I have watched roughly 40 high school basketball games per year since I graduated from high school in 2001. Over the course of those 200 or so games I have seen some players and fans do things they regret. Players are young kids and can let their emotions get in the way which leads to them doing something they regret. Fans can be obnoxious and scream at the opposing team, coaches, and refs but that is part of the game. I am not saying it is right, but it happens. But when a coach retaliates and actually sends a profane slur back at the crowd, something has to be done. And that is exactly what happened Saturday evening at Southwest Minnesota State University in the 3AA Sub-section final that featured Pipestone Area versus Luverne. During the first half of the game which was one of great magnitude and showcased two bitter, long-time rivals vying for a chance to continue their season and get one game closer to the state tournament, Luverne Coach Tom Rops was heckled by some Pipestone Area fans. He then turned to the crowd and said "Kiss my A**!" If this is acceptable and nothing is done about it then what kind of message is this sending to his younger children who witnessed it, his team and most importantly his profession. That is what bothered me the most, he is supposed to be a professional and he should definitely act like one. When you are at the helm you are placed on a pedestal. Whether you like it or not it is a responsibility you assume when taking a coaching job. I don’t know if Coach Rops is aware of this, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that he probably knows that and should probably think twice before doing something so childish, immature and unprofessional. That whole scene, to me, took away any respect that I formerly had for the Luverne basketball team, and that isn’t fair to the players. A coach needs to be able to ignore the fans and do his job, and someone needs to teach Coach Rops that exact principle. TJ Newgard Pipestone

We would like to congratulate the skaters on their wonderful performance. They were great. We do have one complaint. We don’t think it is fair for the skaters’ families to save all the bleachers with their blankets.We got there extra early and no place to sit and nobody there. If they want the public to come they better adopt the policy, first come, first sit.Judy and Dale HawesLuverne

It is 11:49 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, and I just returned home after watching the Luverne boys basketball team defeat a fine Benson team. There has not been so much excitement in the Luverne High School and in the community of Luverne for quite some time. The fan support at that game was huge. When was the last time you heard such an EXPLOSION of noise from a Luverne fan section when Brandon Deragisch hit a three-pointer followed by a foul. What excitement! I would like to give some highly overdue PRAISE to Coach Tom Rops on his accomplishments with this team! He has had his share of criticism by some members of this community, and from members of other communities. This is the way I see it: Many think that winning is something that just happens. That is just not true; it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to that sport to be successful. The greatest basketball coach of all times, John Wooden, writes in the book "Coach Wooden, One-On-One," "The competition was not so much against other teams as it was against ourselves — making us better. I knew if we improved, we would win more games, but winning was always the by-product of improvement. ... If we won, great — frosting on the cake. But at no time did I consider winning to be the cake. Winning has always been the frosting that made the cake a little tastier." I think that not only has Coach Rops gotten better over the years, I think we need to thank him for allowing these young men to improve and grow. Together as a team they have improved and winning was a by-product of that improvement. We are going to STATE! Again, we are going to STATE! Can you believe it! If we win, great — frosting on the cake. If we lose, that's OK — Coach Rops, you have given us a great cake! Terry Althoff Luverne teacher and former coach

We're lucky to have coach RopsFor a man who has led his school’s team to its first state basketball tournament in 22 years, Luverne coach Tom Rops has endured his share of criticism this season.It started with a Star Herald letter to the editor from a disgruntled Luverne High School fan who blamed the coach for a loss to Redwood Valley in December. It continues with a letter to the editor from a Pipestone Arrow backer, which appears on the editorial page of this week’s Star Herald. The Pipestone fan takes exception to an exchange between Rops and Arrow supporters during the South Section 3A championship game in Marshall March 5.Although Mr. Rops is a big boy who can stand up for himself, I’d like to offer my support to a man I respect as a coach and a person.Many see the LHS mentor as a gruff, abrasive man because his voice echoes in the gym, but I’ve seen a different side of his personality.Yeah, one of Tom’s noticeable characteristics is being what I call a high-strung individual. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. He displays his coaching passion through his emotions, and it’s geared toward turning his players into the best possible team they can be.What the casual fans don’t see is Rops’ lighter side, which I’m subjected to every time I conduct a post-game interview in his coaching office.Win or lose, he graciously takes the time to give me everything I need to do my job. I’ve seen him interacting with his family members many times before or after our interviews. He strikes me as a great father and husband who doesn’t let what happened on the court influence his mood when it comes to his family. In fact, the coach always has something nice to say to my curious son, Nick, who likes to sit in on some of our post-game discussions on occasion.To be honest, I didn’t see the December home game against Redwood Valley. Looking back at the game story in our records, it appears the Cardinals let a 17-point lead slip away during the course of the game.According to one LHS fan, the loss was a result of poor coaching technique. Rops, claimed the fan, disrupted Luverne’s momentum by yelling at his players and telling them to slow down the pace of the game.It seems to me controlling the tempo of the game has been the key to Luverne’s success during the postseason. And, whatever happened on that December night in Luverne, I’m sure all of the blame can’t rest on the shoulders of the coach. Remember Rops is the leader of 16-, 17- and 18-year-old boys, not men. How a teenager reacts to certain situations is an unpredictable prospect at best. And, to challenge the ability of the coach to that end is nothing short of absurd.As for the point made by the Pipestone fan, I can’t condone Rops’ response. After talking to the coach about the issue, I understand why he said what he did.It appears the Arrow fans sitting right behind the LHS bench were letting coach Rops and the Cardinal players know that they were there in a not-so-friendly manner. They went as far as to question the coach’s decisions (among saying other not-so-kind things that Rops didn’t want to share with me) and belittle some of the Cardinal players during time-outs. Rops simply took enough of their harassment. Regrettably, he made a bad decision in letting the fans badgering him know how he felt about it.Although I wish he would have handled the Pipestone situation differently, one bad decision made in the heat of battle will not change my opinion of Tom Rops. He deserves a lot of credit for the great job he has done with the 2004-05 LHS team, and we’re lucky to have him as the head coach of our basketball program.

By John RittenhouseAn Ellsworth High School player was selected to the 2005 All-Camden Conference Girls Basketball Team.Senior Lynette Drenth drew her third selection to the All-CC team when the annual list was released. Drenth drew honorable mention from the league’s coaches one season.Drenth, Ellsworth’s leading scorer and rebounder this winter, ranked second in the conference in rebounds (10.1 per game), third in three-point shooting (36 percent), fourth in scoring (14.6 points per game), eighth in two-point shooting (43 percent) and eighth in free-throw shooting (66 percent).Drenth is one of 12 players to make the All-CC team.Dawson-Boyd (Chelsie Kurtenback and Nikki Swenson), Canby (Natalie Giese and Katie Stoks), Lakeview (Rayna Runholt and Shannon Bahn) and Lincoln HI (Jessica Tywinski and Brittany Barber) drew two selections each.Minneota’s Brittany Buysee, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton’s Casey Gofford and Lake Benton’s Jenna Stuefen round out the roster.Minneota’s Ashley and Hayley Hennen and R-T-R’s Jessica Baker drew honorable mention from the league’s coaches.

By John RittenhouseAn Ellsworth High School freshman graces the roster of the 2005 All-Camden Conference Boys Basketball Team.Cody Schilling, a first-year starter for the EHS boys, is one of 12 players listed on the 2005 All-CC roster.Schilling led the league by converting 60 percent of his two-point field goals this season.He finished fourth in the league in free-throw percentage (79 percent) and rebounding (8.07 per game). Schilling was fifth in three-point shooting (43 percent).Conference champion Russell-Tyler-Ruthton led all league teams with four all-conference selections. Brett Newton, Kyle Minett, Travis Schultz and Ramsey Gravely represent the Knights on the team.Canby and Dawson-Boyd drew three selections each.iCanby’s Adam Blackwelder, Andy Nestread and Adam Hass made the list, as did D-B’s Josh Stensrud, Jordan Wager and Dustin Bothuns.Lakeview’s Cam Hauge rounds out the roster.Ellsworth’s Aaron Van Der Stoep led the league in three-point shooting by converting 49 percent of his attempts.Ellswoth’s Darrin Weikamp finished second in the conference in rebounding (9.44 per game) and third in two-point shooting (57 percent).

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Cardinals face a basketball team making its first appearance at a state tournament when the Class AA competition begins today at the Sports Pavilion on the University of Minnesota Campus.The Moose Lake-Willow River Rebels earned their first berth in the state classic by rallying in the second half to best Virginia 62-53 in the Section 7AA title game Saturday in Grand Rapids.The Cardinals and Rebels square off at 6:30 p.m. in the final game of the quarterfinals.Crookston (27-2) and Belle Plaine (16-12) play at 4 p.m. and are the other teams in Luverne’s side of the bracket. Defending Class AA champion Braham (30-0) and Minneapolis De LaSalle (19-10) open the tournament at 11 a.m. Rockford (27-3) and Chatfield (26-2) play the second game at 1:30 p.m.Although this will be the first appearance at state for the Rebel boys, the Moose Lake girls’ program qualified for state four straight seasons from 1979-1982. Moose Lake won the Class A title in 1982 and placed second in 1981.Scott Hendricks, head coach of the Moose Lake boys, does have coaching experience at the state level. Hendricks guided Eden Valley-Watkins girls’ teams to state in 1983, 1984 and 1989. EV-W placed second under the leadership of Hendricks in Class A in 1984 and 1989."We’re pretty excited up here right now," said Hendricks from his home Sunday night. "Moose Lake has had some girls’ basketball success in the past, but this is all new for our boys."Hendricks is a second-year coach at ML-WR.The Rebels earned a share of the Polar Conference championship with Esko and Barnum this winter. All three teams sport 8-2 league marks.ML-WR will take a 24-6 record into tonight’s game against the 19-8 Cardinals. The Rebels have compiled a 15-1 record since Jan. 22."It took us a long time to get into a rhythm," Hendricks said. "Our schedule was back-heavy because of some weather incidents. We’ve had to deal with two bouts of sicknesses, and we’ve had some injury issues. Now we’re healthier and back on track."Unlike the Benson Braves, a team that gave the Cardinals fits with their quickness during the Section 3AA final, ML-WR will offer LHS a different challenge. Four of the team’s five starters stand 6-3 or taller."Our strengths are our size and our seniors," Hendricks said."We have decent size for a high school team. We have eight seniors, and these kids have been playing together since the third grade. They provide good leadership and are very good kids as people."Geoff Probst, a 6-5 senior center, leads the Rebels in scoring and rebounding. Darrin Coil, a 6-7 senior post, is another one of the team’s leading rebounders.Senior Caleb Jensen (6-3), sophomore Joe Bedner (6-3) and senior Sam Gay (6-0) round out the starting five.Hendricks said the Rebels are capable of using a nine-player rotation, with seniors Brady Skog (5-10) and Josh Bednar (6-2), junior Ryan Ervin (6-2) and freshman Jimmy Mach (5-9) filling reserve roles."We don’t play a set style of basketball," Hendricks said. "We adapt from game to game, depending on who we are playing. With our size, we’re not a run-and-gun team. We do have some kids with good speed. All nine of the kids we have are good ball players, and all of them have given us good games here and there."Luverne coach Tom Rops was able to scout the Rebels Saturday in Grand Rapids, and he was impressed with their play."We’ll have to play well to beat them, but they are beatable," he said."They have some tall guys up front and a big guard we’ll have to deal with. They also have a bunch of tough, scrappy kids they can use. They change defense from zone to man, and they will do some trapping. We’ll put something together for them."

By John RittenhouseTiming is important in the game of basketball.Unfortunately for Hills-Beaver Creek, it was a case of bad timing that ended the 2004-05 season for the Patriots at Southwest State University in Marshall Thursday.Playing Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in the Section 3A championship game, the stage seemed to be set for H-BC to earn the school’s first berth in the state tournament. The Patriots, after all, were riding a 19-game winning streak into the title tilt, and one of the wins came against their opponent, the R-T-R Knights.Then it happened, at the worst possible time. A usually potent offensive team lost its ability to score at will, and the result was a stunning 61-42 loss to the Knights.The loss ends an incredible 27-3 H-BC season, which featured a perfect 16-0 run through the Red Rock Conference.R-T-R, the 2004 state champions, will get the chance to defend their title at the 2005 classic. The 24-3 Knights played their first game at Williams Arena last night.When trying to determine what happened to the Patriots in Marshall last Thursday, a quick glance at H-BC’s shot chart yields the answer. The Patriots were limited to three field goals in each of the game’s first three quarters, and H-BC shot 14 of 57 (25 percent) for the night."It was the worst we shot in a game all year. We just couldn’t hit anything," said H-BC senior post Tom LeBoutillier. "We didn’t change anything for this game. Coming in, we just wanted to play our game. They (R-T-R) did take some things away from us, and we didn’t know how to react to that. It just wasn’t our turn."Early indications showed it wasn’t going to be H-BC’s night.R-T-R’s Kyle Minett hit two three-point shots and Brett Newton, who scored a game-high 23 points, added another to give the Knights a 9-0 lead in the first 2:18.H-BC’s Tyler Bush recorded the first field goal for the Patriots at the 5:28 mark of the first quarter to make it 9-2. That, however, proved to be as close as H-BC would come to catching R-T-R the rest of the night.The Knights outscored H-BC 12-4 during the final five minutes of the first quarter and led 21-6 when Newton, who netted 16 points in the first half, converted a field goal with two seconds remaining in the period."R-T-R had a good defensive game," said Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema. "They sat back with their big guy (post Jon Wiering) in the middle, and he blocked our shots. We didn’t react very well to that."After the Knights scored the first two points of the second quarter, H-BC reeled off five straight points with senior Travis Broesder draining a field goal at 5:19 to make it a 23-11 game.R-T-R countered with an 8-0 run capped by a layup from Newton at 1:34 to give the Knights a 20-point lead (31-11) that was trimmed to 18 points (34-16) at the intermission.H-BC played well in spurts in the second half, but the Patriots were unable to sustain any long rallies.Trailing 40-20 at one point in the third quarter, H-BC used an 8-0 run capped by a field goal from Bush with 1:31 remaining to make it a 40-28 game. Minett, who scored 10 points in the second half for R-T-R, drained a shot with one second left to give the Knights a 42-28 cushion at period’s end.Kale Wiertzema, who led H-BC with 18 points and nine rebounds in the game, trimmed R-T-R’s advantage to 12 points (43-31) with one free throw at the 5:36 mark of the fourth quarter. The Patriots trailed by 14 (54-40) when Bush turned a steal into a layup with 1:40 remaining. R-T-R, however, outscored the Patriots 7-2 the rest of the way to win by 19."We made some runs at them in the second half, but they would answer with a couple of baskets," coach Wiertzema said. "Our plan was to be aggressive and go to the basket. They just defended us well, and we didn’t get many open looks."LeBoutillier nabbed eight rebounds for H-BC. Bush charted five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Wiertzema added four assists.The loss was a tough one to digest for H-BC, especially the five seniors who formed the team’s starting lineup.Coach Wiertzema said his seniors shouldn’t let the loss to R-T-R tarnish what was an otherwise successful campaign."We had a great year. This was just one bad night," he concluded.Box scoreWysong 0 2 0-0 6, Rozeboom 0 0 0-0 0, Bush 7 0 2-2 16, Wiertzema 3 1 9-10 18, Baker 0 0 0-0 0, Broesder 1 0 0-0 2, LeBoutillier 0 0 0-2 0.Team statisticsH-BC: 14 of 57 field goals (25 percent), 11 of 14 free throws (79 percent), 27 rebounds, six turnovers.R-T-R: 20 of 47 field goals (42 percent), 14 of 20 free throws (70 percent), 35 rebounds, 14 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseOpinions vary about the the shot that helped lift the Luverne Cardinals to their first state-tournament berth since 1983.According to Brandon Deragisch, luck was simply on his side. Deragisch is the LHS senior who cast the key stone in a 59-50 victory over Benson in Thursday’s Section 3AA Championship game.Cardinal coach Tom Rops had a different take on the decisive shot, a four-point play that gave LHS a 50-47 lead with 2:49 left to play.Rops watched Deragisch deliver a similar shot to thwart a rally by Pipestone in the South Section 3AA title game five days earlier. The coach said he believes Deragisch’s ability to come through in the clutch is a reflection of his greatness."We’re down one, and Brandon hits the shot at a crucial time of the game," Rops said, sighing in relief. "It probably was one of the biggest shots in Luverne High School history, and we rode it out until the end. Now we’re going to state."To say Deragisch’s late-game conversion was the biggest play in LHS history is arguable. There is, however, no question it was the turning point in the nine-point win over the Braves.It appeared Luverne’s quest for a trip to state might be derailed when Benson led 45-39 with 5:48 left to play. At that point, Deragisch took over the game.The senior guard, who scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, drew the Cardinals within one point (47-46) of the Braves with a pair of free throws with 3:29 remaining.Then came the decisive blow.With the ball in his possession outside the three-point line, Deragisch drained a shot while drawing a foul in the process. Keeping his emotions under control, a task in itself considering the loud eruption of noise coming from the Luverne faithful after the three-pointer dropped, Deragisch calmly completed his free throw to give the Cards a 50-47 lead they wouldn’t relinquish."It was more of a throw-up and hope-to-get fouled shot," Deragisch said, describing his game-turning play. "It really got our crowd into it, and it fired up our team."Although the Cards seized momentum with the four-point play, the issue wasn’t settled with 2:49 left to play. Luverne sealed the deal by making six of 10 free throws in the final 1:37, which helped the Cards outscore the Braves 18-1 at the charity stripe in the game.Rops was quick to point out the fact that his team kept the right frame of mind after taking the lead late in the fourth quarter and throughout the game."One of the things we talked about was that this would be a game with a lot of highs and lows," he said. "It’s always that way at this time of year when you’re playing against high-level, competitive teams. Staying mentally focused through all of the highs and lows is the most important characteristic in winning games like these, and we hung in there mentally."Luverne’s character was tested by a Benson squad that turned in an impressive defensive effort throughout the game. Badgering the Cardinals with constant pressure in full- and half-court sets, the Braves forced LHS to turn the ball over 16 times in the game. As a result of the turnovers, Benson gained enough extra possessions to sport leads at the first three quarter breaks.The game was tied at four when Luverne’s Brad Herman turned an offensive rebound into a field goal 1:40 into the game, but the Braves countered with a 7-0 spurt to take an 11-4 advantage.Deragisch trimmed the difference to one point (11-10) at the 2:03 mark of the first quarter. Benson, however, scored the final four points of the first period to lead 15-10 before scoring the first two points of the second quarter.Luverne countered with an 8-0 run capped by a three from Deragisch at 4:53 in the second quarter, giving the Cards their first lead at 18-17. Luverne led 20-19 when junior Jake Hendricks scored with 2:06 remaining in the first half, but Benson recorded a pair of field goals in the final 1:30 to gain a 23-20 advantage at halftime.The Cards trimmed the difference to one point at four different occasions in the third quarter, the last time being when Deragisch converted a layup at the 3:33 mark of the stanza to make it a 31-30 game. Benson scored the next six points to lead 37-30, but Luverne outscored the Braves 5-2 in the final two minutes and trailed 39-35 when senior John Tofteland tapped in a missed shot with nine seconds remaining.Tofteland, who scored eight of his 15 points (including four consecutive free throws) in the fourth quarter, scored from close range at the 6:36 mark of the fourth quarter to bring the Cardinals within two points (41-39) of the Braves. Benson scored the next four points to lead 45-39 before being outscored 20-5 in the final six minutes."I knew we had to step it up in the fourth quarter," Deragisch said. "We knew they were capable of scoring a lot of points, so we had to score, too. Coach Rops just told us to be consistent and stay calm (during the break between the third and fourth quarters). He said if we did that, we’d have a chance to win."They Cardinals followed Rops’ late-game instructions, and now they’ll live the dream of playing in the state tournament."I think we were in last place (in the section seedings) two years ago, and we got the fourth seed and won a game last year," Deragisch said. "It took a lot of hard work throughout the year to get where we’re going now. It’s going to be fun to play in the state tournament instead of going up to watch it."Herman added 10 points to the winning cause. Jared Pick and Deragisch led the 19-8 Cards with nine and seven rebounds respectively.Box scorePick 3 0 2-5 8, Herman 3 0 4-6 10, Deragisch 1 5 7-9 24, Hendricks 1 0 0-0 2, Antoine 0 0 0-0 0, Tofteland 5 0 5-5 10, Heronimus 0 0 0-2 0.Team statisticsLuverne: 18 of 31 field goals (58 percent), 18 of 27 free throws (66 percent), 31 rebounds, 16 turnovers.Benson: 24 of 38 field goals (63 percent), one of three free throws (33 percent), 13 rebounds, six turnovers.