The Luverne boys’ hockey team moved its record to 8-9 after a series of road games over the past week.
The Cardinals came out on top of a close match with the Trojans in Worthington Jan. 25, but they lost to New Ulm 6-0 in New Ulm Jan. 27 and came out on the losing end of an overtime contest with Morris Benson Area in Benson 6-5 Friday.
The Cardinals were scheduled to travel to Marshal Tuesday and will host Morris Benson Area Thursday in the Blue Mound Ice Arena. 
 
Luverne 5, Worthington 4
The Luverne boys traveled to Worthington Ice Arena Tuesday night, Jan. 25, for a big southwest Minnesota tilt.
The first period saw a lot of back-and-forth action between the Cardinals and Trojans.
Brock Behrend got the Cardinals on the board midway through the period with assists going to Owen Sudenga.
Luverne took a 1-0 lead into intermission. Shots on goal were in favor of the Cardinals 14-11.
Luverne goalie Tyler Arends made 11 big saves to keep the Trojans off the board.
Worthington evened the score just 11 seconds into Period 2. Luverne responded with two goals in the following two minutes.
Senior Jack Schlosser made the game 2-1 with assists going to Henry Hartquist and Behrend. Not even a minute later it was Behrend giving the Cardinals a 3-1 lead with assists going to Hartquist and Will Serie.
Worthington scored another goal in the second to cut Luverne’s lead to 3-2 after two periods.
Shots on goal were 11-8 in favor of Luverne.
 The final period saw a lot of action. Worthington tied the game at three just over two minutes in.
Luverne sophomore Elliot Domagala scored a big shorthanded goal a minute later to make it 4-3 Cardinals.
Worthington wouldn’t go away, taking advantage of a Luverne penalty to even the score 4-4 with 10 minutes left in regulation.
Like a heavyweight fight with both competitors trading blows, Luverne battled back and took a 5-4 lead just 49 seconds later on a Brady Bork goal with assists going to Domagala and Patrick Kroski.
That’s how the bout would end with the Cardinals holding on to a 5-4 win. Shots on goal for the period were in favor of Luverne 13-8 and for the game 38-27 in favor of Luverne.
Arends finished with 23 saves for Luverne.
 
New Ulm 6, LHS 0
The Cardinal boys continued their road trip in New Ulm for a Section 3 battle Thursday night, Jan. 27. 
The hometown Eagles were able to get on the board just 19 seconds into the game and added two more first-period goals to take a 3-0 lead.
Luverne didn’t have an answer and the period would end with the Eagles holding a 3-0 lead. Shots on goal for the period were 15-6 in favor of the Eagles. 
In the second period the Cardinals were able to get some shots on goal and tried to cut into the Eagles’ lead.
Just over five minutes into the period the hometown Eagles got three goals in a 46-second time frame to take a 6-0 lead after two periods. Shots on goal for the period were 13-12 in favor of the Cardinals. 
The final period was scoreless for both teams with back and forth action, but the Cardinals couldn’t get on the board.
Shots on goal for the final period were in favor of New Ulm 8-5. Total shots on goal were 35-24 New Ulm.
Luverne goalie Tyler Arends had 29 saves on the contest 
 
MBA 6, LHS 5
The Cardinals wrapped up their week-long road trip in Benson where they lost a hard-fought overtime battle to Morris Benson Area. 
Luverne shot out like a cannon in the first period, scoring three goals in the first 10 minutes of the game to take a 3-0 lead.
Henry Hartquist got the first goal with the assist to Brock Behrend. Behrend scored the next two with assists going to Owen Sudenga and Jack Schlosser.  
MBA responded with a couple of late-period goals to cut the lead to 3-2 Luverne. Shots on goal for the period were 14-6 in favor of the Cardinals.
The second period saw both teams trading goals. MBA would even the score at 3-3 just 1:46 into the period. Luverne answered back just over six minutes later with Behrend scoring his third of the game with assist going to Hartquist.
MBA knotted things up with a goal with just over a minute in the period to tie the game at 4-4. Shots on goal for the period were 12-10 MBA.
In the final period MBA took a 5-4 lead 5:07 into the period. With just 18 seconds left in the game, Luverne’s Owen Sudenga scored a huge goal to send the game into overtime.  Shots on goal for period 3 were 10-7 in favor of the home team.
In a game of two teams trading goals, someone had to come out on top, and in the end, MBA scored in sudden death overtime to get the win 6-5.
Final shots on goal for the game were 36-31 in favor of the Cardinals. Luverne goalie Tyler Arends made 26 saves in the loss.

The Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team suffered a couple of hard-fought losses over the past week with games at home and away.
The Patriots fell to Westbrook Walnut Grove 70-62 in Hills Thursday, Jan. 27, and the Murray County Central Rebels used a home-court advantage to take H-BC 64-50 Saturday in Slayton.
The Patriots, now 4-5 in conference play and 6-8 overall, travel to Westbrook Thursday for a rematch with the Westbrook Walnut Grove Chargers.
 
WWG 70, H-BC 62
It was a close battle all the way to the end Thursday night in Hills between Hills-Beaver Creek and Westbrook-Walnut Grove.
The Patriots went into the halftime break sporting a 34-29 lead.
The second half went back and forth as the Chargers hit a bucket with just over three minutes to go to give them a one-point lead.
A couple of late buckets and free throws helped put the Patriots away for good as they fell 70-62. 
Five three-pointers on the night by senior Ty Bundesen (15 points) kept the Patriots in the ball game for most of the game.
Senior Cole Baker also added 16 points to lead the Pates in scoring while Andrew Harris (8 rebounds) rounded out the double digit scoring with 10 of his own.
Other contributors for the home team included Liam Raymon (9 points) and Oliver Deelstra (8 points) who each came down with six rebounds.
 
Box score:
Baker 2 2 6-10 16, Deelstra 4 0 0-0 8, Raymon 3 0 3-5 9, Harnack 0 0 0-0 0, Page 0 0 0-0 0, Leenderts 0 1 1-2 4, Bundesen 0 5 0-0 15, Gehrke 0 0 0-0 0, Metzger 0 0 0-0 0, Taubert 0 0 0-0 0, Tatge 0 0 0-0 0,  Durst 0 0 0-0 0, Scholten 0 0 0-0 0, Harris 5 0 0-0 10, Wiersema 0 0 0-0 0
 
Team stats:
HBC: 22 of 63 (35 percent), 10 of 17 free throws (59 percent), 32 rebounds, 12 turnovers
WWG: 27 of 53 (51 percent), 9 for 14 free throws (64 percent), 31 rebounds, 14 turnovers 
MCC 64, H-BC 50
For the second game in a row, the Patriots started out with the lead heading into halftime but fell just short in the final few minutes of the game.
Saturday night in Slayton, the Pates held a 25-21 advantage at intermission before ultimately falling 64-50. 
Senior Cole Baker gave his best effort, scoring 30 of H-BC’s 50 points on the night, including a fast break dunk that gave them a five-point lead late in the first half.
The Rebels went on to outscore the Patriots 43-25 after the break to give them a 14-point victory. 
Seniors Troy Durst and Liam Raymon each added five points for HBC
 
Box score:
Baker 8 2 8-14 30, Deelstra 1 0 2-4 4, Raymon 1 1 0-0 5, Harnack 0 0 0-0 0, Page 0 0 0-0 0, Leenderts 0 1 0-1 3, Bundesen 1 0 1-2 3, Gehrke 0 0 0-0 0, Metzger 0 0 0-0 0, Taubert 0 0 0-0 0, Tatge 0 0 0-0 0,  Durst 2 0 1-2 3, Scholten 0 0 0-0 0, Harris 0 0 0-0 0, Wiersema 0 0 0-0 0
 
Team stats:
H-BC: 17 of 40 (43 percent), 12 for 23 free throws (52 percent), 15 rebounds, 19 turnovers
MCC: 21 of 43 (49 percent), 21 of 40 free throws (53 percent), 34 rebounds, 18 turnovers

The Luverne boys’ basketball team traveled to Redwood Falls Friday, Jan. 28, to take on the Redwood Valley Cardinals. 
The visiting Cardinals had a difficult time offensively throughout the game. Luverne was down 37-21 at the half. 
Redwood Valley outscored Luverne 41-30 in the second half and defeated Luverne 78-51 in the battle of the Cardinals. 
Luverne shot just 29 percent from the field while Redwood made 51 percent of its shot attempts. 
Redwood led by as much as 33 points (64-31) halfway through the second half. 
Senior Eli Radtke led Luverne scorers with 11 points. Junior Gannon Ahrendt totaled nine points in the game. 
Senior Nathaniel Cole-Kraty pulled down six of his team’s 29 rebounds. 
The Cardinals, now 3-10 on the season, are scheduled to play Martin County West at home on Saturday, at Edgerton Public on Monday, and at Windom next Thursday, Feb. 10. 
The Hills-Beaver Creek game, originally scheduled for Feb. 1, has been rescheduled to Feb. 17 in Luverne. 
 
Box score:
Cole-Kraty 1 0 1-2 3, Schoeneman 0 2 1-2 7, Frahm 0 0 0-0 0, Sneller 0 0 2-2 2, Cowell 1 0 0-0 2, Feit 0 1 0-0 3, Radtke 2 1 4-4 11, DeBeer 1 1 1-2 6, Ahrendt 1 1 4-4 9, Overgaard 0 0 1-4 1, Mounce 0 0 1-4 1 
 
Team stats:
Luverne: 14 of 49 (29 percent), 17 of 26 free throws (65 percent), 29 rebounds, 20 turnovers
Redwood Valley: 36 of 71 (51 percent), 0 of 0 free throws, 39 rebounds, 15 turnovers

St. Catherine Catholic Church
203 E. Brown St., Luverne
St. Catherine Ph. 283-8502; www.stscl.org
Monsignor Gerald Kosse, Pastor
Sundays 8:30 a.m. Mass. Public Mass will be celebrated at FULL capacity in the church. Masses: 9 a.m. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. Friday at the nursing homes – check the bulletin. All Sunday masses will be live streamed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pg/stccluverne/videos/. Visit www.stscl.org for more information.
 
Luverne Christian Reformed Church
605 N. Estey St., Luverne
Office Ph. 283-8482; Prayer Line Ph. 449-5982
www.luvernecrc.com — office@luvernecrc.com
Sundays 9:30 a.m. Worship service. 6:30 p.m. Evening worship service. We are streaming Sunday services live on YouTube at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Send him a friend request if you’re not connected. You may also visit our website for delayed broadcasts. Also our services are on local cable TV at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays. In all circumstances, may we joyfully declare: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8.
 
First Baptist Church
103 N. Jackson St., P.O. Box 975, Luverne
Ph. 283-4091; email: fbcluv@iw.net — www.fbcluverne.org
Walt Moser, Pastor
Sundays, 10:30 a.m. In-person worship service. Service is also on Facebook Live at 10:30 a.m.
 
Grace Lutheran Church
500 N. Kniss Ave., Luverne
Ph. 507-283-4431; www.graceluverne.org — graceluverne@iw.net
Ann Zastrow, Pastor
Dave Christenson, Interim Pastor
Thursday, Feb. 3: 8:30 a.m. Missions in Action. Sunday, Jan. 30: 9 a.m. Worship Service with Holy Communion. 10 a.m. Coffee fellowship. 10 a.m. Sunday school. 5 p.m. Worship Service with Holy Communion. 6:30 p.m. Worship practice. Tuesday, Feb. 8: 9 a.m. Staff meeting.  1:30 p.m. Women’s board meeting. 6:45 p.m. Ministry meetings. 8 p.m. PPC meeting. Wednesday, Feb. 9: 7 a.m. Men’s Bible study. 3:15 p.m. Faithweavers. 5 p.m. Youth supper. 6:15 p.m. 6th and 7th grade Confirmation. 7:15 p.m. 8th grade Confirmation. 8:15 p.m. 9th grade Confirmation. Online, TV and Radio Worship options are available. Online: Sundays 9 a.m. on the church website www.graceluverne.org, click Worship tab or go directly to our Facebook page at Grace Lutheran ELCA, Luverne. TV: Vast Channel 3 will air our worship service Mondays at 4:30 p.m. and Fridays at 10 a.m. Radio: KQAD-AM Radio will air our worship service on Sundays at 8:15 a.m.
 
Bethany Lutheran Church
720 N. Kniss Ave., Luverne
Ph. 507-283-4571 or 605-215-9834
Sundays, 10:15 a.m. Worship service; worship online as well (at els.org). Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Zoom Bible study. See our Facebook page, Bethany Lutheran Church (Luverne) for other classes and events.
 
American Reformed Church
304 N. Fairview Dr., Luverne
Ph. 283-8600; email: office@arcluverne.org
Thursday, Feb. 3: 9 a.m. Cookie Crew. 5:30 p.m. Tumbling Tykes. Friday, Feb. 4: 6:3o a.m. Community Men’s Bible study. Sunday, Feb. 6: 9:30 a.m. Worship Service. 10:50 a.m. Sunday school. Tuesday, Feb. 8: 12 p.m. Staff meeting. 7 p.m. Consistory meeting. Wednesday, Feb. 9: 9:30 a.m. Worship center. 5:30 p.m. Midweek Meal. 6:30 p.m. Pioneer Club. 6:30 p.m. Jr. and Sr. High youth groups. Thursday, Feb. 10: 12:30 p.m. Piece Out (puzzle party). 5:30 p.m. Tumbling Tykes. Services are also broadcast on Vast Channel 3 on Mondays at 6 p.m. and Wednesdays at 4 p.m. DVD’s available upon request. To stay up to date on announcements, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @arcluverne.
 
Rock River Community Church (formerly First Assembly of God)
1075 110th Ave., 2 miles west of Luverne on County Rd. 4
Ph. 612-800-1255; email info@rockrivercommunity.church
Bob Junak, Pastor; Annette Junak, Assistant Pastor
Sundays, 9 a.m. Sunday school; 10 a.m. Worship service. Children’s church for ages 3-6th grade and nursery for ages 0-3 provided during our services. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Worship service. All services are in-person and all are welcome.
 
United Methodist Church
109 N. Freeman Ave., Luverne
Ph. 283-4529
Saturday, Feb. 5: 8 p.m. AA meeting. Sunday, Feb. 6: 9 a.m. Adult Sunday school. 9:15 a.m. Coffee. 10:30 a.m. 4-6:30 p.m. Spaghetti/Chocolate buffet. 4:30 p.m. Genesis/Revelation Bible study. Monday, Feb. 7: Pastor Dorie – Boom meeting. Tuesday, Feb. 8: Home visits. 1:30 p.m. Sewing ministry. 6 p.m. Teachers meeting. 7 p.m. Club Scout/Boy Scouts. Wednesday, Feb. 9: 6:15 p.m. FUEL. 6:30 p.m. Confirmation. 8 p.m. AA meeting. Pizza Ranch take out fundraiser night.  Live streamed on Facebook and radio.
 
First Presbyterian Church
302 Central Lane, Luverne
Ph. 283-4787; email: Firstpc@iw.net
Sunday, Feb. 6: 9:30 a.m. Worship service. 10:30 a.m. Sunday school. Wednesday, Feb. 9: 5:30 p.m. Bells. 6:15 p.m. Choir. 7:15 p.m. Session. In-person Worship service and live on Facebook. Our Facebook page can be found under First Presbyterian Church of Luverne. We are also on the local Luverne cable station at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and 10 a.m. on Thursdays.
 
St. John Lutheran Church
803 N. Cedar St., Luverne
Ph. 283-2316; email: stjohn@iw.net
www.stjohnlutheranluverne.org
Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, Pastor
Saturday, Feb. 5: 5:30 p.m. Worship Service. Sunday, Feb. 6: 9 a.m. Worship Service. 10:15 a.m. Adult Bible class; Sunday School. Wednesday, Feb. 9: 9:30 a.m. Bible study. 6:30 p.m. Kids for Christ; 6:30-8 p.m. Confirmation. 7:30 p.m. High School Youth Group. Services will be available on the Vast Channel 3 Sunday and online at the city website, cityofluverne.org.
 
Living Rock Church
500 E. Main St., Luverne
Ph. 449-0057; www.livingrockswmn.org
Billy Skaggs, Pastor
 
New Life Celebration Church
101 W. Maple, Luverne
Ph. (605) 368-1924; email: newlifecelebration@gmail.com
Food mission every third Thursday.
 
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
305 E. 2nd St., P.O. Box 36, Hardwick
Ph. (507) 669-2855; zionoffice@alliancecom.net
Jesse Baker, Pastor
Sunday, Feb. 6: 9 a.m. Worship service. 10:15 a.m. Sunday School. 10:30 a.m. Bible study. Worship service on Luverne cable at 3:30 p.m. every Thursday and Friday.
 
Ben Clare United Methodist Church
26762 Ben Clare Ave., Valley Springs, S.D.
igtwlb@WOW.net
Bill Bates, Pastor
 
First Lutheran Church
300 Maple St., Valley Springs, S.D.
Ph. (605) 757-6662
Mark Eliason, Pastor
Sunday, Feb. 6: 9 a.m. Worship service with Holy Communion. 10 a.m. Sunday school. Masks are strongly recommended, but not required, even if fully vaccinated. Worship will be streamed live on Facebook Video worship via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHdQwVxFcU4
 
Palisade Lutheran Church
211 121st St., Garretson, S.D.
Ph. (507) 597-6257 — firstpalisade@alliancecom.net
Mark Eliason, Pastor
Sunday, Feb. 6: 9:30 a.m. Sunday school. 10:30 a.m. Worship service with Holy Communion. Masks are strongly recommended, but not required, even if fully vaccinated. Worship will be streamed live on Facebook. Video worship via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHdQwVxFcU4
 
First Presbyterian Church
201 S. 3rd St., P.O Box 73, Beaver Creek
Ph. 507-935-5025
email: lori.firstpres@gmail.com
Sundays, 9:30 a.m. Worship Service. Second Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m. Session meeting.
 
Magnolia United Methodist Church
501 E. Luverne St., Magnolia
Ph. 605-215-3429
email: magnoliamnumc@gmail.com
Nancy Manning, Pastor
Sunday, 9 a.m., in-person with livestream available on the church’s Facebook site.
 
Steen Reformed Church
112 W. Church Ave., Steen
Ph. 855-2336
Jeremy Wiersema, Pastor
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Worship service in-person with livestream available on Facebook and YouTube. Radio worship on KQAD Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
 
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
112 N. Main St., Hills
Ph. 962-3270
Sunday, Feb. 6: 9 a.m. Worship at Tuff Chapel. 10 a.m. Worship with Holy Communion. 9 a.m. Sunday School. 7-8:30 p.m. Youth group meets. Worship will be streamed live to Facebook at Bethlehem of Hills. You can find more info on our website blchills.org. Tuesday, Feb 8: 2 p.m. Tuff Home Bible study. 3:30 p.m. Tuff Village Bible study. Wednesday, Feb. 9: 9 a.m. Quilting. 6 p.m. Confirmation. 7 p.m. Social/dessert time. 7:15 p.m. Wednesday night worship service.
 
Hills United Reformed Church
410 S. Central Ave., Hills
Office Ph. 962-3254
hillsurc@alliancecom.net
Alan Camarigg, Pastor

If understanding everything is a prerequisite to belief, you will never believe.
Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies is nothing short of breathtaking. In at least 322 places, Jewish prophets, who wrote hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, predicted details about the coming Messiah’s life. He would be born in Bethlehem, from the tribe of Judah and the lineage of David, flee to Egypt as a child, begin his ministry in Galilee, perform many miracles, enter as King into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, be betrayed by a friend for thirty pieces of silver, die by crucifixion between thieves, and then be resurrected and ascend to heaven — just to name a few.
Imagine if Jesus were to appear to you as you are reading this article and say to you, “I won’t explain to you how this all works, but I want you to know that my claim to be God is true, and I want you to believe it and follow me even if you can’t understand. Later I’ll expand your thinking so that it makes sense. But today, until then, I just need you to trust me.” Would you believe him?
Not all the disciples’ questions were answered by Jesus while he walked on the earth. Consider what John records. “When many of his disciples heard [these things], they said, ‘This is a hard saying: who can listen to it?’ … After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So, Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’  Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy one of God.’’ (John 6:60,66-69 ESV)
Having faith in Jesus does not mean all questions will be answered; it means knowing there is One who does have all the answers. Peter confessed, “We have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God”
“What we must avoid at all costs is editing Jesus, forcing him into a mold where he answers our questions the way we like. This is not worship of God; it’s worship of ourselves. And it is the greatest substitute for true faith.” (J.D. Greear)

The Luverne boys’ basketball team recorded their most successful week of the season so far with wins over Adrian and St. James and a close three-point loss to Belle Plaine.
The Cardinals, now 3-9 on the season, earned a solid 68-39 win in Adrian Jan. 20 before coming up just short to the Belle Plaine Tigers at Williams Arena Jan. 21.
LHS then recorded its first Big South Conference victory with a 66-60 win over the St. James Saints at home Monday night.
The Cardinals will play at Redwood Valley Friday night before hosting the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots on Tuesday in the Luverne Classic Gym.

 
Luverne 68, Adrian 39
The Cardinals earned their second victory – and largest to date of the 2021-22 campaign – in Adrian Thursday, Jan. 20.
The game was close for the first six minutes with the Dragons leading 6-3 and 8-6 in the early minutes before Luverne’s Connor Overgaard scored a layup and a foul shot to give the Cardinals a 9-8 lead.
Luverne continued to build its first-half advantage and took a 39-18 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, the Cardinals were able to extend their lead while 14 total players saw playing time, with 11 players scoring.
After outscoring the Dragons 29-21 in the second half, Luverne won the game 68-39.
Gannon Ahrendt led all scorers with 20 points for the Cardinals. Connor Overgaard added 12 points.
Ahrendt pulled in eight rebounds for Luverne, while Nathaniel Cole-Kraty tallied seven boards.

Box score:
Cole-Kraty 3 0 0-0 6, Schoeneman 1 1 0-0 5, Frahm 0 0 0-0 0, Sneller 0 0 2-2 2, Cowell 0 0 0-0 0, Sehr 1 1 1-2 6, Feit 0 0 0-0 0, Radtke 3 0 1-3 7, Friedrichsen 1 0 1-2 3, DeBeer 1 0 0-0 2, Ahrendt 9 0 2-2 20, Overgaard 5 0 2-3 12, Mounce 1 0 0-0 2, Arp 0 1 0-0 3
 
Team stats:
Luverne: 28 of 65 (43 percent), 9 of 14 free throws (64 percent), 41 rebounds, 14 turnovers
Adrian: 16 of 56 (29 percent), 6 of 11 free throws (55 percent), 41 rebounds, 25 turnovers

Belle Plaine 52, Luverne 49
The Cardinals took advantage of the opportunity to play on the raised court at Williams Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis Friday night by putting forth a solid effort in a close three-point loss.
Each season the team schedules one non-conference game at a large venue in the Twin Cities, and the players and coaches often take in a Timberwolves or Gophers game the same weekend.
This year LHS faced the Belle Plaine Tigers at “The Barn” Friday and lost 52-49. The next day the Cardinals saw the Gophers men’s basketball team defeat Rutgers on the same raised floor.
The Tigers started hot and jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first six minutes.
Luverne worked its way back into the game in the first half, tying the contest at 27-27 with about four minutes left in the first half. Belle Plaine led 31-29 at the half.
The Cardinals took their first lead (35-33) with about 12 minutes remaining in the game and led by as much as 37-33 a minute later.
The teams traded leads until the final four minutes, when Belle Plaine took a 50-49 lead they would retain until the end.
Gannon Ahrendt led the scoring for the Cardinals with 22 points. Eli Radtke totaled 13 points.

Box score:
Cole-Kraty 1 0 0-0 2, Schoeneman 0 0 0-0 0, Sehr 1 0 0-0 2, Radtke 5 1 0-0 13, Ahrendt 9 0 4-6 22, Overgaard 5 0 0-0 10
 
Team stats:
Luverne: 22 of 41 (54 percent), 4 of 8 free throws (50 percent), 24 rebounds, 17 turnovers
Belle Plaine: 19 of 53 (36 percent), 10 of 10 free throws (100 percent), 28 rebounds, 12 turnovers

Luverne 66, St. James 60
The Luverne boys’ basketball team won its first conference game of the season with a 66-60 victory over the St. James Saints at home Monday night.
The Cardinals had a very balanced effort with five players in double digits.
Luverne was led by senior Eli Radtke, who had an outstanding night including two three-pointers and going six-for-six at the free throw line for a total of 16 points.
Colin Schoeneman, another Cardinal senior, drained three three-pointers and tallied 13 points.
Casey Sehr, Gavin DeBeer and Connor Overgaard scored ten points each.
Luverne never trailed in the game. The Cardinals led 31-24 at half.

Box score:
Cole-Kraty 1 0 3-4 5, Schoeneman 1 3 2-4 13, Cowell 1 0 0-0 2, Sehr 4 0 2-4 10, Radtke 2 2 6-6 16, DeBeer 3 1 1-2 10, Overgaard 4 0 2-2 10
 
Team stats:
Luverne: 22 of 42 (52 percent), 16 of 22 free throws (73 percent), 12 rebounds, 4 turnovers.
St. James: 23 of 46 (50 percent), 7 of 12 free throws (58 percent), 12 rebounds, 4 turnovers.

With a successful small robot competition behind them, the Luverne High School robotics team is preparing for the tournament that inspired the team’s creation two years ago.
The Great Northern Regional will be March 24-26 in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
In 2020 Luverne earned the “Rookie Inspiration Award” at the event during the team’s first-ever season.
Two years later, the LHS robotics students, who call themselves the “Mighty Morphing Banana Slugs,” is starting anew.
“Last year was a gap year — we didn’t get any new bodies in,” said adviser Aaron Perkins. “It was hard to get students’ interests due to the season being virtual.”
Now back to in-person competitions, LHS has 30 to 40 students interested in working on the robots.
They made a successful 2022 debut at the small robot competition in Burnsville Jan. 16. The robots were under 12 inches in width, height and length.
The two LHS teams finished 10th (record 4-2) and 12th (record 3-3) overall out of 28 teams. They were also the third-place winners for the Connect Award and placed second and third for the Motivate Awards.
The Grand Forks competition features large robots, which have a maximum height of 4 feet, 6 inches and a perimeter under 120 inches.
“The goal of that robot is to shoot balls and then have the robot climb and move across monkey bars,” Perkins said.
“We are still fundraising for the season and would appreciate any assistance we could get.”
The LHS team received a boost recently as a grand recipient for a $50,000 aluminum computerized numerical control (CNC) machine from the Stratasys. The CNC machine allows the students to manufacture parts for the robot rather than ordering the expensive parts, Perkins said.
“We are very excited to be using this technology,” he said. “It is a great opportunity for students to use some equipment that they might only be able to use at very large universities.”
The industrial CNC machine joins several pieces of equipment used throughout the school and is available to the robotics team.
As a fundraiser, the robotics team is working on how to recycle glass bottles and use the material in the 3D printer.
“I received a grant from Toshiba of America to work on a micro-recycling center,” Perkins said.
“It has been a slow process but I think we are on the correct path to working out all the bugs, and we should be able to have ornaments and other items made from recycled glass soon.”
Perkins said more adults are volunteering to advise students on how to build and program the large robots ahead of the March competition.
“We have the base frame built,” Perkins said. “We have to figure out how to have the robot do the monkey bars.”

Luverne students resume one act play competition Saturday when they travel to Pipestone to perform “Supermodels in Jeopardy,” a dark comedy by Jonathan Dorf.
Joseph Stearns, the LHS one act play adviser, chose “Supermodels in Jeopardy” last year.
“I selected this piece because it has a wide range of casting options, so we would pull it off regardless of student turnout for the activity,” he said.
The production could accommodate from nine to 31 actors on stage.
There are 11 LHS students involved in the one act play.
“I am excited there are a number of new ninth-grade students interested in one act that joined this year,” Stearns said.
Senior Mia Wenzel portrays the main character named Andi, a publicity agent who controls the fate of the world’s supermodels.
The supermodels, who were attending an International Supermodel Expo, are trapped in their dressing rooms due to a partial building collapse.
Andi and her assistant, Bob (portrayed by junior Ashlyn Johnson), and intern Wendy (sophomore Alex Perkins) debate over the rescue efforts of the supermodels and whether or not their deaths would deprive the world of the guidance only beautiful people could provide.
Senior Pierce Cunningham plays the fire chief, and sophomore Steven Woods is the structural engineer.
Rounding out the cast are junior Grace Ingebretson and freshmen Brianna Kinsinger, Nora Louwagie, Hallie Pergande and Bethany Behr.
Zoey Berghorst, a sophomore, is part of the production crew assigned to sound effects.
Pipestone and Luverne students met in a pre-competition event Monday in the LHS performing arts center where the teams performed dress rehearsals of their respective 35-minute plays.
Saturday’s Region 3A One Act Play Competition begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Pipestone Area High School.
The top-performing schools from each section will perform at section competition Feb. 5 at Redwood Valley High School in Redwood Falls.
The state tournament is Feb. 10-11 at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.