Photo by Vanessa Schultze: It’s a Cardinal-versus-Cardinal battle. Fairmont Cardinals sophomore forward Alexis Haycraft (28) seizes the puck and is confronted by Luverne Cardinals sophomore forward Trinley Vanderburg (23), during a hockey game against Luverne on Tuesday evening at the Martin County Arena in Fairmont.

GIRLS HOCKEY

Fairmont 2, Luverne 1

FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Cardinals scored a goal apiece in the first and second periods and held off Luverne in the end for a 2-1 victory in a Big South Conference girls hockey game.

Mariel Parish scored first for Fairmont unassisted, while Alexis Haycraft scored what ended up being the difference-maker in the second period on an assist by Halyn Haycraft. Luverne got its goal from Ella Van Batavia, but Fairmont goalie Alexis Sundeen stayed strong to preserve the win as she finished with 17 saves.

Fairmont finished with 43 shots on goal.

Fairmont (5-3-1, 2-0) travels to New Ulm on Thursday for a 7 p.m. Big South Conference, nondivision game.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

GHEC/T/ML 75,

Nicollet 60

GRANADA — Keira Benck had a team-high 24 points on Tuesday night to lead the Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther Jaguars to a 75-60 win over Nicollet in a Valley Division girls basketball game.

Benck added seven rebounds, while Addison Nowicki had 20 points, 12 rebounds and three steals and Londyn Bowers had 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Kayla Mattson hauled in 10 rebounds and had three assists also for the Jaguars.

GHEC/T/ML (2-2, 2-0) is at Sleepy Eye for a Tomahawk-Valley Conference crossover game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night.

MCW 61, Loyola 36

MANKATO — Martin County West downed Mankato Loyola on Tuesday night, winning 61-36 in a Valley Division girls basketball game.

Ida Rohman led the Mavericks in the win with 18 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Courtney Anderson had 17 points and five rebounds. Maddie Carlson added 8 points and nine rebounds for the Mavs, while Emily Schettler had 7 points and eight rebounds and Ivy Olson added six rebounds.

MCW (2-1, 1-1) hosts Minnesota Valley Lutheran in a nonconference game at 7 p.m. Thursday.

PREP GYMNASTICS

MCA 133.5, JCC 126.8

JACKSON — The Martin County Area Magic defeated Jackson County Central 133.5-126.8 on Tuesday night in a Big South Conference gymnastics meet.

Lillie Schultz led MCA with a first-place score of 34.55 in the all-around. She also was first in the vault (9.15), first on bars (8.6), sixth on beam (7.65) and first in the floor routine (9.15).

The Magic also saw Jadyn Montgomery finish third all-around (33.05), taking fifth in the vault (8.5), second on bars (8.225) and second in the floor routine (8.975).

Ellie Perkins, Nola Thedens, Adriana Leiding and Avery Stueber also had strong showings for the Magic on Tuesday. Perkins took third in the vault (8.775) and fifth on bars (7.4), while Thedens was fourth in the vault (8.675), sixth on bars (7.125) and fifth on beam (7.825). Leiding took third on the beam (8.175), while Stueber took fourth on the beam (8.1) and third in the floor routine (8.85).

BOYS HOCKEY

Luverne 11, Fairmont 2

LUVERNE — Fairmont fell to Luverne 11-1 on Tuesday in a Big South Conference boys hockey game.

Fairmont got on the board first at the 2:54 mark of the second period on an unassisted goal from Klay Beemer to top a 9-0 Luverne scoring run. Fairmont got the last goal of the night at the 16:58 mark of the third, getting a power-play goal from Lucas Kotewa that was assisted on by Hunter Olson.

Fairmont (1-1, 0-1) hosts Windom Area on Thursday at 7 p.m.