Panthers ready for first tourney of basketball season
With their sights set on tournament time Dec. 1, players on the Rugby Panthers Girls’ basketball squad tuned up their skills in the Charlie Hanneman Gym in mid-November.
“They play their first game against Towner,” Coach Jen Brossart said of the Panthers as they worked out. “It’s the opening round of the CNDC.”
The Central North Dakota Tournament often marks the start of basketball season for area class B schools. This year’s CNDC will be held at Harvey High School in Harvey. The tournament runs for two days.
“Things are looking really good,” Brossart said of the Panthers. “We had a solid first week of practice and the girls seem really focused, nailed down as to what their goals are for the year and what they want to accomplish.”
“We’ve got a big group of seniors this year – nine seniors are out for basketball, so I expect a lot from them, not just in terms of productivity, but in leadership and teamwork and all those little things that go into making a team successful,” she added.
Returning from last year are seniors Mykell Heidlebaugh, Joey Wolf, Joran Jundt, Peyton Hauck, all of whom just weeks ago finished volleyball season. Janikka Miller, a 6’0 senior, returned after a season of basketball and track, where she excelled in the high jump.
“I’m looking to a lot of leadership roles for them,” Brossart said of the seniors.
Brossart said she was happy the team had come to her ready to play, free of injuries or illnesses, which can often make or break seasons.
“Our girls came pretty unscathed out of volleyball and cross country, so that’s a plus,” Brossart said.
“Obviously, to get them through a long basketball season, through two holiday seasons – that’s always a formidable foe for us, the injuries,” she added. “But, you know, we’ll take it game by game, practice by practice and see what happens.”
“We’ll give them breaks when they can,” she said. “Obviously, you don’t want to run these guys to the bone. But, we’ve got a large group of girls who want to be successful this year and they included themselves in the fact they might have to make some sacrifices to make that success come to fruition.”
“So, something we’re focusing on is taking one day at a time, one practice at a time. And every day, our goal is to get better at something,” she added.
Brossart predicted a competitive season overall, especially in games against the Panthers’ Region 6 rivals.
“Our region’s going to be a lot more competitive than we’ve been in years past,” she said. “I think Bottineau showed last year that they’re formidable, and they have everybody coming back from last year. I think they’re going to be a tough opponent come our Region 6 tournament.”
“I also think DLB, another opponent for us, is going to be tough. Luckily, we play both of them during the regular season,” she added. “And Bishop Ryan’s always got a successful program.”
Brossart added, “MLS has just about everybody returning from last year as well.”
The MLS Mavericks had won the Region 6 title in the 2021-22 season.
“Obviously, it will be key for them how Alison Undlin returns from an ACL and Jamie Thompson returns from a foot injury,” she added.
“I expect District 12 to be very competitive and our district to be very competitive,” she added.
“Towner has a good group coming back,” she said. “I think they’ve got a great future ahead of them as well. I think our region’s going to shape up pretty competitive overall with regards to state.”