It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season. That old adage rang true Saturday, March 20, when the Luverne Cardinals hosted the Windom Eagles in the section tournament.
Luverne defeated Windom during the regular season, 86-65 and 72-63.
In the third meeting, it was the Eagles coming out on top 63-56 to end Luverne’s season sooner than expected.
Gannon Ahrendt split a pair of free throws to open the game to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. The Cards held that lead until the second half.
Jayson Rops made the first basket of the game to put Luverne up 3-0. A Bailey Cowell three-pointer put the Cardinals up 6-2.
A Cowell three-point play put the Cardinals up 17-10.
Rops put the Cardinals up 21-10 after he knocked down a jumper.
An Ethan Beyer three-pointer put the Cardinals up 27-14.
Beyer hit another three-pointer to put the Cardinals up 33-23.
The Eagles hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to trim Luverne’s halftime lead to 35-28.
That three-point shot was part of an 18-4 Windom scoring run that led to the Eagles taking a 41-39 lead.
The Eagles took their first lead of the game with 11 minutes left in regulation.
An Ahrendt bucket tied the game back up at 41-41. The Cardinals knocked down a three-pointer to go up 44-41.
The Eagles went on a 7-0 run to take a 48-44 lead.
Beyer knocked down a three-pointer to trim Windom’s lead to 53-51.
With 50.7 seconds left in the game, Ahrendt knocked down a three-pointer to trim Windom’s lead to 59-56. Unfortunately for the Cardinals that would be the last made basket of the season, as the Eagles held on to win 63-56.
Ahrendt led the Cardinals with 16 points.
Cowell finished the game with 12 points.
Beyer knocked down three three-pointers and finished the game with 11 points.
Rops reached double figures with 10 points.
With the loss, the Cardinals finished the season with a 14-4 record.
It marked the final game for eight seniors, Cowell, Rops, Beyer, LaShad Smith, Kaden DeSollar, Benjamin Jarchow, and Justin Dolhmann.
“It’s rare to have eight seniors that stick it out all the way through and I’m really proud of all of them,” Luverne head coach John Sichmeller said.
“Some of them played a lot and some a little, but they were all equally important to our program. They were a really fun group of kids that brought energy and effort every day to practice and games. Most importantly they’re all really good kids.”
 
LHS 35 21 56
Windom 28 35 63
 
Scoring: Ahrendt 16; Cowell 12; Beyer 11; Rops 10
Rebounds: Cole-Kraty 8
Assists: Cole-Kraty 3
Blocks: Ahrendt 3

The Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball season came to an end Thursday, March 18, when they lost to Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 67-51.
The Patriots trailed 37-29 at the half.
H-BC opened scoring in the second half to trim HLOF’s lead to 37-31.
Following H-BC’s bucket, the Coyotes went on an 8-0 run to build a 45-31 lead.
A Cole Baker three-point play cut HLOF’s lead to 45-36.
The Coyotes responded again with a 10-0 run to build a 55-36 lead.
The Coyotes kept their foot on the gas and went on to win 67-51 over the Patriots.
Oliver Deelstra scored 18 points for H-BC. Deelstra also grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds.
Cole Baker scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds.
In his final game as a Patriot,  Zander Wysong scored seven points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out five assists. It was the type of all-around performance that Wysong was accustomed to delivering during his time on the hardwood for H-BC.
With the loss, the Patriots finished the 2021 campaign with a 9-9 overall record.
 
H-BC 39 22 51
HLOF 37 30 67
 
Scoring: Baker 18; Deelstra 18; Wysong 7
Rebounds: Deelstra 8; Baker 6; Wysong 5
Assists: Wysong 5

The Luverne wrestling team competed in the individual section tournament in Redwood Falls on Tuesday, March 16.
Luverne had three wrestlers reach the third-place match in their respective weight classes. Unfortunately for the three Cardinal grapplers, those third-place matches were not wrestled.
 
Riley Cowell
Cowell capped off his prep wrestling career by going 2-1 and earning a spot in the third-place match in the section tournament. Both of Cowell’s victories were by pinfall.
Cowell opened the tournament by defeating Worthington’s Oliver Ortiz Perez by fall.
In the second round, Cowell fell to Fairmont-Martin County West's Jesse Potts by a 9-7 decision.
Cowell defeated Marshall’s Brett Regnier by fall to earn a spot in the third-place match.
 
Braydon Ripka
Ripka opened the section tournament with a 7-5 decision victory over Redwood Valley’s Jaxon Lang.
In the next round, Ripka lost to Worthington’s Damon Schuts by fall.
Ripka earned a spot in the third-place match by defeating Dawson-Boyd-Lac Qui Parle-Montevideo United’s Kadin Huntley by decision (6-2).
 
Hunter Baker
Baker opened the section tournament with a pinfall victory over Marshall’s Lukas Stelter.
Baker lost the next match by decision (10-3) to Dain Mortenson.
Baker won his next match by major decision (14-3) to earn a spot in the third-place match.
The individual section tournament marked the last time that seniors Cowell and Baker wrestled for the Cardinals.
“The experience that they brought to the team will be hard to replace,” Luverne head coach Jordan Kopp said. “The way they went at it in the practice room will be missed.”

The Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ basketball team and Southwest Minnesota Christian have squared off in the section tournament four straight years.
The Eagles have won all four of those matchups, with the previous three meetings being in the section semifinals.
Those two teams met again in the section semifinals on Monday, March 22, in Edgerton. Once again the Eagles had the Patriots’ number, with the home team picking up a 61-54 victory to advance to the section championship.
H-BC senior Abby Knobloch scored the first four points of the game for the Patriots to help them get out to a 4-2 lead.
The Eagles then went on a 6-0 run to take an 8-4 lead.
The Patriots responded by scoring the next five points of the game to take a 9-8 lead. Unfortunately for the Patriots, that would be their last lead of the game.
The home team went on an 18-0 run to build a 26-9 lead.
Taryn Rauk scored a bucket to end H-BC’s drought and cut the Eagles’ lead to 26-11. The next time down the court Kenadie Fick knocked down a three-pointer to cut the lead t0 14.
At the half Southwest Minnesota Christian led 32-17.
The Patriots showed their grit by opening the second half on a 13-3 run to cut the Eagles’ lead to 36-30.
With the Patriots trailing 43-33, Rauk knocked down a three-pointer to get the lead back down to single digits.
A Fick three-pointer trimmed the Eagles’ lead to 55-48.
In the end, H-BC’s comeback bid fell short, as they lost to the Eagles 61-54.
 
H-BC 57, MCC 39
The Patriots opened the section tournament in Hills on Tuesday, March 16, with a 57-29 victory over Murray County Central.
The Patriots outscored the Rebels 29-17 in the first half. That 12-point first-half lead held as the Patriots outscored MCC 28-22 in the second half.
Rauk led the Patriots with 20 points.
Knobloch finished with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Sam Moser chipped in with eight points. Moser also recorded four steals.
 
H-BC 61, RRC 44
The Patriots split the regular-season series against Red Rock Central, with the Patriots winning in Lamberton 45-42 and the Falcons winning in Hills 60-57.
The two Red Rock Conference foes looked like they were in for another nail-biting finish, with the Patriots clinging to a 25-24 first-half lead in the section quarterfinals on Friday, March 19.
There would be no close finish in this contest, as the Patriots outscored the Falcons 36-20 in the second half to pick up the 61-44 victory.
Rauk finished the game with 24 points.
Knobloch scored 16 points, dished out eight assists, and recorded five steals.
Fick scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
The Patriots finished the season with a 16-5 record and for the fourth straight year reached the section semifinals.
 
H-BC 17 37 54
SWMNC 32 28 61
 
Scoring: Fick 15; Knobloch 12; Rauk 11; Moser 9; LaRock 5
Rebounds: Knobloch 9; Fick 7; Rauk 6; Bos 6
Assists: Knobloch 5
 
H-BC 29 28 59
MCC 17 22 39
 
Scoring: Rauk 20; Knobloch 12; Moser 8; Fick 7; Deelstra 7
Rebounds: Knobloch 5
Assists: Knobloch 4; LaRock 4
Steals: Knobloch 4; Moser 4; Fick 4; Deelstra 3
 
H-BC 25 36 61
RRC 24 20 44
Scoring: Rauk 24; Knobloch 16; Fick 13; LaRock 6
Rebounds: Fick 9;  Bos 5; LaRock 5
Assists: Knobloch 8; Elbers 4
Steals: Knobloch 5; Rauk 3

Ted G. Lingen, 55, Jasper, died Wednesday, March 17, 2021, at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
A funeral service was Monday, March 22, at St. Leo Catholic Church in Pipestone. Burial followed at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Jasper.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home in Pipestone, www.hartquistfuneral.com.
(0325 DN)

A memorial service for Mike Bonnema will be at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 27, with visitation at 2 p.m., at the Steen Reformed Church in Steen. Lunch will be provided following the service.
 (0325)

Claudette Jean Thone, 85, Mission Viejo, California, died Sunday, March 14, 2021, at her home.
A funeral service was Saturday, March 20, at the First Baptist Church in Luverne. Burial was in Memory Gardens Cemetery in Luverne.
Claudette Selness was born on Feb. 23, 1936, in Minneapolis. She graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 1953 and then attended the University of Minnesota where she took pre-med courses.
Claudette married Lowell Thone on March 5, 1955. In their first years of marriage they farmed near Beaver Creek. They also lived in Great Falls, Montana, Mountain Lake, and the Minneapolis suburbs. After retirement, they returned to the family farm for 13 years. They then moved to Mission Viejo to be near family.
Claudette was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Luverne and also Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie. She served in the Missionary Society, as a Sunday school teacher and as a nursery volunteer. She loved being a homemaker, wife, mother and grandmother. She also enjoyed gardening and travel, especially a trip to the Holy Lands.
Claudette is survived by her husband, Lowell Thone; three daughters, Lynette (DeVon) Wiens of Trabuco Canyon, California, Marcia (Dale) Hummel of Chanhassen, and Sherri (Ron) Alden of San Juan Capistrano, California; nine grandchildren, Amber (Kevin) Grant, Amanda (Nick) Bockelman, Laura (Jeff) Senters, Benjamin (Sarah) Hummel, Bethany (Pablo) Lozada, Timothy Hummel, Brett (Lauren) Alden, Aubree Alden, and Spencer (Jessica) Alden; 16 great-grandchildren; siblings Sharon (Edward) Green of Plymouth, Susan (Randall) Williams of Plano, Texas, and Wayne (Lana) Selness of Los Angeles, California.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
(0325 F)

Virgil Nickolas Schutz, 93, Luverne, formerly of Adrian, died Sunday, March 21, 2021, at his home.
A funeral Mass was Wednesday, March 24, at St. Adrian Catholic Church in Adrian. Burial, with full military honors provided by the Adrian American Legion, was in the St. Adrian Cemetery.
Virgil Schutz was born on Oct. 26, 1927, to John and Ann (Finke) Schutz in Adrian. He spent most of his life in Adrian, graduating from Saint Adrian Catholic School in 1945. He was an active member of St. Adrian Parish.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduation from high school and served aboard the destroyer R P Leary during World War II. After serving in the Navy, he attended college at Worthington Community College.
In February 1951 Virgil was drafted into the U.S. Army and served for two years. In June of 1952 he requested a leave and came home to marry Mary Ann Schraad. They lived in Enterprise, Alabama, until his discharge in 1953. Returning home to Adrian, Virgil worked for his father at Schutz Hardware. He purchased the store in 1959 and continued his career there until 1992.
Virgil was a lifelong member of the Saint Joseph Society and Knights of Columbus. He was also an active member of the American Legion. He was an original member of the Nobles County Park Board and served on the Adrian Fire Department from 1948 until his retirement. Virgil was also a member of the Adrian State Bank Board of Directors.
He loved to hunt, fish, travel and execute elaborate pranks. He has visited all fifty states in the United States as well as New Zealand and many trips to Europe. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren were a great joy to him in his later years. Virgil and Mary moved to Luverne in 2006 and became members of Saint Catherine Church.
Virgil is survived by his wife, Mary; children Cheryl (Mike) Cox of Luverne, Judy (Mark) Barlow of Rochester, and Tom (Karla) Schutz of Prior Lake; 10 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and special daughter Anja and her family in Germany; brother Jack (Liliane) Schutz of Edina; and sister Beverly Knips of Bloomington.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Kathleen; a son, Mark; and a grandson, Brian Cox.
Memorials are preferred to the Preservation of St. Adrian Catholic Church Fund, 512 Maine Ave., Adrian, MN  56110.
Arrangements were provided by Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne, dingmannandsons.com.
(0325 F)

Darlene Opal Ruud, 88, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, formerly of Hills, died Friday, March 19, 2021, at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls.
A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 25, with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m., at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. Masks will be required and social distancing will be observed. Burial will follow at Flowerfield Cemetery in Hills.
The link for the live-streamed funeral service is www.hartquistfuneral.com
Darlene Ellefson was born on Jan. 16, 1933, to John and Della (Lewis) Ellefson in Hardwick. Darlene was raised on the family farm. After completing eighth grade of country school, she began working on the farm. She later obtained her GED. Darlene received her confirmation on Oct. 6, 1946.
On Dec. 30, 1951, Darlene married Robert Ruud at Bethany Lutheran Church in Luverne. While her husband, Robert, was in the Air Force, the couple lived in Gulfport, Mississippi, Columbus, Ohio, and Merced, California. After Robert was discharged from the Air Force in 1954, they moved to Worthington and then to Minneapolis. They moved around frequently through their adult lives due to Robert’s employment with IBM. Residences included Marquette, Michigan (1958-1960), Sioux City, Iowa (1960-1964), Mahopac, New York (1964 - 1991), White Plains, New York (1991-2005), and finally back to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to be closer to family (2005-2021).
Darlene spent much of her life as a housewife, raising their six children. When their two youngest children were in high school in the mid 1970s, Darlene joined the workforce as an account administrator with Sears and IBM Employees Federal Credit Union.
Darlene was a founding member of Grace Lutheran Church in Jefferson Valley, New York (1964-2005). She sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, and was a member of the administration. She was actively involved as a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls (2008-2021) where she participated in Bible study and volunteered in various capacities.
Darlene volunteered at the senior service center, was a donor to the Humane Society, and was involved with Sons of Norway since the mid-’70s. She sponsored children from Honduras and families through Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
She enjoyed bird watching, crossword puzzles, embroidery, crochet and maintaining her houseplants. She also enjoyed puzzles on the computer while listening to audiobooks or her daily devotions, and she loved pets.
Darlene enjoyed socializing with friends and taking road trips with her family. She visited 49 states (only missing Hawaii) with her husband, Bob. She eventually traveled to Hawaii with her youngest son, Eric, and his family.
Darlene is survived by her children, Joel (partner Elizabeth Nicholson) Ruud of Atlanta, Georgia, David (Janis) Ruud of Holmes, New York, Stanley (Lisa Rae) Ruud of Edina, Jason (Mary) Ruud of Plymouth, and Eric (Melissa) Ruud of Savage; 14 grandchildren, Jeffrey, Cali, Andrew, Holly, Kirsten, Karly, Evelyn, Dana, Christopher, Vincent, Grace, Kayla, Jessica, and Jacob; four great-grandchildren; sister Jessie Wenzel of Luverne; sister-in-law Beverly (Ruud) (Bill) Simpson of Sioux Falls; and brother-in-law Stuart (Kay) Ruud of Brooklyn Park.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert Ruud; daughter Rhona Ruud; sisters Mattie Petersen and Ruby Dibbern; infant sister LaVon; and parents-in-law Elmer and Irene Ruud.
Arrangements are provided by Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne.
(0325 F)