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CNDC, season hoop victories put Panther girls on winning streak

By Sue Sitter - | Dec 11, 2021

Sue Sitter/PCT Mykell Heidlebaugh takes a shot for the Rugby Panthers in their CNDC championship game against the HWC Hornets in Rugby High’s Hanneman Gym Dec. 4

The Rugby Panthers girls’ basketball team established a winning streak in their first four games of the season when they returned from a 41-49 victory over Benson County to dominate the Central North Dakota Conference tourney at home.

Their win for the Dec. 2-4 CNDC tournament represents a winning streak in itself. The Panthers have finished in first place in the contest since 2015.

“We’re only four games in the season, but right now, for playing four games in six days, I’m really proud of these girls – all of them,” Coach Jennifer Brossart said after the Panthers’ final round win against the Harvey Hornets Dec. 4. “They’re very versatile. We have multiple girls in the scoring column – unselfish with the basketball, outstanding defense. They surprised me a little bit this week.”

The Panthers began their climb to the top Dec. 2, when they took on the Rolla Bulldogs. Rolla’s team is in Region 4, one known for tough teams. The Benson County Wildcats are in the same region.

Rugby moved into Bulldogs’ territory from the start, sticking to their posts. Each player passed the ball until they found a perfect shot to take. Rugby’s Joey Wolf put two points on the scoreboard first. The Panthers followed Wolf’s lead, landing shots in the bucket with accuracy. Rebounds were just as accurate. Rolla had few chances for steals.

The Panthers seemed as comfortable taking three-point shots. Joran Jundt landed two in the first quarter. Jundt would lead in game points as well, totaling 23.

Rugby opened their 19-10 first quarter lead wider as the game went on. The Bulldogs tied Rugby in points scored for the third quarter with 13 but they still trailed by 12 points.

In the fourth quarter, Rugby turned their defense up a notch, with Jundt and Mykell Heidlebaugh each drawing fouls. Heidlebaugh scored 19 total points for the game. Anna Johnson, Kendyl Hager, Peyton Hauck, Janikka Miller and Wolf added depth with their own buckets. The Bulldogs, kept away from shot opportunities, managed only nine points to the Panthers’ 22.

The Panthers advanced to the semi-finals with a 68-43 win.

“I think we’re really happy with how they’re coming out of the gate,” Brossart said after the semi-final game.

Reflecting on the season’s start, Brossart said, “Benson County is a great opponent. They beat us last year on our home court and they have everybody returning, just about. We lost some seniors. For us to go on their territory and come away with a win, that’s usually a grudge match. It was a grudge match,” she added, smiling. “It was a really defensively well-played game. I’m really proud of our girls, the way we rebounded, I thought was one of our better rebounding games in a long time. Our defense was stout. So, we were really pleased with that first game.”

Brossart said of the Panthers’ second win, “Rolla’s a really nice little ball team. They’re going to win a lot of games this year. They’ve got some good shooters on their squad. I was really happy to see some of our girls step up. Joey Wolf really stepped up in this first game, and of course, Mykell Heidlebaugh and Joran Jundt. Joran had a great game here against Rolla. She’s a great shooter and a great defender. So, you can have kids like that step up on any given night and hopefully, toward the end of the season, they start putting it all together. So, yeah, we’re really happy with how things look right now.”

Brossart was even more pleased after the Panthers won by 34 points over Drake-Anamoose, 57-23. Seven Panthers put points on the board, while only four Raiders managed to land buckets.

The Raiders would see a third place finish in a nail-biter when they pulled off a 55-54 win over Glenburn’s Panthers late in the fourth quarter.

Next came the championship round, where Rugby faced the Harvey-Wells County Hornets. Rugby again took a commanding lead early and held it until they won 54-23 when the final buzzer sounded.

Three Hornets shared top scores in the championship game. Alexis Fike, Emma Dockter and Kayln Keller each scored five points. Carsyn Ziegler scored four, while Larissa Arnold and Rachel Neumiller each scored two points.

For the Panthers, Heidlebaugh led in scoring with 14 points, while Jundt’s combination of three-point and two-point shots put 12 points on the board. Hager added 11 points to the total, while Johnson and Wolf each scored six points. Miller made two buckets in the second quarter, while Brooke Anderson scored one point on a free throw.

Brossart said of the Panthers’ accuracy at the boards, “We talked about that. We accentuated that this summer. We talked about getting one more pass. Don’t be satisfied with a 50/50 shot; get that one extra pass and get a good look at it. I think they’re taking that to heart and they’re realizing it’s paying off for them.”

“I’m just very pleased, Brossart said, adding, “Our JV goes on the schedule Monday and plays in a tournament and we’re looking for great things for them, too. We’ve got 28 girls out for basketball and so far only nine of these girls and a little bit of our JV has gotten to play. So, junior varsity is going to take over for awhile and that will be fun.”