WORTHINGTON -- Two area teams remain in the Section 3AA South boys basketball tournament.
Luverne, the top seed and defending champion, looks to continue its run to Minneapolis when it hosts No. 4-seed and Southwest Conference-foe Redwood Valley in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader. Tip time is set for 6 p.m.
In the second game, third-seeded Windom looks to reach the South final when it takes on No. 2 Martin County West That game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
No. 4 RV (12-13)
at No. 1 Luverne (18-6)
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Luverne had been on a brief two-game skid toward the end of the season before pulling off back-to-back victories against Jackson County Central and Murray County Central, then beating the Huskies again in Saturday's opener.
The top-seeded Cardinals never trailed in the game, but did see the eighth-seeded Huskies rally from an 11-point deficit to within one, 44-43, with 1 minute, 32 seconds left. However, a steal from both Nick Heronimus and Marc Boelman helped preserve the lead, and the victory.
Redwood Valley advanced by overcoming a hot start by the Pipestone Area Arrows, rallying for a 65-58 victory. The fourth-seeded Cardinals had trailed at the half by 11, 40-29, before rallying back.
No. 3 Windom (17-9) vs. No. 2 MCW (22-4)
Windom entered the playoffs on a bit of a downward trend, having lost three straight games.
After Saturday's game, that seems like a distant memory.
Windom used a 41-12 run over the final 12 minutes of the first half, turning what had been a close game with Tracy-Milroy-Balaton into an easy victory, 77-54.
The Eagles have turned around their scoring defense. Despite allowing nearly 70 points per game this season, Windom has held three of its last four opponents -- including Saturday's game with T-M-B -- to no more than 54 points.
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Martin County West has averaged 62 points per game during the season, but its recent play suggests Windom's recent defensive trend could continue. The Mavericks have not broke the 60-point barrier in the last five games, including a 44-point performance in Saturday's victory against St. James.
But what has worked for the Mavericks this year has been their defense, ranking as the stingiest in Section 3AA with an average of 47 points per game allowed.
