A transformation has taken place this winter, and I’m embarrassed to say that it came to my attention only in recent days.The reality of this transformation didn’t enter my mind on Saturday afternoon when I left the Luverne-St. James girls’ basketball game feeling a little disappointed.In what could be a preview of the South Section 3AA semifinal game between the third-seeded Cardinals and the second-seeded Saints, I thought Saturday would be a perfect opportunity for the local girls to make a statement.A win over a potential tournament opponent would have, in my opinion, sent the Cardinals into post-season play with a head of steam. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. The LHS girls didn’t turn in their best performance on Saturday, and the end result was a nine-point loss.About two days later, the reality of the new situation the LHS girls’ basketball team is in hit me in the head like a hammer: The Cardinals are not a basketball push-over anymore. They may be the most improved team in Southwest Minnesota this winter, and I now realize that my expectations have changed every time I take in one of their games.That’s a good thing, and it’s time to give LHS coach Jason Phelps and his Cardinals credit for what they have accomplished this year. After doing some research on Monday afternoon, I found out they really have accomplished a lot.During the first four years of Phelps’ tenure, the Cards compiled a 15-79 record that included two three-win seasons, one four-win year and one five-win campaign.Heading into Tuesday’s game against JCC, a team LHS beat in December, the Cardinals sported a 12-10 mark. With a win over the Huskies and victory over Redwood Valley (in the tournament opener 7 p.m. Saturday in Luverne), the Cards would get the chance to match their win output in the prior four seasons in one year on Tuesday night.Prior to this season, Luverne had won one conference game under Phelps’ guidance. A win over JCC Tuesday would complete a 6-6 SWC campaign for LHS. At the same time, it would lock up Luverne’s first winning season since the 1997-98 team went 17-7 under former LHS coach Jody Buck.The highlights of the year to this point have been a pair of five-game winning streaks. The Cards posted trophy wins over Pipestone, the No. 1 seed for the South Section 3AA Tournament, and Murray County Central, the co-Red Rock Conference champion and No. 1 seed for the South Section 3A Tournament.Four of Luverne’s 10 losses came against traditional basketball powers Worthington (both games were decided by less than nine points) and Marshall.As the season has progressed, the Cardinals managed to reach all of their pre-season goals except one."Looking at the schedule, I was thinking we would win around 10 games," Phelps said."Our goals were to win a few more conference games, finish the year with a .500 record and be seeded as one of the teams in the top-half of our section so we could play a tournament game at home. Our other goal is to win a couple of games in the tournament."Luverne’s success on the court is the result of being a balanced team with a blend of experience and youthful talent.The Cards stick mainly to a seven-player rotation that is led by five-year senior starter Maggie Kuhlman, and two-plus-season junior starters Mindy Nieuwboer and Samantha Gacke.Senior defensive specialist Tori Snyder, a two-year fixture in the lineup, and junior first-year-starter Erin Hoiland round out the starting five. Juniors Alyssa Klein and Brittany Vogt have come off the bench to make important contributions to the team’s success."We are a well-balanced team offensively with an inside and an outside game, and we’re very versatile defensively," Phelps said.Phelps insists his coaching tactics have not changed this year, but he says on-court success has made some of the mundane chores like breaking down game film and scouting opponents more enjoyable.The best part of this new experience is seeing hard work of a 25-game summer schedule and after-school practice sessions paying off for his veteran players."It’s been nice for me to see Mindy, Maggie and Sam having a little more success after going through a couple of rough seasons," he said.As for myself, I’ve enjoyed watching the Cardinals improve as a team.I shouldn’t have left the gym Saturday disappointed with the outcome of one game. Instead, I should have been celebrating the positive strides LHS has taken as a basketball program this year.
