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Cardinal girls' basketball team bounces past conference rival Marshall, bows to Montevideo

Lead Summary
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By
Greg Hoogeveen

The Luverne girls’ basketball team played two big games against tough opponents this past week.
The Cardinals won a nailbiter against Marshall on Friday, Jan. 6, and they suffered their first loss of the season to Montevideo on Saturday, Jan. 7.
Luverne, now 7-1 for the season, was scheduled to host Worthington Tuesday, Jan. 10, and will travel to St. James Friday, Jan. 13.
 
Luverne 46, Marshall 42
Luverne hosted conference rival Marshall Friday, Jan. 6, and came out on top of one of the most exciting contests so far this year.
“Facing a perennial AAA powerhouse like Marshall is always a tough task,” LHS head coach TJ Newgard said.  
“These girls came into the game knowing that if they played their game and battled, they would have a chance to win.”
Luverne was able to outshoot Marshall in the paint, posting 30 points under the net to Marshall’s 14 points.
The Cardinals were also able as a team to outrebound the Tigers 31-17.
Marshall exploited the parameter, sinking five of 15 3-point shots.
The game came down to fouls and free throw attempts in the second half.
Luverne made 73 percent of their free throws in the game.
Junior Kira John had a big night inside for the Cardinals. John posted 13 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocked shots.
Senior Elizabeth Wagner was also on fire, making 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Senior Jocelyn Hart was a scrapper in the game, finding herself on the floor several times fighting for the ball. Hart posted six points, two rebounds and two steals.
Senior Christina Wagner played a solid game with five points, seven rebounds, one steal and two blocked shots.
In the end, the Cardinals’ energy dictated the pace of the game and pressured their Marshall opponents, despite modest team stats.
“I am really proud of how they competed for 36 minutes and knocked down some big free throws down the stretch,” Newgard said.
 
Montevideo 61, LHS 51
On the heels of their big win over Marshall, a tired Cardinal team traveled to Montevideo the next day, Saturday, Jan. 7, to take on a tough Thunderhawks team.
The Cardinals lost 61-51 to a strong Montevideo team that was a state contender in 2021-22.
“They won our section for a reason last year. They have one of the top players in the state and she proved that Saturday night,” Newgard said.
“Our execution, particularly on the defensive end, was very poor, and I thought that was the difference in the game.”
 Christina Wagner had a big night for the Cardinals posting 23 points, grabbing three rebounds and two steals and blocking two shots.
Senior Emma Beyer contributed eight points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Elizabeth Wagner had six points, nine rebounds and two assists.
Kira John had four points, eight rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Senior Averill Sehr and junior Sarah Stegenga added five points each.

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