Rugby came into the CNDC Tournament seeded sixth and exited with two wins, a third place plaque and plenty of confidence.

And Panther coach Mike Heidlebaugh will take it.

“We (the coaches) were pleased with the effort, especially in that third place game,” Heidlebaugh said. “It was a battle against Harvey. They pushed, and we pushed right back.“

The Panthers needed overtime to defeat No. 3 seeded Drake-Anamoose in round one before falling to eventual champion New Rockford-Sheyenne in the semifinals.

“We kind of let things slip away in the final quarter, but I credit the kids for finding a way to win that in double overtime against Drake-Anamoose,” he said.

New Rockford turned out to be the best team in the tournament, rolling to the title. “We were back on our heels and they were definitely the aggressor. They are talented and quick,” Heidlebaugh said.

Rugby did manage to show some signs in the third quarter, cutting the Rockets lead to 13 points before NR-S pulled away again.

In the Harvey game, the Panthers took an early lead and matched the Hornets physical play.

Heidlebaugh said a number of players contributed in different ways through the three games, a promising sign. Senior Bryant Halvorson was in double figures in points. Jeremy Johnston had a big night scoring against Harvey. Jason Goetz provided some good physical play throughout the tournament.

“We certainly have things to improve on, but this was a good start,” he said.

Rugby will play its first home game this Tuesday, Dec. 30, when it hosts Our Redeemer’s (of Minot). Heidlebaugh said that will be good test as the Knights have a couple of players who can score, and the squad played well at the recent Velva Invitational.



Good start for R-W

Rolette-Wolford won just six games last season. Just a week into the season, the Comets already have three wins under their belts.

The team’s hot start can be attributed to the play in the post, where the team has been dominant, thanks to a pair of juniors, Blake Nelson and Nic Pfeifer. Nelson has been in double figures in all four games while Pfeifer has been in double figures in three of them.



Titans off to a slow start

It was not the start an experienced Towner-Granville-Upham envisioned.

The Titans have dropped their first four games, including three at the recent CNDC Tournament in Harvey.

Defense has been the source of concern so far. T-G-U surrendered an average of 66 points in its three tournament games to Harvey, Wells County and Drake-Anamoose.

The Titans hope to rebound when they host Minot Ryan this Tuesday, Dec. 30.