TWISTING & TURNING — Martin County West point guard Christian Bachenberg (blue jersey) twists and turns to drive around Luverne defender Ethan Beyer (24) during nonconference basketball action Saturday in Sherburn. Luverne head coach John Sichmeller (far right) watches the play. (Photo by Greg Abel)

SHERBURN — Nothing like a Saturday morning walk-through and some positive verbal reinforcement to reverse course.

Mitch Weber’s 3-point sharpshooting, combined with the inside-outside play of Zach Anderson and Tanner Sinn, nearly produced Martin County West’s first victory of the basketball season Saturday afternoon.

Luverne point guard Bailey Cowell, however, played key roles at both ends of the Sherburn gymnasium during the final 11.6 seconds of regulation to help the visiting Cardinals exit with their perfect record intact.

Gannon Ahrendt neared double-double territory by generating 20 points and a game-best nine rebounds, while Cowell delivered eight points, a game-leading eight assists and the victory-preserving block at the buzzer to pace Luverne’s narrow 57-56 nonconference decision over the Mavericks.

Trailing 55-53 with 1:01 left in regulation, MCW head coach Cliff Anderson called timeout to draw up both offensive and defensive plays pertaining to a couple of different scenarios.

The Mavericks worked the basketball around the perimeter, looking to catch the Cardinals’ defense off-guard before Zach Anderson delivered a clutch 3-pointer to put the home team ahead 56-55 with 11.6 seconds to go. Anderson elevated between two Luverne defenders at the top of the key and swooshed the pivotal go-ahead jumper.

Following consecutive timeouts by both teams, Cowell drove across midcourt and fired a lob to the 6-foot-4 Ahrendt, who caught the pass near the rim and banked home a reverse lay-in for a one-point lead with 6 seconds remaining.

Once again, both teams used consecutive timeouts before MCW had to move the basketball the length of the court. Point guard Christian Bachenberg was forced to take a last-second long-distance 3 as time wound down and Cowell blocked the shot to seal Luverne’s hard-fought win.

“I thought the guys made a nice comeback today (Saturday) after losing by 34 (points) to (Class A) second-ranked St. Clair last night,” said Cliff Anderson, who discussed the team’s game plan during an AM walk-through session. “To battle a good program like Luverne right down to the final seconds is a positive to build off of this coming week.

“It was good to see Mitch get on track from the perimeter, and a big part of that was the way all five of our guys on the court rotated the ball to find the open man and he (Weber) really knocked down the 3s today.”

Indeed. Weber nailed the first of his game-best six 3s to draw the Mavericks within 17-15 midway through the opening half before Cowell and Ahrendt combined for a countering 7-0 surge and nine-point lead. Cowell converted one of his three steals into a pull-up 15-footer before spotting Ahrendt for a top-of-the-key trey. Cowell then pocketed another theft and drove the distance for a 24-15 lead with 5 minutes left in the first frame.

Weber, who erupted for a game-high 26 points, single-handedly accounted for MCW’s ensuing 11-0 offensive avalanche by blistering the nylon nets with three 3s and 17-footer from the left elbow to swing a 26-24 lead back to the home team at the 3:23 juncture.

Ethan Beyer, who finished with 13 points, later connected for a pair of 3s to regain the lead for the Cardinals at 34-29 with 1 minute left before intermission.

Sinn, who netted eight points and seven rebounds, sank two free throws only 17 seconds later to trigger what would eventually be a 14-0 run that bridged halftime and staked MCW to a 43-34 lead.

After Weber and Zach Anderson later delivered back-to-back trifectas for a 51-42 lead with 8 minutes remaining in regulation, Ahrendt reeled off seven points during Luverne’s ensuing 13-2 surge to regain the lead at 55-53.

Zach Anderson finished with 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds, Weber supplied three assists to complement his game-best 26-point performance, while Bachenberg contributed five points and doled out a team-leading five assists for the Mavericks.

Martin County West (0-3) plays host to Valley Conference opponent Mankato Loyola on Tuesday night in Trimont, while Luverne (3-0) hits the road to St. James Area tonight for a Big South Conference clash.

Luverne 34-23–57

MCW 31-25–56

MCW (56)

Sinn 3-8 2-2 8, Runkle 1-3 0-0 3, Z. Anderson 5-10 0-0 14, Weber 9-16 2-2 26, Bachenberg 2-10 0-0 5, Owens 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-49 4-4 56.

LUVERNE (57)

Ahrendt 8-15 2-2 20, Cole-Kraty 1-1 0-1 2, Rops 1-5 0-0 3, Beyer 4-7 2-3 13, Cowell 3-13 2-3 8, Bose 1-4 0-2 3, Lampron-DeSollar 2-2 0-1 6, Smith 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 21-48 6-12 57.

3-pointers: MCW 12-30 (Weber 6-13, Z. Anderson 4-6, Bachenberg 1-8, Runkle 1-3); Luverne 9-20 (Beyer 3-6, Lampron-DeSollar 2-2, Bose 1-1, Ahrendt 2-6, Rops 1-2, Cowell 0-3). Fouled out: Rops. Rebounds: Luverne 28 (Ahrendt 9); MCW 24 (Z. Anderson 8, Sinn 7). Assists: Luverne 15 (Cowell 8, Beyer 4); MCW 12 (Bachenberg 5, Weber 3). Steals: Luverne 8 (Cowell 3); MCW 5.

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West Hancock 56, North Union 41 — The Eagles downed the Warriors by 15 points during Top of Iowa Conference action late Thursday night in Armstrong.

Gage Madden produced 12 points and seven rebounds to pace North Union, while teammate Aidan Fries collected 12 points and four steals.

Kyan Jones distributed five assists for the Warriors, while Jay Heinen pulled down five rebounds.

The Warriors made 14 of 32 field goals overall, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range, and 9 of 14 at the free throw line.

North Union (1-12) travels to Belmond-Klemme on Tuesday night.