Cardinal boys' team upset Arrows, fall to JCC

The Luverne Cardinal boys' basketball team won its fifth and sixth games in a row before losing last week for the first time since Feb. 3. 
The home victories included a 14-point upset of rival Pipestone Area Feb. 15 and a second win over Hills-Beaver Creek Feb.17 (see related story). The loss was on the road at Jackson County Central. 
The Cardinals, now 9-12 on the season, were scheduled to host the Worthington Trojans on Feb. 22 after this edition of the Star Herald went to print. 
Luverne will wrap up the regular season with a game in Minneota Friday night. 
Currently Luverne is 4-7 against Section 3AA teams and in the sixth spot among the eight Section 3AA-South teams. 
Seedings for the section tournament will be determined this weekend with opening round games scheduled for March 5. 
 
Luverne 53, Pipestone Area 39
The Pipestone Area Arrows came to the Luverne Classic Gym Feb. 17 with an impressive 17-4 overall record. 
Luverne was ready for the challenge, however, upsetting their rivals from the north 53-39 for their fifth consecutive win.
After a brief 3-1 Arrow lead two minutes into the game, Luverne led the entire contest. The Cardinals took a 26-12 lead into the locker room at halftime. 
After the break, Luverne increased its lead to as much as 19 points with a balanced offense and stifling defense. 
The Cardinals scored 16 points off of 18 Arrow turnovers. 
Gannon Ahrendt tallied 20 points, while Connor Overgaard scored 12. 
Nathaniel Cole-Kraty collected ten rebounds for Luverne and Overgaard had eight. 
"This was our biggest win of the season," said LHS head coach John Sichmeller. 
"It showed our kids how good they can be when they lock in and give maximum effort," Sichmeller said, "They executed our defensive game plan perfectly and it was fun to watch."
 
Box Score:
Cole-Kraty 3 0 2-4 8, Schoeneman 1 1 2-4 7, Sehr 0 0 1-2 1, Radtke 0 1 2-3 5, DeBeer 0 0 0-0 0, Ahrendt 7 1 3-3 20, Overgaard 4 0 4-7 12
 
Team Stats:
Luverne: 18 of 39 (46 percent), 14 of 23 free throws (61 percent), 32 rebounds, 14 turnovers
Pipestone Area: 15 of 46 (33 percent), 2 of 5 free throws (40 percent), 23 rebounds, 18 turnovers
 
JCC 55, Luverne 42
The old saying "all good things must come to an end" came true for the Cardinals in Jackson Friday night. 
After winning six consecutive games, LHS fell to the Jackson County Central Huskies 55-42. 
The Huskies led the entire game on their home court as Luverne was unable to produce the efficient offense that had maintained the recent win streak. 
JCC outscored the Cards 27-18 in the first half and 28-24 after halftime. 
Connor Overgaard led the scoring for the Cardinals with 11 points. Gannon Ahrendt totalled eight points. 
 
Box Score:
Cole-Kraty 1 0 1-2 3, Schoeneman 0 2 0-0 6, Sehr 1 0 1-2 3, Radtke 0 1 2-2 5, DeBeer 0 2 0-0 6, Ahrendt 4 0 0-0 8, Overgaard 4 0 3-6 11
 
Team Stats:
Luverne: 15 of 30 (50 percent), 7 of 12 free throws (58 percent), 18 rebounds, 16 turnovers
JCC: 21 of 34 (62 percent), 9 of 13 free throws (69 percent), 21 rebounds, 8 turnovers