Sports Writer

CALHOUN ­ The third time around was no charm for Luverne as Goshen handed the Tigers a 71-44 loss to advance to the Area Tournament title game against Calhoun Tuesday night.

The game was basically over by the end of the first as the Eagles used their defense to force turnovers and outscore the Tigers 24-5 during the quarter.

Goshen smothered Luverne ball handlers with heavy traps and full court pressure, creating numerous opportunities for fast breaks and easy points.

"We did what we felt like we had to do," Goshen head coach Major Lane said. "We didn’t want to slow it down. We just wanted to come out, jump on them and put them away early."

Averick Rogers led the Eagles with a 20-point effort and also dished off several nice assists, including an alley-oop pass to Kendaris Pelton in the first quarter for an easy bucket. Jamar Tucker followed with 16 points.

Lane said that the only thing he saw that he didn’t like was that the Eagles missed a few easy baskets underneath.

"At times we held an insurmountable lead," he said. "But I wasn’t pleased with the fact that we missed some layups and we’ve got to get those shots to fall in the next game."

Now comes round three with the Calhoun Tigers, which promises to be a highly competitive and highly intense match up.

"This is for the area championship and this is what it’s all about," Lane said. "Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? They’re going to be ready and I feel like we’re going to be ready so it should be a great game."

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The Lady Eagles put up a great fight, but ended a disappointing season in their Area Tournament appearance with a 67-51 loss to Luverne Friday night.

Marie Still’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half tied the Lady Eagles with Luverne 31-31, but in the second period the Goshen girls’ squad watched as Luverne’s April McDonald took control of the ball game and exploded offensively.

McDonald scored 22 of her 37 points in the second half and was unstoppable from just about every spot on the court. What was even more amazing was that she did it playing with four fouls for most of the night.

Kayla Ellis led Goshen with 15 points, while Nikki Williams had 12 points for the Lady Eagles.

Luverne will play the Calhoun Lady Tigers for the girls’ championship in the early game Tuesday night.