If you are a high school basketball fan, these are glorious times.For the second straight year, two teams from the Star Herald coverage area will be playing in the Section 3A and Section 3AA championships at Southwest State University in Marshall tonight.The 20-6 Luverne Cardinals will be gunning for their second consecutive trip to the state tournament when they take on the 21-4 Benson Braves in the 3AA title game at 5 p.m.After winning its third South Section 3A championship in the last four years, the 25-4 Ellsworth Panthers will take on two-time defending state champion Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (26-2) at 8 p.m.Personally and professionally, I’m looking forward to witnessing both contests.How can you not admire Tom Rops and the Luverne Cardinals?When Rops took over the LHS boys’ program in 2000-01, winning basketball games wasn’t a common occurrence in Luverne.The Cardinals struggled during the first four years of Rops’ tenure, compiling a 21-73 record, but the coach took his lumps like a man.His patience paid off last year when the coach and his crew put LHS basketball back on the map by compiling a 21-9 record and placing third at the state tournament.Much to my surprise, the Cardinals have played their way to another 20-win season this year.I heard from many different sources that the 2005-06 LHS team will be better, on paper, than last year’s squad. I had trouble believing those bold statements. How could a program that relied heavily on the play of five seniors last season be a better team without them, I asked myself?Based on their on-court performance, the 2005-06 Cardinals proved they are a quality team.If they can beat the Braves in tonight’s championship game, this squad will go down in LHS lore as the third team to make back-to-back appearances in school history.The Ellsworth Panthers have put together an excellent season under the guidance of first-year head coach Markus Okeson.Okeson knew he was taking over a talented team when he was picked to replace Ken Kvaale, who resigned as the EHS head coach last spring.His feelings were solidified when the Panthers won their first 14 games of the season.Among the wins during the streak was a December victory over R-T-R, the team EHS needs to beat if it wants to earn the school’s second berth into the state tournament.R-T-R nipped the Panthers by one point when the teams met in Tyler in January, so tonight’s third meeting will serve as the rubber game of the series.The way I see it, this should be the most interesting night of the winter sports season. It will be a celebration of area talent, and everyone is welcome to honor the local boys by attending tonight’s double-header in Marshall.Bantam B-goodI also would like to wish the Luverne Bantam B hockey team the best of luck when it plays at the Minnesota Bantam B State Hockey Tournament in Buffalo Friday through Sunday.This team, which sports a 32-3 record, has been the Luverne hockey program’s most successful squad this winter.This is the first Luverne Bantam team to qualify for state competition.Luverne opens the tournament with a 2 p.m. Friday clash against Chaska.