By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls’ hockey team posted a win during the first round of the Dodge County Shootout in Kasson Monday.Luverne met Southwest Conference foe Worthington in the first round of the four-team, round-robin event.The Cardinals gained the upper hand in what will be a three-game series during the regular season with the Trojans by defeating Worthington 5-1.With Natalie Domagala and Sadie Dietrich leading the way, the Cardinals turned in a dominating offensive performance that featured LHS outshooting Worthington 55-20 in the game.Domagala scored two goals and notched a pair of assists during the win. Dietrich added two goals to the cause.Dietrich opened the scoring at the 6:38 mark of the first period after being set up by Domagala.Domagala made it a 2-0 game with an unassisted goal at the 3:08 mark of the second period, but Worthington’s Annie Forsburgh sliced Luverne’s lead in half (2-1) with a goal with 3:16 left in the second period.Luverne’s special teams netted three goals to put the game away in the third period.Natalie Morgan scored a power-play goal with 11:17 remaining after being set up by Taylor Nelson and Domagala.Luverne was in three-on-five short-handed situations when Dietrich and Domagala scored goals at the 7:26 and 6:53 marks of the stanza to cap the scoring.Sarah Schneekloth went the distance in net for LHS, making 19 saves in 20 attempts.The Cards were scheduled to play Dodge County Tuesday before ending the tournament with a Wednesday game against Waseca.Luverne will play Dodge County in Kasson Saturday before hosting Worthington Tuesday.

By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth boys’ basketball team earned a berth in the championship game of the Mitchell (S.D.) Holiday Tournament by posting a pair of wins at the event.Ellsworth registered a 31-point victory over White Lake in Friday’s opening round before coasting to a 62-point win over Wessington Springs in Saturday’s semifinals.The 4-4 Panthers took a season-long three-game winning streak into the event’s championship game against Geddes played Tuesday, Dec. 30. Ellsworth plays Southwest Star Concept in Okabena Monday.Ellsworth 86, WS 24The Panthers dominated play while securing a 62-point win over an inexperienced WS team during Saturday’s semifinals in Mitchell.Ellsworth made 54 percent of its field goals while outscoring WS in all four of the game’s quarters."WS is a younger squad that might be all right in a couple of years," said Panther coach Ken Kvaale. "Their coach told me that his players were intimidated in our game. It was a nice win for us, because it got us back to the .500 mark and was our third win in a row."The Panthers limited WS to 14 points in the game’s first three quarters.EHS sported 21-6, 43-11 and 66-14 advantages at the quarter breaks.Ellsworth’s reserves outscored WS 20-10 in the fourth quarter to make it a 62-point difference at game’s end.Brian Gacke recorded a double-double for the winners by scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Todd Alberty and Cody Schilling led the Panthers with 20 and 17 points, while Tom Janssen and Ben Herman chipped in 14 and 11 points respectively.Adam Sieff passed for 15 assists in the game. Herman, who collected nine rebounds, tied Janssen for the team lead with three steals.Box scoreJanssen 3 2 2-4 14, Schilling 6 1 2-2 17, Sieff 0 0 1-2 1, Alberty 10 0 0-0 20, Bittner 0 1 1-2 4, Herman 3 1 2-2 11, Tresbesch 0 0 0-1 0, Gacke 4 0 5-7 13, Klaassen 1 0 0-0 2, Farrell 1 0 2-2 4.Team statisticsEllsworth: 54 percent field goals

Luverne junior guard John Tofteland rips down a rebound during the opening round of the Luverne Boys' Basketball Classic Monday in Luverne.By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys’ basketball team advanced to the championship game of the Luverne Holiday Classic Tournament Monday night.The Cardinals took on Westbrook-Walnut Grove for the right to play Lake Benton in Tuesday’s title tilt in the Luverne Elementary School.After falling behind by two points in the first quarter, the Cards went on to outscore the Chargers 47-18 the rest of the night to secure a 58-31 victory.The win was Luverne’s third straight and it upped the Cardinals’ record to 3-3 heading into the championship game with Lake Benton. This will be the second straight year Luverne played in the championship game of its own tournament.After W-WG scored the game’s first four points, Luverne gained its first lead at 5-4 when Brandon Deragisch converted a field goal at the 5:36 mark of the first quarter.The score was tied at nine when Luverne’s Nick Heronimus sank a pair of free throws with 3:39 remaining in the stanza, but W-WG sported a 4-2 scoring edge the rest of the quarter to lead 13-11 at period’s end.Scott Boelman connected for a pair of field goals to give the Cards a 17-15 lead that swelled to five points (24-19) when Andy Stegemann connected for a field goal with 2:11 remaining in the first half.The teams exchanged two points during the final two minutes of the period, leaving Luverne with a 26-21 halftime advantage.A field goal by Boelman at the 4:20 mark of the third quarter capped a 5-0 run that gave LHS a 31-21 cushion.W-WG pulled within eight points (31-23) when Luverne embarked on an 11-1 run capped by a field goal from Josh Lange with 22 seconds remaining to give the Cardinals a 42-24 lead at the end of three periods.Luverne led by as many as 29 points during a fourth quarter in which it outscored W-WG 16-7 to prevail by 27 points.Deragisch scored 11 points to lead the Cards in scoring during the contest.John Tofteland and Brad Herman nabbed seven and six rebounds respectively. Jared Pick recorded five assists and three steals.The Cardinals are scheduled to host Jackson County Central Saturday and Blue Earth Tuesday.Box scorePick 2 0 2-3 6, Tofteland 2 0 1-2 5, Graphenteen 0 0 0-0 0, Herman 2 0 0-0 4, Deragisch 5 0 1-2 11, Hendricks 0 0 0-0 0, Antoine 0 1 1-2 4, Stegemann 2 0 1-2 5, Willers 0 0 2-2 2, S.Boelman 4 0 0-0 8, M.Boelman 1 0 0-0 2, Heronimus 0 0 2-2 2, Lange 4 0 1-1 9.Team statisticsLuverne: 23 of 63 field goals (37 percent), 11 of 16 free throws (69 percent), 32 rebounds, seven turnovers.W-WG: 11 of 35 field goals (31 percent), six of 22 free throws (27 percent), 25 rebounds, 16 turnovers.

By Lori EhdeTwenty-one Rock County businesses were secretly tested Friday for compliance with Minnesota’s underage drinking laws.Of those, seven businesses failed to comply and now face possible penalties for selling alcohol to someone younger than 21 years old.According to information from the Rock County Sheriff’s office, businesses who sold to minors include Casey’s on East Main Street, Citgo on North Highway 75, Luverne Lanes bowling alley, Magnolia Steak House, Sharkee’s, the Eagles Club, and the Hardwick Green Lantern.Two 20-year-old men from Yankton and Del Rapids, S.D., attempted purchases at all Rock County businesses with liquor licenses.The minors were volunteers from a regional anti-drug, alcohol and tobacco group."That’s what we do so there aren’t repercussions to a local kid," said Rock County Sheriff Mike Winkels.He said Rock and Nobles County sheriff departments assist each other with regular compliance checks, which are required by state law.The last check in Rock County was August 2002, at which time only two businesses, Ampride Pump ’N Pak and the Beaver Creek Golf Course, sold to minors.Employees who failed to check identification could face criminal charges of selling to a minor, a gross misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of a $3,000 fine, a year in jail or both.This year’s non-compliant businesses may also face civil penalties as a result of the sting. Under Luverne City Code, the stores are subject to licensing penalties that can include imposition of civil fines and suspension or revocation of liquor licenses.In a 1999 compliance check, employees at both Citgo and Casey’s (this time on South Highway 75), sold to minors.

By Sara StrongThe city of Luverne gave notice to Rock County last week that it was going to terminate its dispatching contract, which had been in existence for 34 years. The Rock County Board of Commissioners reacted Monday by terminating its 27-year partnership with the Pool and Fitness Center.Both contracts would come to an end in 2005.The county and city share many contracts and service arrangements, and each are watching out for their own budgets, while under state levy limits and getting less state aid.County Administrator Kyle Oldre said, "It doesn’t do anybody any good to do cost shifting between the local governments."However, the Board of Commissioners said it had to react as it did, because it expected more negotiations from the city before receiving notice of the dispatch contract termination. Commissioners said that the possibility of losing $155,847 next year in dispatch contract fees left them scraping for other places to cut — and the Pool and Fitness is an area that the county isn’t obligated to fund.Rock County was scheduled to pay $62,000 next year in the Pool and Fitness Center partnership.Oldre said it is difficult for the county to raise extra money with levy limits, reduced state funding and many expenses that are uncontrollable, such as out of home placements in Family Services or prisoner costs.The County is required to provide some degree of dispatch services. Now, it refers water, sewer and electrical calls to the city, and keeps records in the Sheriff’s Office. So dispatchers do more than answer 911 calls 24 hours a day.Commissioner Richard Bakken said, "Based on our joint meeting, Dec. 1, I thought the contracts were going to be reviewed and discussed. It doesn’t show much good faith on the part of the city, since I anticipated a time of negotiation."The Luverne City Council said it must terminate the contract in order to negotiate. Otherwise, the council said, it would be tied to the agreement until 2005, even if it wasn’t satisfied with the negotiation results.Rock County Board Chairman Ron Boyenga said he thought the dispatch contract termination was being used as a negotiation tool. In the past, the city and county have amended joint contracts after negotiations, without terminating agreements. Commissioner Bob Jarchow said, "All we can do is hope that it’s a negotiation ploy. If it goes past that, every citizen in Luverne and Rock County will lose."County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said, "It’s a horrible situation to try to guess what their intent is."Commissioner Ken Hoime said, "Granted, we want to get along with the city, but they’ve made their intent known and now we made ours known."Second thoughtsCommissioner Jane Wildung said she was uncomfortable with the level of distrust brewing between the government bodies. In the spirit of continued cooperation, she considered voting against terminating the Pool and Fitness Center agreement."This is really bothering me. It’s not the way I like to operate," Wildung said.She said she doesn’t want to terminate long-standing contracts for the purposes of negotiation, when they could be amended without bad feelings. "When the County Board says something, it means it," she said. "If this continues, are we going to come to some understanding between the groups?""I hope so," Klosterbuer said.He said he assumed that after the Dec. 1 joint board meeting, the city would negotiate with the county without terminating a contract before talks even began. Bakken said that although the county has to look out for it’s own budget, he didn’t want to get into a game of terminating joint contracts or agreements back and forth."We could go on until we turn this thing into a one-legged stool," Bakken said. "We don’t want to get to that point."Wildung said she looks forward to talking to councilmen in person rather than communicating through resolutions and meeting minutes.The city and county have scheduled a meeting for mid-January when they can discuss dispatching and other law enforcement issues.The city is also a partner in the Rock County Sheriff’s Department (separate from the dispatch contract), paying a contract fee of $446,852.Excerpts from the resolution the County Board unanimously passed, terminating the 1993 pool agreement:"The county believes that the various agreements and contracts between the city and county are best examined as a collective package so as to better understand and appreciate the net effect on the budgets of the city and the county and that approaching the negotiations on a piecemeal basis increases the likelihood of producing less desirable results and threatens the delivery of services."… Prior to commencing any negotiations, the city of Luverne has notified the county that it has terminated the joint powers agreement for dispatching services and rental agreement effective Dec. 31 2004."… The county believes that dispatch services are a vital and essential service and must continue to be provided even without funding contribution from the city of Luverne."… The county does not have other revenue sources to replace such lost revenue other than to increase the tax levy, if permitted by the state. "… The county must take reasonable and prudent steps to preserve its options to reduce spending for 2005 in the event the city makes an insufficient payment toward the cost of dispatching services. "… The county believes that the services provided to its citizens by the Rock County Community Swimming Pool and Fitness Center are valuable and significantly contribute to the health and well being of its citizens and improve the overall quality of life within Rock County, including the city of Luverne."… County dispatch services are essential as they directly relate to providing assistance in emergency situations affecting life and property and such services must be maintained and provided, even if it means reducing or eliminating other valuable services, including the pool."… The county has no choice but to take precautionary and protective action to try and preserve sufficient funds from its finite revenues for 2005 to provide all essential services. The unilateral decision by the city to terminate the joint powers agreement for dispatch services and rental agreement prior to even commencing negotiations with the county effectively eliminates a revenue source for the county."

Per its annual New Year’s Eve tradition, Hills Crescent staff recently combed 12 months worth of published Crescents for news highlights of the previous year.In 2003, despite their sleepy, small-town reputations, Hills, Beaver Creek and Steen communities produced a fair amount of notable news.Following is a week-by-week compilation of those highlights:January 2, 2003A venture into the wind energy market by two local investment groups has gone well so far, according to Minwind I president Mark Willers.The first wind generator, three miles southeast of Beaver Creek or seven miles southwest of Luverne, started operation Wed., Oct. 8, 2002.Jan. 9, 2003Shareholders in Hills-Beaver Creek Co-op Farm Service will vote Monday, Feb. 3, on whether or not to merge with New Vision Co-op, Worthington. In late September, the board was forced to begin reviewing options for the cooperative with locations in Hills and Beaver Creek.Jan. 16, 2003The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board voted 4–2 Monday to allow voters to decide whether to build new locker rooms and a fitness facility at the high school. If passed, the proposed levy would increase taxes by 35 cents per acre per year on ag land and $5 on homes with a market value of $40,000, according to estimates by Superintendent Dave Deragisch.Jan. 23, 2003After 25 years of wearing a badge in Rock County, former Sheriff Ron McClure returns to civilian life this year. He lost the last sheriff election to Mike Winkels and decided to see it as a chance to start over. What he’ll be doing – other that fishing – is still unknown. But at 56, he said there’s plenty of time to "see what comes up."Jan. 30, 2003Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School students are saving their pennies and spare change this month and bringing the money to school. Each classroom has a can for students to drop spare change into for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients program.Feb. 6, 2003A Hills-Beaver Creek High School junior joined a select group of the school’s past athletes during Thursday’s girls’ basketball game against Edgerton Public in Hills. Erin Boeve, a 6-1 forward, became the second girl in the school’s history to reach the 1,000-point barrier during a 49-32 win over the Flying Dutchmen.Feb. 13, 2003Hills native Doug Deragisch, Marshall, has been named middle school Principal of the Year by the Minnesota Association of Middle School Principals. Deragisch, the son of Doris Deragisch Blom and the late Dean Deragisch, graduated from Hills-Beaver Creek High School in 1981. He married another Hills native, Dannette Hadler, and they have three children.Feb. 20, 2003Hills-Beaver Creek High School students audition next week for a dinner theater production planned for April 10 and 11 at Drivers Restaurant and Banquet Center at the Beaver Creek Golf Course.Feb. 27, 2003Palisade Lutheran Church is a stereotypical little country church whose new remodeling brought it up to modern standards. Now its small congregation can comfortably age in a church that’s accessible to everyone and focus on adding new members.March 6, 2003Kurt and Melissa Bly, Hills, hit the $100,000 jackpot in a Saturday, Feb. 22, Powerball lottery drawing. The couple collected their winnings, $73,000 after taxes, and plan to invest it. They hope the money will grow into a nice education fund for their kids, Houston and Regan.March 13, 2003Voters passed the $400,000 levy Tuesday, ensuring that construction on the locker room and fitness center at Hills-Beaver Creek High School will move forward. March 20, 2003The Beaver Creek Sportsmen’s Club is trying to come up with a plan to clean up the Hills Rez. During dry years like the last few years, algae and weeds grow in the pond when water movement slows or stops. The Rez is usually fed by a creek flowing from north of Hills.March 27The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board nailed down the details of the sale of $400,000 in general obligation bonds at a Monday Board meeting. Proceeds from the sale of the bonds, along with some cash assets currently on hand, will be used for the locker room construction project.April 3, 2003FBT Sawmill and Lumber, Steen, is still buzzing along. Owner Erwin Bonestroo recently branched out into furniture making.Bonestroo said they make almost anything. "If they bring in a picture and some measurements, we can make it."April 10, 2003If the weather cooperates, the Beaver Creek Golf Course will open the last week in May. All the frost has to be out of the ground and soil temperatures need to rise, according to investor Mike Blank.April 17, 2003Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary students and their families are doing their part to support American troops in Iraq. Students collected enough goods to fill 17 boxes. "Our students were interested and concerned about what was happening in Iraq," third-grade teacher Michele Baker said.April 24, 2003The Hills and Beaver Creek fire departments were called to a structure fire between 3:30 and 3:45 a.m. Thursday. When firemen arrived at 124 Main Ave., homeowner Nancy Sprouse and her dog were trapped in an upstairs bedroom. Firemen were able to rescue Sprouse with a ladder but were unable to save her dog.May 1, 2003In the swing of planting, this year’s season seems to be on track for Rock County farmers so far. "I would say it’s going very good," Rock County Farm Service Director Roger Carlson said. "They’re in full swing." Carlson estimates 60 to 70 percent of the corn crop is planted.May 8, 2003Ericka Erickson returned abruptly to the United States last month after studying at Beijing University in Beijing, China. Erickson, 21, a junior media studies major, was called home after school officials in Pitzer College determined the severity of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was too great to allow students to remain in China.May 15, 2003The Hills City Council opened three bids Tuesday for the former Patriot Academy and current barbershop building on Main Street. Eugene Immediato, Jasper, submitted the highest bid of $10,000 and the Council voted to sell him the property.May 29, 2003The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board approved the locker room addition bids Tuesday without the fitness center/weight room addition.June 5, 2003Bethlehem Lutheran Church Vacation Bible School begins next week and the organizers of the event have many fun things planned for those who attend. The whole week will "kind of bring back the old-time, old-fashioned county fair and also teach about patience, kindness, peace, love and joy, according to co-director Glenda McGaffee.June 12, 2003The Beaver Creek Golf Course is open and ready for experienced and not-so-experienced golfers. The course opened Friday, June 6, and 75 to 80 golfers tried their luck despite a lack of warm weather, according to general manager Anthony Hacker.June 19, 2003The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is sponsoring a comedy show and silent auction Monday, June 23, to raise funds for a mission trip to El Salvador. Eighteen high school and college athletes plan to leave for El Salvador Monday, July 28, and return Friday, Aug. 8.June 26, 2003Twenty Hills-Beaver Creek students and their three chaperones returned home from Costa Rica Tuesday.The group traveled to Costa Rica on an educational adventure for their high school science and Spanish classes. "I think the trip was more than we expected," teacher and chaperone Teri Richards said. "We saw such an amazing array of land."July 3, 2003Representatives of Hills area softball leagues attended the Hills-Beaver Creek School Board meeting Monday to request the district pay for two loads of agri-lime for the softball field. July 10, 2003Dave and Dawn Leenderts, Hills, will welcome not one baby, but three into their family soon. Dawn, 31, found out during a routine 19-week ultrasound in April that she was the one out of 10,000 women that conceives triplets. The test revealed that Dawn is carrying two boys and a girl.July 17, 2003Tuff Village resident Marie Hensch will celebrate "alotta living" this week. Hensch turned 100 on Wednesday, July 16. "It’s kind of scary in a way," she said. "I can’t do a lot of things I used to do." Both of Hensch’s parents lived into their 80s, a good age for their generation, so longevity does run in the family.July 24, 2003The Glen and Ann Boeve family, Steen, has been recognized as the 2003 Rock County farm family of the year. "It’s an honor to be picked," Glen said, "We were kind of surprised. It was a nice surprise." The annual award recognized outstanding farm families and their contribution to agriculture and their communities.July 31, 2003The 93rd Annual Rock County Free Fair starts today at the fairgrounds in Luverne. It will have all the usual makings of a festive, hometown county fair, including livestock shows, open class competition midway rides and corndogs.Aug. 7, 2003Three Rock County residents are recovering from injuries they received in a two-vehicle accident northwest of Hills Thursday. Sherry Knobloch, Hills; Ryan Burgers, Luverne and Chris Louwagie were in vehicles that collided at a blind, unmarked intersection about 4 1/2 miles north of Hills. Burgers said he was impressed with the way rescue workers responded to the accident. "I think the Hills Fire Department did an outstanding job," Burgers said from his hospital bed Monday. "They were there quickly and they did a very good job."Aug. 21, 2003The Dave and Dawn Leenderts household swelled by three after the birth of triplets last week, but things are running smoothly, according to the couple.August 28, 2003Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School was among 53 schools that earned a five-star rating in math and reading in the Minnesota Department of Education report card in 2003. Of 921 state schools, 114 schools received five-star rankings for reading and 92 for math. Just 53 schools received five stars in both categories.Sept. 4, 2003Todd Holtaus, new Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School principal, began his duties last week during teacher in-services. Holtaus said he’s been impressed with the staff and community. "Everybody has been so welcoming and I have heard and seen so many great things coming from the staff and their families."Sept. 11, 2003Superintendent Dave Deragisch informed the Hills-Beaver Creek school board that the district’s total enrollment is 300 students – 152 in the grade school and 149 in the high school.Sept. 18, 2003Two new deputies, Glen Reisdorfer and John McCarty, joined the Rock County Sheriff’s Department this summer. Reisdorfer grew up in Adrian and graduated from Adrian High School. McCarty grew up in Keister, a small town in eastern Minnesota. Both deputies are working as general patrol officers in Rock County.Sept. 25, 2003The five-inch drenching rain two weeks ago came too late to feed most drought damaged crops in Rock County. For that reason, Farm Service Agency Director Roger Carlson predicts a 10 to 15 percent decrease in soybean and corn yields this year.October 2, 2003As of Wednesday, Sept 24, the Cargill facility north of Hills belongs to New Vision Co-op, Worthington. Manager Frank McDowell said the purchase has been in the works for a couple of months.October 9, 2003A benefit for Chris Louwagie and his family is planned from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Pizza Ranch in Luverne. The benefit, sponsored by the Hills-Beaver Creek Education Association, will include a free-will offering and a pizza buffet with 20 percent of the proceeds donated by Pizza Ranch to the Louwagie family.Oct. 16, 2003Local law enforcement put the Beaver Creek Elementary School in "lock down" status Wednesday when Rock County law enforcement was notified a South Dakota prison escapee was headed that way. The district learned Wednesday morning that 29-year-old Jason Heasley was potentially headed for Beaver Creek. He is facing drug and burglary charges.October 23, 2003Doors remain locked and extra safety precautions in place at the Beaver Creek Elementary School as law enforcement in Minnesota and South Dakota continue to search for jail escapee Jason Lee Heasley.October 30, 2003Earlier this month six members of the Hills Senior Citizens dined out for a final farewell meeting. The group had in recent years dwindles in numbers according to president Anna Mae Top. At a regular meeting in September the group decided to disband.November 6, 2003Life in Beaver Creek is back to normal after the arrest of jail escapee Jason Lee Heasley in the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 29.November 13, 2003Local wind energy leaders cleared a monumental hurdle this fall with an agreement with Xcel Energy. Minwind I and Minwind II members have signed a 20-year agreement with Xcel and its parent company Northern States Power. With the new agreement in place, seven new wind turbines will be built 2 1/2 miles north of Beaver Creek on more than two sections of land.Nov. 26, 2003New Life Celebration Church conducted its first service at its new location in the Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School, Sunday. "We had about 140 in attendance," the Rev. J.R. Henderson said. "The transition to the new facility is going smoothly." New Life Celebration, under the Reformed Church of America, has grown steadily and the group needed more room, Henderson said.Dec. 4, 2003A daughter, Sarah Catherine, was born to Hills Crescent editor Jolene Farley, Saturday, Nov. 29. Dec. 11, 2003Hills-Beaver Creek School Board members certified the district’s tax levy at the Dec. 8 meeting. Last year the district levied $297,659 for taxes paid this year. On Monday, the Board set the levy at the maximum allowed by the state which comes to $338,060.Dec. 18, 2003Superintendent Dave Deragisch told school board members at a recent meeting that the boiler pipes in the high school may not last until spring.Dec. 24, 2003Tours of the new Hills-Beaver Creek locker rooms were punctuated with "ooohs" and "aaaahs" Saturday as district residents got their first look at the facility. Munching on chips and barbeques, curious taxpayers explored the new locker rooms and coaches offices.

By John RittenhouseA Hills-Beaver Creek sophomore lost a pair of matches as a member of the Luverne wrestling team Saturday.Kerry Fink wrestled for the Cardinals at 145 pounds during the Montevideo Tournament over the weekend.Fink went 0-2 without placing at the event.Montevideo’s Leighton Reuss scored three second-period points against Fink and made them stand up during a 3-0 victory in the tournament’s first round.MACCRAY’s Aaron Jensen pinned Fink 54 seconds into the third period during their match in the wrestlebacks.Fink and the Cardinals will wrestle at a triangular in Jackson Friday before hosting Redwood Valley Tuesday.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team snapped a two-game losing skid during the third-place game of the Albert Lea Tournament Saturday.Less than 24 hours after dropping their second consecutive decision, the Patriots ended the slide by besting Faribault Bethlehem Academy 40-29 in a game for third and fourth place.H-BC got off to a strong start by outscoring the Cardinals 17-9 in the first quarter and went on to win by 11 after fighting off some middle-quarter challenges by FBA.FBA outscored the Patriots 7-4 in the second period to slice H-BC’s lead down to five points (21-16) at the intermission before coming within four points (29-25) of the Patriots in the third quarter.H-BC, however, outscored the Cardinals 11-4 in the final eight minutes of play to win the game by 11 points.Trey Van Wyhe, one of three Patriots to score nine points in the game, was selected to the all-tournament team at game’s end.Tyler Bush scored nine points and led the Patriots with 12 rebounds and seven assists.Zach Wysong added nine points to the cause, while Kale Wiertzema chipped in 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.The 6-2 Patriots play a road game against Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Tuesday.Box scoreBush 2 0 5-6 9, Wysong 3 1 0-0 9, Jackson 0 0 0-0 0, Broesder 1 0 1-2 3, Wiertzema 2 1 0-0 7, Van Wyhe 4 0 1-2 9, Spykerboer 0 0 0-0 0, LeBoutillier 0 0 3-4 3.Team statisticsH-BC: 14 of 34 field goals (41 percent), 10 of 14 free throws (71 percent), 35 rebounds, 14 turnovers.FBA: 11 of 43 field goals (26 percent), four of five free throws (80 percent), 34 rebounds, 19 turnovers.

Hills-Beaver Creek guard Brittney Rozeboom delivers a pass in traffic during a recent girls' basketball game in Hills.By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ basketball team captured the championship trophy of the Albert Lea Holiday Tournament by defeating Minneapolis South 58-48 during Saturday’s title game in Albert Lea.An outstanding defensive performance by the Patriots helped them overcome a shooting slump early in the contest, and that proved to be a deciding factor in the game.The Patriots could have fallen into a deep hole after missing all 14 of their field-goal attempts in the first quarter of play, but they limited the Tigers to four points in the same period and trailed 4-2 at quarter’s end.The Patriots found their shooting touch while making 10 of 19 shots in the second quarter and went on to beat MS by 10 points at game’s end."We were zero of 14 from the floor in the first quarter," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "We were getting good looks and taking good shots, but they wouldn’t go down for us. Thankfully, we defended them well in the first quarter and held them to four points."Senior Erin Boeve was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player along with earning a spot on the all-tournament team. She provided some offensive spark when she scored 14 of her team-high 29 points when the Patriots outscored the Tigers 31-10 in the second quarter to gain a 33-14 halftime lead.Kerri Fransman, who scored 13 points for H-BC, nailed three three-point shots during the second-quarter uprising.MS did trim the difference to six points (39-33) by the end of the third quarter, but the Tigers were unable to close the gap in the fourth quarter as H-BC outscored them 19-15 in the final eight minutes to win by 10.Brittney Rozeboom, who also earned a spot on the all-tournament team, had seven rebounds and four assists in the championship game. Boeve and Amanda Olson added 12 and seven rebounds to the winning cause. Melinda Sandstede charted four assists.The 5-4 Patriots host Red Rock Central Tuesday.Box scoreRozeboom 2 0 1-3 5, Fransman 1 3 2-2 13, Bush 0 1 2-6 5, Sandstede 0 0 2-2 2, Boeve 8 0 13-17 29, Olson 0 0 4-4 4, Mulder 0 0 0-0 0.Team statisticsH-BC: 15 of 46 field goals (33 percent), 24 of 33 field goals (73 percent), 36 rebounds, 19 turnovers.MS: 16 of 52 field goals (31 percent), 11 of 19 free throws (58 percent), 29 rebounds, 17 turnovers.