By:Shayla Terry

Last weekend the Luverne Tigers competed in the Brantley High School Christmas Tournament. Though they did not win, they had a successful showing against the Bulldogs.

In the first game, the Tigers played the Goshen High School Eagles. Luverne is set to compete against the Eagles in their regular season during the month of January.

“We didn’t play as well against Goshen as I would’ve liked,” LHS Head Coach Richard Dorsey said.

“They’re a good team.”

Dorsey says that the team struggled with turnovers during the first half. Yet, the Tigers were able to pick up some momentum during the second half.

The momentum wasn’t enough to stop the Eagles. The Tigers eventually fell to the Eagles, and Goshen went on to win the tournament.

In their second game, Luverne competed against Highland Home. The boys had already beaten the Squadron in their season opener 51-33.

In an intense game, the Tigers were always within reach of a victory, yet time was not on their side. Highland Home defeated the Tigers.

“They had more energy than us,” Dorsey said.

“They focused, and they played hard.”

Luverne’s varsity team is still adjusting to the loss of starting guard Thailon Gandy due to a broken leg during a regular season game.

“I need to get someone to step up,” Dorsey said.

“We need leadership. We got to have better outside shooting.”

The Tigers played Brantley in their final tournament game. The game was a battle to the end with a tie score in final seconds. The Tigers pulled out a win of 55-46 in the end.

“We pushed through it, and we ended on top,” Dorsey said. “It always a good game when we play county rivals.

The Luverne basketball program will resume regular season play on Jan.6 against Calhoun. Until that time, Dorsey says his guys will continue to put in the necessary work to succeed.

“We’re a young team,” he said.

“We’ve got to be patient, shoot the ball better and play good defense. After that, we’ll let the chips fall where they may.”