge."
