The Rugby Panthers played Berthold in the first round of Region 6 competition on Feb. 21. Rugby was ahead by 26-22 at halftime.

“We pushed the ball up the floor and made Berthold get their defense back,” said Panther Coach Mike Santjer.

However, when they came back after the halftime break, it was a slow third quarter with Rugby only making 5 points to Berthold’s 18. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers rallied but not enough to make a difference. Berthold won the game 59-48.

“We missed a lot of quick shots,” said Santjer.

Sophomore Kyle Lovcik came off the bench as he has several times in the season, and added 14 points to the board. He’ll be one to wtch in the next two years.

Another sophomore Jayden Welk contributed 13 points. Welk has played fairly well this season.

Senior Jason Goetz leads the team in rebounds and added 7 points to his team’s total in this game. David McAtee added 7 more. Seniors Levi Schaan with four points, and Eric Kuntz with three points rounded out the scoring.

Since there is no double elimination in regional play, the Rugby Panthers are done with their season for this year.

The Panthers will lose six seniors to graduation this spring, but there are seven juniors, and some sophomores ready to step up for next season.