By John RittenhouseAs the lone returning starter from last year’s Luverne High School basketball team that placed third at the state tournament, senior Nick Heronimus knows what it takes to be successful at tournament time.If a team plays good defense, according to Heronimus, it has a good chance to win postseason games.Heronimus and his Cardinal teammates proved how important defense can be during Saturday’s South Section 3AA championship game against Windom.An impressive defensive stand late in the game enabled LHS to pull out a 44-39 victory over the Eagles at Southwest State University in Marshall."Defense wins championships," said Heronimus, who didn’t seem to be surprised to learn that his team didn’t yield a single point in the final 8:39 of the game."We played good defense last year, and we’ve brought a little bit of defense back this season. Our defense was the key today."Without a doubt, Luverne’s defense was the key.The Cardinals, who limited Windom to 34 percent shooting from the floor, came up big on defense when it counted the most.Windom led 39-30 after converting a field goal with 8:39 left to play, but those would be the last two points the Eagles would score this season. LHS blanked WHS the rest of the night while putting together a 14-0 run that gave the Cards their second straight South Section 3AA crown."We found a way to win when we were on the ropes," said Cardinal coach Tom Rops. "We picked up the intensity on defense in the final eight and-a-half minutes, made some big baskets and made some key stops."Heronimus, who finished the game with six rebounds, four assists and three steals, tied the game at 26 when he converted a field goal 42 seconds into the second half.Windom countered with a 13-4 run to gain its biggest lead of the game (39-30) at the 8:39 mark, but the Cardinals didn’t panic.Heronimus and Marc Boelman drained two field goals each to knot the score at 39 with 2:38 left in regulation play.The score remained tied until the 30-second mark, when Heronimus scored at the end of a determined drive to the basket to give LHS a 41-39 edge.Heronimus came up with a key steal and was fouled moments later, and he hit one free throw with 17.8 seconds remaining, capping a 14-point effort and giving the Cards a three-point (42-39) cushion.When Windom missed a potential game-tying three-point shot, Luverne sophomore reserve Weston Sawtelle was fouled in the process of trying to pick up the loose ball. Sawtelle then settled the issue by sinking a pair of charity shots with 4.4 seconds left."We knew we had enough time left, but I was getting a little nervous," said Heronimus, when sizing up the situation with 8:39 left to play."It wasn’t like we didn’t think we could come back, because we’ve scored a bunch of points in a row this season. It came down to (defensive) pressure at the end. We handled their pressure, and I don’t think Windom handled ours."Both teams had their moments in the game’s first half.Heronimus gave the Cards a 3-0 lead with a three-point shot 34 seconds into the game, and LHS led 13-10 when Derek Boeve netted two of his 13 points with 10:04 remaining.The Eagles countered with a 9-3 spurt to move in front 19-16, but the Cards regained the lead at 20-19 when Heronimus scored at 5:52.Windom scored the next five points to gain a 24-20 cushion before Luverne’s Boeve tied the game at 24 by scoring the last two points of the first half with 19 seconds remaining."Give Windom some credit for coming up with an excellent game plan," Rops said."They forced us to turn the ball over. Once we cleaned up the turnovers, we were able to get back into the game. We stuck with our game plan and were able to string enough plays together to get the win."Boeve, who scored 13 points, led the Cards with seven rebounds. Jake Hendricks added seven rebounds to the winning cause.By winning the South title, the Cardinals receive the opportunity to become the school’s third team to make back-to-back state tournament appearances (1935 and 1936, and 1964 and 1965) when they return to SSU tonight for the Section 3AA championship game.Luverne (20-6) plays Benson (21-4), a 68-63 victor against Montevideo in overtime Saturday, in a rematch of last year’s section title tilt.The Cards defeated the Braves 59-50 in last year’s championship game.Game time is 5 p.m. in Marshall.Box scoreBoelman 3 0 0-0 6, Hendricks 1 0 0-0 2, Clark 1 0 1-2 3, Sawtelle 2 0 2-2 6, Boeve 6 0 1-2 13, DeBoer 0 0 0-0 0, Heronimus 3 1 5-8 14.Team statisticsLuverne: 19 of 50 field goals (38 percent), five of eight free throws (63 percent), 33 rebounds, 17 turnovers.Windom: 17 of 50 field goals (34 percent), three of six free throws (50 percent), 24 rebounds, 12 turnovers.