Submitted Photo Panthers forward Joey Wolf keeps pressure on Velva’s Olivia Passa on Rugby’s home court Jan. 27.

Lady Panthers basketball squad sharpened its claws on the Velva Aggies on Jan. 27, winning 55-42 at home in Rugby High School’s Charlie Hanneman Gym.

The Panthers dominated the game early. Panthers forward Mykell Heidlebaugh landed the first basket of the game, then made good on a free throw after a foul by Velva’s Olivia Miller. Rugby’s Joey Wolf also landed a bonus point before putting two more through the hoop for four more points. Rugby guard Anna Johnson put some distance between the Panthers and Aggies with a long-distance shot for three, then another bucket for two more. Joran Jundt and Lacie Deplazes rounded out the first quarter offensive, Jundt scoring four and Deplazes with two. The Panthers led by a comfortable 21-7 at the quarter’s end.

Panthers’ defense pressed on in the second quarter, limiting the Aggies to just four points. However, Aggies’ defense applied just as much pressure, holding Panthers back to just seven points.

At the start of the second half, both teams charged onto the court. Velva’s offensive drive gave Olivia Miller two buckets, plus two free throws landed on foul drawn from Jundt. Olivia Passa, who would lead the Aggies in points for the game, landed a bucket and drew a foul from Rugby’s Johnson. Velva increased its points scored for the quarter to 13, while Rugby kept the edge with 15. With a 43-24 lead, Rugby dug in to keep its lead from slipping away.

Passa continued drawing fouls in the fourth quarter and next landed a rebound and a shot inside the paint. Jadyn Sandy swooshed two three-pointers from the outside. Velva would add 18 points to its total in the fourth quarter, while the Panthers added 12, thanks to a three-pointer from Kendyl Hager and buckets from Jundt, Heidlebaugh and Wolf.

Panthers stayed in front with help from Wolf, who scored as many points from free throws as buckets. She and Heidlebaugh broke free from Aggies’ defenders enough to rebound shots before drawing fouls. Guard Peyton Hauck joined the fray to receive a chance at a bonus shot as well.

The game ended with the Panthers hanging onto its win. Each team had racked up 10 fouls.

“We knew they weren’t going to give up and we knew they were going to battle,” Panthers Coach Jennifer Brossart said of the Aggies after the game. “So, it was good for us to see that. We’ve got to work on closing out some games here. This is the middle of the stretch. Girls get tired. Sometimes we get complacent. This is a learning experience. We kept attacking and kept going to the hole. And so we just have to continue with that.”

Brossart said fouls were something “we have to shore up.

“That shows a lack of discipline defensively,” Brossart added. “The point is, we’re asking them to play. We’re asking them to get aggressive. We’re asking them to play on that slow court when they’re tired. We as coaches have to recognize that and do better. But overall, Velva came back (in the second half) and that’s the Velva squad. They’re not going to give up and I’m glad we were able to respond.

“We just have to keep muscling through,” Brossart said, noting Rugby’s “big test” was yet to come.

Panthers traveled to Bismarck to take on the Shiloh Christian Skyhawks on Jan. 29.

Panthers saw its first loss of the season against Shiloh Christian. Rugby fell 52-56 after a battle that seemed destined for overtime until the last seconds of the game. Fouls followed fouls on both sides as the game wound down, leading to bonus shot opportunities for Shiloh’s Hannah Westin, Grace Kelly and Hailey Quam. Heidlebaugh drew a foul as well, making one bonus shot. Rugby fans gasped in disbelief as refs placed a technical foul on the Panthers after Rugby’s coaches said a traveling foul should have been called in the game’s last minutes.

However, before the Panthers left for Bismarck, Brossart said, “Regardless of the outcome, we’re going to get better as a result of Saturday.”

The Panthers would take on Des Lacs-Burlington before preparing for more tough tests against North Star, Four Winds-Minnewaukan and Carrington. Results from the game against Four Winds will appear in next week’s edition.