Sue Sitter/PCT Rugby’s Brody Schneibel goes for a layup against the Bottineau Braves in the championship round of the District 11 Boys Basketball Tournament, held in Rugby High School’s Charlie Hanneman Gym.

The Rugby Panthers took the District 11 Class B Boys Basketball Championship title for a sixth year in a row on Feb. 28, defeating the Bottineau Braves 65-56 in Rugby High School’s Charlie Hanneman Gym.

The Panthers had scratched out a 54-47 win against a tough TGU Titans squad in the semifinals, held at Rugby High on Feb. 26.

Rugby knew it had another fight ahead from the first quarter, when Bottineau’s Gabe Nero sank the first bucket of the game after forcing a Panthers turnover. Seconds later, Rugby’s Brody Schneibel answered with a bucket of his own. Carson Haerer of the Braves, who would top all scorers with a 24-point total, drew a Rugby foul and sank a free throw. Two steals and a rebound landed by Rugby’s Lathan DeMontigny put the Panthers ahead 6-5. Both teams stayed aggressive, trading steals and racking up fouls. The Panthers trailed 6-10 in the last few seconds of the quarter until Rugby’s Logan Harner landed a buzzer-beating three-point shot. The quarter ended with a razor-thin 10-9 Braves’ lead.

Bottineau’s Ryder Pollman answered Rugby’s three-pointer with one of his own early in the second quarter. Schneibel put Rugby back in the lead with a layup. Rugby’s Kory Vetsch traded fouls with Ryder Pollman, and the teams stayed neck-and-neck on the scoreboard. With the score tied at 17 each, Erik Foster pulled the Panthers ahead with a 2-point bucket, and then Schneibel landed one and drew a foul. Schneibel landed one free throw shot. A three-pointer shot by Rugby’s Will Kuntz added more distance between the leading Panthers and the Braves. Rugby’s Jacob Ripplinger added three more points to the board. Four Bottineau points scored by Nero and Nathaniel Olson closed the gap, but the Panthers stayed ahead. The first half ended with a 30-23 Panthers lead.

Bottineau returned to the floor after halftime determined to battle. Haerer started the Braves’ scoring drive off with a three-pointer. Next, Haerer landed a free throw on a Rugby foul. The Panthers’ lead stretched to 10, then narrowed to six as the Braves’ defense fought to contain them. The Braves would nearly match the Panthers’ point total in the third quarter, with 13 to Rugby’s 14. The quarter ended with a 44-36 Rugby lead.

The fourth quarter began with Foster landing one bucket, then forcing a turnover to land another. Foster made good on a free throw from a Braves foul. Next, Harner drew a Braves foul and added two free buckets to the Panthers’ total. Rugby stretched its lead to 53-40.

The Braves fought back, their defense turning up the pressure on Rugby. The Panthers matched the Braves in fouls. One against Haerer gave him the opportunity to sink two free throws. A second against Ryder Pollman added two more free throw points for the Braves. Haerer sank another shot on a rebound. Trasen Pollman shrank Rugby’s lead with a bucket, then another seconds later. Schneibel gave the Panthers more breathing room with a three-point shot. As fouls racked up, both teams saw more trips to the free throw line. A Ryder Pollman three-pointer in the last few minutes narrowed the Panthers’ lead to eight. The Panthers stayed in command and the Braves’ fight brought more team fouls to Bottineau. After a free throw shot by Schneibel and a trip to the line for Foster, the Braves struggled for the ball, which stayed with Rugby. The final seconds of the game ticked away and Rugby’s Panthers had their sixth district title in a row.

“We had a couple of costly turnovers at the end,” Panthers Coach Mike Santjer said. “Bottineau didn’t quit and they kind of shrunk the gap. I think we went from an 18-point lead to ten, and we even went to eight, so the kids fought hard and finished it. It’s been a while since we fought a complete 32-minute game and I thought the kids battled a complete 32 minutes, which is good to see going into a tournament.”

The Panthers will face the Our Redeemers’ Knights in the first round of the Region 6 Class B Boys Basketball Tournament, to be held in the Minot Dome on the Minot State University campus March 7. The game against the Knights begins at 3 p.m.

As the No. 2 seed for District 11, Bottineau squares off against the Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood Mavericks in the March 7 tourney at 7:30 p.m.

Tournament organizers selected Foster, Schneibel, and Vetsch for the District 11 All-District Team.

Other players named to the all-district team were: Joe Roberts, Nedrose; Blake Latendresse, TGU; Walker Braaten, Westhope/Newburg; Braden Bailey, Westhope/Newburg; Ben Schepp, Velva; Preston Kraft, Velva; Kaden Chadwick, Velva; Ryder Pollman, Bottineau; and Carson Haerer of Bottineau. Velva’s Chadwick also won the Powerade Senior Athlete of the Year award.

Santjer won the Subway Coach of the Year Award for District 11.