By Lori EhdeMost Luverne boys basketball fans left town Wednesday night and Thursday morning just in time to miss the storm, and they returned home to piles of snow on streets and driveways.More than a foot of snow fell in southwest Minnesota communities for the biggest weather event of winter — only two days before the first official day of spring.Sheriff Mike Winkels said his office didn’t respond to serious accident reports, and that’s due in part to the interstate being closed."Trucks from the interstate pulled into Luverne, but there’s not a lot of places they can park," Winkels said. "They pulled into the Pump ‘N Pack and Sharkee’s, I know."I-90 closed between Luverne and Albert Lea from the hours of 3 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday.That meant increased business for Luverne hotels and other businesses.Frank Dowie of the Sunrise Motel, for example, said all 11 of his rooms were full, and he ended up turning others away."I had a room I was working on, and I finished up painting and they took it," he said. "They said they were going to sleep in their truck if they couldn’t have it."He said his Friday night customers were truckers and travelers alike.Restaurants like Country Kitchen and McDonald's say a closed interstate isn't necessarily good news for them. Manager Mary Lou Gonnerman said Country Kitchen closed at 7 p.m. because crowds were sparse. "If they’d been out driving and went to the motel, they’re not going to head out again for supper," Gonnerman said. McDonald’s closed early, too."We closed the store at 9 p.m. instead of midnight," said assistant manager Diana Reisdorfer. "We were really slow for the whole day because of the weather."According to reports by some travelers, eastbound motorists were notified as early as Sioux Falls exits that I-90 was closed in Luverne, so not all travelers got off in Luverne."When they close the interstate, we close our business, because a lot of our business comes from the interstate," Reisdorfer said.Because so many Luverne residents were out of town for the state basketball tournament, a snow emergency for plowing streets was delayed somewhat.Sheriff Winkels worked with the Luverne Public Works Department to discuss the issue."With the state tournament going on, a lot of vehicles were left on the street," Winkels said."A lot of people were calling friends and family members to get cars off the street."Snow removal started early Friday, but on Saturday morning a snow emergency was declared, and most of Luverne’s streets were finished that day.By the end of the day Saturday, all major streets and side streets were cleared.Luverne schools were already closed Friday because of the state basketball tournament, but many businesses and some government offices closed early that day.