Photo cutline: Sue Sitter/PCT Panthers forward Erik Foster, left, makes a break around a HWC Hornets guard in Rugby Jan. 6.

Two back-to-back games challenged the Rugby Panthers’ defense on the basketball court in Des Lacs, then at home Jan. 5 and 6.

In Des Lacs, the Panthers fell 40-57 to a Lakers team that had fallen to Beulah in the Dec. 29 Hoopster Classic tournament in Minot. The Panthers had beaten Beulah 55-46 in the same tournament.

But in Des Lacs, Rugby had its hands full guarding the Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers’ 6-foot-9-inch forward Carson Yale.

Rugby held Yale to only two points in the second and third quarter of the game, but he came through for DLB in the first and fourth quarter, when it mattered. Yale’s 16 point total was the second highest in the game, with two of his shots made for three points each.

Scoring at the top for the Lakers was guard Rylan Olson, whose 19 points included five three-pointers.

The Panthers found themselves up against a tough defense in the Region 6 Lakers, who worked hard to keep Rugby away from scoring opportunities.

One Panther, Erik Foster, found success, however. Foster managed to score the most of any player on either side, his 24 points including three three-pointers.

Forward Brody Schneibel managed to find his way to only one bucket, while teammate Bryceton Deplazes landed two, both in the second half. Center Garrett Sullivan landed only one bucket in the game.

With a defeat to one regional rival on the record, the Panthers faced another tough challenge the next day.

The Panthers scratched out a 68-62 win over Region 4’s Harvey-Wells County Hornets in double overtime.

After Foster made his way to the paint for the first bucket of the game, the Panthers swatted the Hornets away from the inside, forcing three-point attempts from afar.

Hornet Tate Grossman landed two of the distance shots, and his teammate, Gabe Allmaras, landed another. The nine points kept HWC in the game.

Rugby’s Garrett Sullivan answered the Hornets’ three-pointers with one of his own. Meanwhile Schneibel went inside the paint three times for buckets, one of them drawing a foul. Schneibel made 50% of his free throw attempts.

Foster also drew a foul, sinking two free throws in the first quarter.

The quarter ended with a narrow 14-13 Panthers lead before Rugby put more distance between itself and HWC.

The Panthers’ methodical approach continued, with more players penetrating HWC territory. Three buckets came from guard Jacob Ripplinger, two each for Foster and Sullivan, plus two free throw points each, and another bucket from Schneibel.

The Panthers had a 34-23 lead at halftime.

The Hornets’ defense swarmed Rugby in the third quarter, evaporating Rugby’s lead. The Panthers put just 10 more points on the board, eight from Foster and two from Sullivan.

Still pressed by Rugby’s defense, HWC landed four three-pointers. Allmaras and Brock Fike made their way to the inside for rebound buckets. The Hornets doubled the Panthers’ 10 point total with 20, and trailed by just one again.

The Panthers’ defense fought on, but HWC’s defense became stronger and more agile. Foster, Schneibel and Sullivan found success inside the paint, but so did Grossman and Allmaras. The fourth quarter buzzer sounded at a 53-53 tie.

Rugby charged ahead in the tiebreaker round with Hornets closing in. With seconds left, HWC tied the score at 57-57. Despite a timeout with one second remaining, neither team could break the tie.

Both teams also racked up fouls. Grossman would foul out in the double overtime round.

Schneibel made good on two shots at the free throw line. After a bucket from HWC’s Fike put the Hornets ahead, Schneibel gave Rugby a 61-60 lead.

One more bucket came from Sullivan, then after a steal by Ripplinger, he rebounded for two more, putting the Panthers ahead 65-60.

The Hornets answered with one more bucket before Ripplinger landed a three-pointer in the final seconds of double OT, sewing up the 68-62 win for Rugby.

“We struggled in the third quarter a little bit (keeping) the same energy we had in the first half,” Panthers Head Coach Mike Santjer said after the game. “We’ve got to fix that. A little bit is the shape thing. We changed the defense that we’re playing. It’s a lot harder.”

Of the Panther defense’s challenge from Yale and the Lakers the night before, Santjer said,

“(Yale)’s big, but we’re pretty big, too,” he said. “Des Lacs Burlington’s a really good team, and we’ll probably end up seeing them down the road at the regional tournament. So, we’ll make some adjustments.”

“It was fun,” he added.