The Luverne girls’ basketball team went 2-2 this week to bring their overall record to 7-9.
The Cardinals opened the week on the road with a 76-26 loss to Marshall on Tuesday, March 2.
Following their loss to Marshall, the Cardinals lost in overtime to Fairmont 29-27 on Thursday, March 4.
On Saturday, March 6, the Cardinals defeated Adrian/Ellsworth 66-39.
The Cardinals wrapped up the week with a dramatic 50-48 victory over Redwood Valley on Monday, March 8. An Emma Beyer three-point play put the Cardinals up 50-48 with 4.3 seconds left to play.
“This week was a grind,” Luverne head coach TJ Newgard said. “Starting at Marshall, against one of the best teams in class 3A. We just try to work on things and remain positive in a game like that.”
Marshall 76, LHS 26
The Cardinals ran into a buzzsaw on Tuesday, March 2, in Marshall when they fell to the Tigers 76-26.
The Cardinals trailed 42-15 at halftime and only scored nine points in the second half to fall to their Big South Conference foe.
Christina Wagner scored five points and grabbed six rebounds for the Cardinals.
Fairmont 29, LHS 27
Luverne lost the battle of the Cardinals on Thursday, March 4.
Luverne and Fairmont were tied at 26-26 at the end of regulation. Fairmont outscored Luverne 3-1 in overtime to pick up the 29-27 victory.
“Fairmont was a big game for us,’ Newgard said. “They are a team that reminds me a lot of ourselves. They play good, hard defense, but struggle on offense from time to time. Holding a good team to less than 30 points should give you a chance to win a game. I thought we played well enough to win, but they just made one more play than we did.”
Kira John led the Cardinals with 13 points. John also grabbed seven rebounds.
LHS 66, A/E 39
The Cardinals defeated the Adrian/Ellsworth Dragons 66-39 on Saturday, March 6.
Elise Ferrell scored the first six points of the game for the Cardinals to give them an early 6-0 lead.
Averill Sehr hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Cardinal a 14-0 lead.
The Dragons finally got on the board at the 12:50 mark to trim Luverne’s lead to 14-3.
Sehr hit her third three-pointer of the first half to put the Cardinals up 19-11.
The Cardinals closed out the first half on a 19-4 run to take a 36-21 lead into the locker room.
Luverne outscored the Dragons 30-18 to pick up the 66-39 victory.
“We knew we would have a little bit of an advantage over Adrian,” Newgard said. We wanted to set the tone early with our press. I thought we did a great job of doing that. We had a bit of a lull in the middle of the game, but we were able to find that spark again and really put them away with our pressure.”
Elizabeth Wagner scored a team-leading 20 points and recorded five steals.
Sehr scored 13 points. Emma Beyer scored 10 points. Ferrell scored 10 points and recorded four steals.
LHS 50, RV 48
Redwood Valley was at the free throw line clinging to a 48-47 lead. The visiting Cardinals missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw attempt.
Luverne gathered the rebound and passed the ball up court to Emma Beyer who made a layup through contact to put the Cardinals up 49-48 with 4.3 seconds left to play. Beyer knocked down the free throw to complete the three-point play to put Luverne up 50-48.
“Down one, we were just trying to create some pressure, get a trap and try for a steal,” Newgard said. “If we didn’t get it we had to foul. Luckily they missed the front end of two one-and-ones. From there it was just girls making a play. Averill (Sehr) hit Emma (Beyer) in stride and Emma did what she does. She finished through contact around the rim.”
Redwood Valley’s heave at the buzzer did not go through the basket and Luverne picked up the 50-48 victory.
The Cardinals will wrap up the regular season on Thursday, March 11 when they play host to the Pipestone Arrows. The Cardinals defeated the Arrows earlier this season 68-59.
Marshall 42 34 76
LHS 15 9 26
Points: Wagner 5
Rebounds: C. Wagner 6; E. Wagner 6
Blocks: C. Wagner 3
Fairmont 29
LHS 27
Points: John 13
Rebounds: C. Wagner 12; John 7; Sehr 6
Assists: Sehr 5; Ferrell 4
Steals: C. Wagner 3; Sehr 3
LHS 36 30 66
Adrian 21 18 39
Points: E. Wagner 20; Sehr 13; Beyer 10; Ferrell 10; C. Wagner 7
Rebounds: John 12; C. Wagner 5;
Assists: Sehr 3
Steals: E. Wagner 5; C. Wagner 4; Ferrell 4;
Blocks: C. Wagner 3