Sean Williams/Minot Daily News Rugby forward Brody Schneibel breaks away from Beulah basketball guards at the Hoopster Classic in the Minot State University Dome in Minot.

The Rugby Panthers broke away from a slow season start with two late December wins against regional rivals Mohall Lansford Sherwood in Mohall and Beulah in Minot.

The Panthers topped the MLS Mavericks 46-36 Dec. 20. Next, they traveled to Minot State University’s Dome to square off against the Beulah Miners Dec. 28 at the Hoopster Classic.

Rugby leaped out to an early lead against the Miners and held onto it throughout the game. In the first quarter, guard Jacob Ripplinger and forward Erik Foster landed distance shots for three points, while Beulah’s Jack Koppelsloen answered with one for the Miners.

The Miners stayed within striking distance and the first quarter closed with a 15-13 Panthers lead.

But Rugby would put more distance between itself and Beulah in the second quarter, helped by a defense that Coach Mike Santjer had said was an asset at the season’s start.

Buckets came from Foster, Ripplinger, forward Brody Schneibel and center Garrett Sullivan. But Rugby’s guards held the Miners to just one shot made by Beulah’s Bennett Larson. The half ended with a 29-15 Panthers lead.

The Miners struggled back. Beulah’s defense went on the attack in the third quarter, clearing the way for more shots and making more fouls in the process.

Foster and Sullivan made trips to the free throw line. The two combined hit 80% of their bonus shots, all of them coming in the second half. Overall, the Panthers landed 70% of all free throw attempts.

But the Miners’ aggression picked apart Rugby’s solid lead.

In the third quarter, Beulah nearly doubled its point total for the entire first half, matching Rugby’s 12 points.

In the fourth quarter, Beulah would outscore the Panthers 19 to 12, thanks in part to a three-pointer shot by Beulah’s Champ Hettich, which briefly narrowed the Panthers’ lead to just five points.

Rugby managed to draw fouls, resulting in six free throw points. Just three buckets found their target for the Panthers, two shot by Foster and one by guard Logan Harner.

The Panthers no longer had a double-digit lead, but when the game-end buzzer sounded, they had a 53-46 win.

Energized by the win, the Panthers returned to the Dome Dec. 30 to trounce the South Prairie Royals 81-56 and notch their first Region 6 win of the season.

The Panthers would travel to Des Lacs-Burlington High School Jan. 5 for another Region 6 contest against the Lakers before hosting the Harvey-Wells County Hornets of Region 4 Jan. 6.

Results from those games will appear in the Jan. 14 Pierce County Tribune.