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Gravel permits hearing set for March 21

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGConditional Use Permit for Gravel ExtractionPursuant to the Rock County Zoning Ordinance, notice is hereby given by the Rock County Planning Commission that a public hearing will be held at the Rock County Family Service Center located at 2 Roundwind Road in Luverne, MN at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, March 21st, 2005. The purpose of this hearing is to hear public comments on the following conditional use permits for gravel extraction:Brad Bos Gravel Extraction Located in the NE 1/4 of Section 26 in Clinton TownshipWayne Biever Black Dirt Extraction Located in the SE 1/4 of Section 26 in Luverne TownshipHenning Brothers Gravel Extraction West 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 35 in Mound TownshipNorthern Con-Agg Gravel Extraction Located in the North 1/2 of Section 1 in Luverne TownshipNorthern Con-Agg Gravel Extraction East 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Section 19 in Vienna TownshipNorthern Con-Agg Gravel Extraction East 1/2 of the SW 1/4 and the West 1/2 of the SE 1/4 and the SW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 36 in Mound TownshipZoning AdministratorEric Hartman(3/10, 3/17)

County Commissioners meet Feb. 22

Law Library 9:00 A.M.Rock County Courthouse February 22, 2005Chair Hoime called the meeting to order with all Commissioners present.Motion by Jarchow, seconded by Bakken, to approve the February 22, 2005, County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote.Motion by Bakken, seconded by Wildung, to approve the February 8, 2005, County minutes, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Wildung, to approve items on the consent agenda, declared carried on a voice vote. 1. Resolution No. 12-05, a rural water split on parcel 08-0071-000 located in the SE 1/4 of 13-101-462. Day care licensing – Rhonda Feit3. Day care re-licensing – Judy Ripley, Glenda Groen, Tara Pap, Angela HubblingMark Sehr, Engineer, presented Resolution No. 09-05, a cooperative agreement between Rock County and MnDOT for the construction of US Hwy 75 adjacent to Sioux Valley Hospital; motion by Jarchow, seconded by Wildung to approve Resolution No. 09-05, declared carried on a voice vote.Motion by Jarchow, seconded by Bakken, to approve the bid letting for the US Hwy 75 and CSAH 37 project for March 29, 2005, declared carried on a voice vote.The Engineer presented a request for out of state travel for Lee Hamann to attend a conference in Fargo, North Dakota, for training on the proper selection and maintenance of all types of pavement markings, signs and temporary traffic control measures; motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken to authorize the out of state travel, declared carried on a voice vote. The Engineer informed the County Board that the annual weed and road/bridge informational meetings are scheduled for April 5, 2005, at 1:00 P.M. in the basement of the Rock County Community Library. The County Board received notice that Excel Energy is hosting an Open House for the Split Rock to Lakefield Junction Transmission Project on February 24th, 4:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. in Brandon, South Dakota. Gloria Rolfs, Auditor/Treasurer, presented a License Center activity report and the claims. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Jarchow, to pay the claims as presented, declared carried on a unanimous vote. A complete listing of the claims is available by request at the Auditor/Treasurer’s office.General Revenue $ 22,835.08Family Services $ 72,290.71Road & Bridge $ 26,899.56Land Management $0.00Rural Water $0.00TOTAL $122,025.35Motion by Bakken, seconded Wildung, to approve the fund balances report, declared carried on a voice vote.The County Board discussed the possibility of participating/enrolling in the Magic Fund, a joint powers investment fund with seventy-six county members; the County Board requested the Auditor/Treasurer to draft financial comparisons over the last calendar year between the Magic Fund and the local investments. Randy Ehlers, Family Services Agency Director, and Bonnie Burkett, School Mental Health social worker for Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek schools presented a program update; no action was taken. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Jarchow, to pull from the table a PPIE funding request of $750.00, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Bakken, seconded by Boyenga, to deny the funding request from PPIE for $750.00 and inform them that the county already subsidizes the Rock County Pool & Fitness Center to help keep the rates affordable, declared carried on a voice vote. Mike Winkels, Sheriff, requested permission to declare surplus (3) VHS Radius Radios and (2) Vista Light Bars and sell or transfer to another governmental unit; motion by Jarchow, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the equipment as surplus and authorize the sale or transfer of the surplus equipment, declared carried on a voice vote. Don Klosterbuer, County Attorney, and Mike Winkels, Sheriff, presented a review of a contract for Law Enforcement Services for the City of Luverne. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Jarchow, to approve Resolution No. 11-05, entering into a contract with the City of Luverne for Law Enforcement Services; roll call vote was taken with Commissioners Bakken, Jarchow, Wildung, and Hoime voting aye and Commissioner Boyenga voting nay. Terrie Gulden, Heartland Express Transit Director, presented discussion on state funding for a building project. Currently, Rock County was awarded $160,000 in grant funding (considerably less than anticipated) for the construction of a Heartland Express garage and office complex. Following considerable discussion, motion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to decline the $160,000 in grant funding and request to be placed on the funding list for 2006, and authorize up to $10,000 for architectural design and directed the Building Committee and Transit Director to determine the building design, declared carried on a voice vote.Commissioner Bakken stated that the Extension Committee would be holding an Estate Planning seminar on March 15th. The County Board directed to schedule a meeting for all cities with law enforcement contracts, with the exception of the City of Luverne, on March 3, 2005, at 7:00 P.M. at the Human Services Building. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to lease and sell Lots 1 & 4 of Outlot 3 of the Sioux Valley addition, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to approve Resolution No. 10-05, rescinding Resolution No. 48-03 dated 12/29/2003, terminating the joint powers agreement for the Rock County Pool & Fitness Center, declared carried on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Boyenga voting nay. With no further business to come before the County Board, meeting was declared adjourned.Ken Hoime, Chairman of the BoardATTEST:Kyle J. Oldre, Clerk to the Board(3-10)

Farmers Union Co-op Oil Co. Annual Meeting set for March 28

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF THE FARMERS UNION CO-OPERATIVE OIL COMPANY OF LUVERNE, MN — LUVERNE AND LISMORE, MNTo The Stockholders of Farmers Union Co-operative Oil Company of Luverne and Lismore, MnYou are hereby notified that the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of Farmers Union Co-operative Oil Company of Luverne, Minnesota, PO Box-1018, Luverne MN will be held at BLUE MOUND BANQUET & MEETING CENTER, 401 W. Hatting St. in Luverne on MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2005 AT 7:30 PM for the purpose of transacting any business that may properly come before the meeting.Election of Directors will be held and the following terms expire: Lloyd Hemme — Luverne area Larry VanDyke — Luverne area The following are presented for your consideration as candidates for the Directors terms: Lloyd Hemme — Luverne area Larry VanDyke — Luverne areaNominations will also be accepted from the floor. The evening meal will be served from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM and dividend checks will be distributedDated: 3-1-05 Lloyd Hemme, Secretary(3/10)

On second thought

Change is good ... depending who's changing and who's affected by it"Change is good." That's the first thing Assistant Rock County Attorney Terry Vajgrt told me about his plans to leave the Skewes, Klosterbuer and Vajgrt firm.I’d say that depends who's changing and who's affected by the changes.The change will be good for Terry, as he'll get to explore new avenues of legal work and enjoy a professional change of pace. Plus, he'll get to spend more time in the courtroom, something he enjoys and is good at.The change will be good for his family if the part-time home office arrangement works out. I drive by the Vajgrt home every day, and it warms my heart to see Terry and his three boys playing in the yard, whether it's driveway basketball, as he calls it, or playing catch in the yard.The change will definitely be good for the defendants in the Nobles County legal system. They will likely be clueless to their fortune, but with Terry as their public defender, they will no doubt receive a fair chance at justice.I'd argue change in this case is sad news for Rock County, and I know a few others who would agree with me.He'll be sorely missed in the Sheriff's Department and Family Services offices (see the front-page story).Selfishly, I'll miss working with him on Star Herald news of criminal activity. Court documents are essential sources for crime stories, but they're often dry, dull and cumbersome to read.I could always count on Terry to cut to the facts of a case for me when I called him for interpretation. I appreciated his willingness to work with me on stories, patiently clarifying facts and pointing out opportunities for fairness and balance.I learned through the years that Terry rarely prosecuted a case unless the evidence warranted it. As far as I know, he never lost a trial in his 15 years in Rock County District Court.As a newsperson, that offered a certain degree of comfort in reporting on those cases, knowing we weren't recklessly exposing defendants before proven guilty.Attorneys (not unlike journalists) have a reputation for being power-hungry ambulance chasers. There's a plethora of attorney jokes to reinforce this stereotype.Terry, however, stands out as a shining gem among his sometimes-tarnished peers. Through his quiet, consistent drive to do the right thing and to do his job well, he clearly raises the bar on legal standards everywhere he works.Congratulations on the big change, Terry. Despite our loss, we wish you all the best in your new endeavor.

Bits by Betty

The following appeared in the Rock County Weekly on July 25, 1884:Beaver Creek TownshipOLD CHRONICLE’S REPORTIt was after 2 o’clock P.M. Monday when the gathering of the clouds in the north west gave the first indications of an approaching storm. Gradually the clouds continued to gather toward a common center gaining in darkness till their blackness was intense, and lowering toward the earth, the sky in the meantime, in the vicinity of the cloud assuming a greenish tint. Slowly this storm cloud approached until its rumbling noise could be distinctly heard, but it was after 3 o’clock when preceded by what appeared to be a huge volume of dust and mist which advanced with a rotary motion apparently destroying everything in its pathway, it suddenly burst upon our village with a roar of fury and a deluge of rain. In an instant boards and other debris were flying in the air; out houses of all kinds blown over or dashed to pieces, and the pieces hurled against the sides or through the roofs of dwellings adding to the confusion and terror of the inmates: windows were blown in with a crash and the interior of the house deluged with water; chimneys came down with fearful racket and the bricks went whirling in the general confusion.Two cars standing on the side rack were upset; two grain warehouses were lifted from their foundations and carried several feet upon the bank; the building in the rear of White’s store was torn to pieces and Knudtson’s stable badly demoralized. One door was blown from the depot building. The old hotel occupied by the families of Mr. Mather and Mr. Ness stood for a few moments then racked over toward the East each moment threatening its entire destruction. The doors becoming tightly wedged, the inmates escaped through a window. The two ladies with six small children were caught by the wind and prostrated in the middle of the street, but finally succeeded in reaching the residence of Mr. White. Charley Cox’s wind mill was blown part way over but remained standing.Considerable damage was done otherwise and several narrow escapes reported, but fortunately no loss of life or serious injuries. Col. White had a close call. Accompanied by a girl who he was taking to a neighbor’s in the country, he was overtaken by the storm while passing the farm of Squire Humphries, and sought shelter in the granary, tying the horse to the building outside. The first gust of wind tore the building from the foundation, driving the inmates out in the storm in fear of their lives. They managed to reach the house in safety, where they found the family very much frightened, Mr. H. being absent at the time. Endeavoring to return to unhitch the horse, the colonel was lifted from his feet by the wind and deposited in a hay stack. Finally succeeding in getting to his horse, he had just got the tugs loosened when the building went to pieces burying the whole outfit in the ruins. The colonel don’t know exactly how he got clear and reached the house, but it is certain that he escaped with a few slight bruises. After the storm was over the horse was got out alive and apparently uninjured but the buggy was a total wreck.From the country comes reports of damage to buildings, grain, hay, stock, machinery, etc. Mr. Hardwick had his barn destroyed and one colt killed. N. Snook’s suffered considerable loss, the roof of his new barn was carried away and badly racked; granary and contents destroyed, machinery ruined etc. The barn of A.B. Price was blown all to pieces and most of the pieces lost; three horses in the barn were uninjured. His granary was torn from its foundation and moved several feet. John Brietson had taken refuge in the building, leaving his horses tied outside. When the building began to move John skipped for the willows and the horses ran the other way. A strict search failed to discover any trace of the animals until last evening when they were captured near Rock Rapids. J. Merkel’s and J. Marshall’s new barns were moved from their foundations. Mr. Walker’s stable was torn to pieces and in addition to other damage a seeder was carried three quarters of a mile and the pole driven in the ground ten feet. Joseph Stearns, before the storm, was better fixed in regard to barns and other farm buildings, machinery etc., than a majority of our farmers, but everything was swept away but his house. No one in the track of the storm but what suffered some damage. Scores of buildings, which want of space will not permit us to particularize, were blown down; grain in field and granary destroyed or injured, and hundreds of tons of hay blown to the winds, but with all our losses the people of this vicinity have cause for thankfulness in view of our exemption from loss of life and serious injuries. The storm lasted about half an hour. It had no form of a cyclone, but blew steadily all the time, and although the worst storm ever experienced in this part of the country, was no worse probably than has been reported from different sections of the United States at various times during the last three years.(To be continued)Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156. Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

Letters from the farm

We can run, but apparently we can’t hide from government rules and guidelines. Shortly after entrepreneur Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, announced plans to make space travel "as ordinary as a Caribbean cruise," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came up with passenger guidelines. The newly drafted suggestions cover pre-flight physical exams, risk waivers and safety training. In other words, what originally sounded like an adventure now resembles another day at work. It’s only a thought and it might cost less, but the FAA could more easily revise passenger guidelines already in place for domestic flights: Pack essential items, such as prescription drugs and dental floss, in your carry-on bag. There is always the possibility that checked-through baggage may be misdirected to another planet, if not another galaxy, and you will never see it again. You will undoubtedly experience weightlessness during this trip. However, there is no need to change the somewhat embarrassing weight listed on your driver’s license to "zero." Unlike your actual weight, the weightlessness of outer space is short-lived. Pack for extreme weather changes. Sunscreen lotions might be needed if the aircraft veers too closely to the sun. Insulated underwear would be advisable for side trips around the dark side of the moon. Passenger use of cell phones and other transmitting devices is strictly forbidden after lift-off. In addition to compromising the space ship’s communications system, possibly sending the craft into an unpleasant "graveyard spin," the roaming charges on your next phone bill might easily send you into cardiac arrest. It is highly recommended that you bring along at least 114 brown-bag meals from home for the duration of the trip. Your only other alternative will be to purchase the same number of in-flight meals from the flight attendants. The menu choices for your flight include plastic bags of nutritious, space ready meals in the following colors — mud gray, brown and tan. Smoking is not allowed in either the main cabin or the lavatories. Because of the length of this trip, roughly 38 days, heavy smokers might want to reconsider their flight plans. If you are caught lighting up, your pilot may be forced to make an unscheduled stop and drop you off on some uncharted star. Your total luggage weight limit is 10 pounds. Let’s face it, you won’t be seeing anyone at some final tropical destination, so there won’t be a need to dress to impress. This is truly a round trip. You get on, you travel in a big circle, you get off and that’s it. As far as unexpected medical emergencies are concerned, don’t go whining to the flight crew about heart palpitations or other discomforts. Our flight attendants are busy enough with handing out unidentifiable food bags, keeping a lookout for destructive asteroids, switching us over to reserve tanks of fuel whenever needed and fluffing pillows. Deal with it. Exercise calm and restraint for the duration of the trip. It does no good to shout, "Oh, no! We’re falling apart!" or "The entire ship is on fire!" when we’re 350,000 miles from Earth and the nearest rescue squad. Such outbursts, while they may be true, only serve to demoralize the flight crew and your fellow passengers. Don’t spread dread. Finally, be on a constant vigil for extraterrestrial terrorists. You can never be too careful.

To the Editor:

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate city and county officials for finalizing the new law enforcement contract. The new contract is not perfect. For example, the city still will turn its share of municipal monies over to the county, which is contrary to the provisions of state law. Both sides made concessions and a new contract is the result. The City Administrator and the gentlemen I served with on the council deserve a special thanks from citizens for their courage and determination at staying the course and saving city taxpayers $500,000 in the next five years. It’s time to eliminate the "Special Assessment for Landfill," which the county continues to include on your property tax bill. Here’s the facts:oThe Special Assessment was established years ago to provide monies for closing the old dump. oThe county has continued the Special Assessment long after the funds were needed. oToday, the $210,000 collected annually from the Special Assessment are used for other county purposes in violation of the law. oCity of Luverne taxpayers pay more than 60 percent of the Special Assessment fees even though they represent only 19 percent of the property value in the county. oThe Special Assessment does not apply to vacant land. Call your city council members and demand that they take action to call on the county to end this "Special Assessment."David HaugeLuverne

From the sidelines

My friends, today could be one of the most glorious days in the history of the Rock County sporting scene.With two county teams playing for berths in the state basketball tournament at the same place on the same night, a unique opportunity is at hand.In what used to be a showcase game we could call our own here in Rock County, both Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek fans have the chance to band together and support each other in their quest for a common goal of reaching the state classic.Personally, I’m jacked up for tonight. And at the risk of coming off as being arrogant, let me be the first to dub what should be adopted as the official slogan for tonight’s lineup. Let’s call it Rock County Night at Southwest State University.It all starts at 5 p.m. in Marshall, where H-BC will take on Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in what should be a very exciting Section 3A championship game.The Knights from R-T-R, the defending state champions, have their sights set on advancing to the state tournament for the sixth time since forming a combined program in the 1980s.The only problem is R-T-R faces a huge obstacle to overcome in the form of H-BC.The Patriots, who will be playing for their first trip to a state tournament, have the luxury of knowing they can beat the Knights. H-BC defeated R-T-R 72-62 in Hills Jan. 3. With confidence in their corner, the Patriots could register their 20th consecutive victory and reach some uncharted waters that have eluded many talented H-BC teams in the past.Game 2 pits LHS against the Benson Braves in the Section 3AA championship tilt. Game time is 8 p.m.With a 15-8 record, the Cardinals surprised many by drawing the No. 1 seed for the South Section 3AA Tournament.Luverne made the coaches who voted for it as the top seed look good. The Cardinals won consecutive games against Tracy-Milroy-Balaton, Renville County West and rival Pipestone to win the tournament title.The Cardinals, who will be playing for their first berth in the state tournament since 1983, seem to have tradition on their side. The Cards will be playing for their 10th appearance in state competition. The Braves made their lone appearance at the state tournament in 1964, the same year Luverne won its lone state title.Benson, however, will offer LHS its biggest challenge of the postseason to date.The 22-3 Braves play a run-and-gun style of basketball, scoring a school record 95 points in one game this season. Benson was ranked 10th in the final Class AA poll of the season.Both the Cardinals and Patriots will have their work cut out for them tonight, which brings me to my point.Unlike the days when LHS and H-BC were rivals playing in five straight District 8 championship games from 1977-1981, tonight would be the perfect time for fans from each school to join forces and support one and other.LHS fans could leave town early enough to lend vocal support to H-BC in the early game, and H-BC backers could return the favor by staying for the late game.That type of cooperation between rivals of the past truly would make it Rock County Night at Southwest State University. And, besides, one big army of Rock County fans would make its presence felt more at SSU than two small armies fending for themselves would.

At home in Hills

By Lexi MooreAs each player ascends the ladder and snaps another section of the net, the hearts of their teammates swell with pride and the endless hours of hard work suddenly melt away.Cutting down the net after a championship victory is a rite of passage for basketball players. Nets line trophy cases in high schools and colleges across America. They mean little to people who view them unless they were there to see the faces of the men and women who earned the right to take the net down.I was a sports-minded girl in high school. I played basketball in the fall, volleyball throughout the winter months, was on the track team, although I don’t think I was ever much help, and during the summer I played softball.Throughout my years as a Madison Bulldog, I played in several state tournaments and a national softball tournament. At the time, sports occupied much of my life. My schedule rarely allowed for days off between practices, and athletics in the Midwest requires logging several thousand miles bumping along on a yellow school bus. Another quirk about playing in a small midwestern town was that you played with the same teammates regardless of the sport. You were the girls that didn’t mind breaking a sweat at 7 a.m. on a school day or sporting the occasional black eye.I loved my teammates and coaches. They were an extended family throughout the year. Seasons would begin with intense training. I can remember dreading the start of August. Two-a-day practices for basketball always kicked me in the butt and awoke muscles I had forgotten about, but by mid-season the team would be rolling.The girls I was fortunate to play with were good. They were committed to the team and strived to be the best. This attitude paid off for our team as the playoff season started. I always viewed the state tournament as a mini-vacation — my best friends and I in a hotel room, largely unsupervised for several days. I didn’t mind missing school, and teachers tend to go easy on you when you are missing school in an attempt at a state title. But best of all, it meant my wardrobe would expand. With the expectation of the short little guards, most of my teammates were about my size. We would trade shirts, shoes, dresses, anything. Plus it was the only time I had an around-the-clock hair and makeup team. Of course, fashion and fun in the hotel always took a back seat to the games.We knew that the fire and police escort along with at least a dozen local residents would be waiting at the edge of town when we returned home, and we needed to bring back something they could be proud of. We wanted a new banner for the gym, a new date on the billboard outside of town and the cheers.Moments like that are few and far between in adult life. In fact, I would bet I won’t even be around for my next police escort. The hundreds of laps, lines, free throws, drills, missed social events and gym socks were worth it. As our Hills-Beaver Creek athletes prepare for the their game tonight, I hope they take the time to internalize the excitement. There really is nothing else like it when they move on to their adult lives. I also hope they understand that the town is behind them regardless of the outcome.This boys’ team has provided countless hours of entertainment, and the spectators in H-BC are proud of you.

Cardinals nip RCW Jaguars in overtime

By John RittenhouseLuverne didn’t make all of the free throws it shot during Thursday’s South Section 3AA Boys Basketball Tournament game against Renville County West in Luverne.The Cardinals, however, made some charity shots when they counted the most.Luverne cashed in on eight of 14 free throws in overtime to lead the Cardinals to a 66-60 victory over the Jaguars in a thrilling semifinal-round game played in front of one of the biggest crowds to witness a game in the Elementary School gym.The win, which upped Luverne’s record to 17-8, sent the Cardinals to their first postseason title game since 1996. The Cards played Pipestone in the section championship game at Southwest State University in Marshall Saturday. Look for the game story on the front page of the sports section.For the most part, Luverne struggled at the free-throw line during the game against the Jaguars. By going 17 of 32 (53 percent) at the stripe for the night, the Cards squandered an opportunity to put RCW away in regulation play. Led by a five-of-six effort from senior guard Brandon Deragisch in overtime, the Cards outscored the Jaguars 12-6 in the final four minutes to seal a six-point victory."We did a good job of getting to the free-throw line," said LHS coach Tom Rops. "Unfortunately, free-throw shooting is our Achilles heel right now."In the end, Luverne outscored RCW 17-6 at the charity stripe to settle the issue.The game was tied at 44 entering the fourth quarter, and the Cards trailed by one before Brad Herman converted a field goal at the 4:22 mark to cap a 4-0 spurt and give the hosts a 50-47 lead. RCW regained a pair of two-point leads late in the fourth quarter, but LHS senior John Tofteland hit a field goal at 1:28 to tie the game at 52 and converted a reverse layup with 35 seconds remaining to knot the score at 54.Luverne gained possession of the ball after an RCW turnover with 27 seconds remaining in regulation play. The Cards, however, couldn’t put the game away as Tofteland couldn’t convert a running shot in the lane with four seconds left, and Deragisch couldn’t drain a three-point attempt at the buzzer.Both seniors gained redemption in the first minute of overtime. Tofteland turned a steal into a layup at 3:44 and Deragisch banked home a shot 12 seconds later to give the Cards a 58-54 lead. RCW trimmed the difference to two points on two occasions as overtime progressed, but Deragisch made five free throws, Nick Heronimus added two and Tofteland chipped in another in the final 1:52 to ice the win for LHS.Although Heronimus, a junior, made a key contribution by scoring 13 points, Rops said the play of seniors Deragisch (25 points, four steals and three assists), Tofteland (15 points) and Herman (10 points and eight rebounds) set the stage for victory."I was happy with the way our seniors played. We could have thrown in the towel when we fell behind early, but one of them always was able to make a play when we were down. Our seniors are our leaders, and they will carry us the rest of the way," he said.Luverne fell behind 9-4 early in the first quarter before ending the period with a 7-2 run capped by a field goal from Tofteland with four seconds remaining to tie the game at 11.Deragisch hit a three at the 6:07 mark of the second quarter to give the Cards their biggest lead (19-15) at that point of the game, but RCW countered with a 10-1 run to open a five-point lead (25-20) that swelled to six points (31-25) late in the quarter.Luverne, which trailed by five (33-28) at halftime, faced its biggest deficit of the game (35-28) when RCW scored the first two points of the third quarter. Deragisch scored eight straight points in a span of 2:01 late in the period to give the Cards a 44-42 lead with 40.2 seconds remaining, but a pair of free throws by RCW with 1.5 seconds left tied the game at 44.The most impressive thing about the win was the fact that the Cards were able to prevail without the services of senior Jared Pick, who watched the game from the bench in street clothes. Pick injured his back at home the night before the game."We got some bad news when we found out Jared couldn’t play early in the day (Thursday)," Rops said. "It threw off our regular rotation, but we were able to make enough plays without him to pull out a close win."Box scoreHerman 4 0 2-5 10, Deragisch 4 3 8-11 25, Hendricks 0 0 1-2 1, Antoine 0 0 0-0 0, Tofteland 7 0 1-4 15, Boelman 0 0 2-2 2, Heronimus 2 2 3-9 13.Team statisticsLuverne: 22 of 50 field goals (44 percent), 17 of 32 free throws (53 percent), 33 rebounds, nine turnovers.RCW: 25 of 57 field goals (44 percent), six of 10 free throws (60 percent), 30 rebounds, 15 turnovers.

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