Sue Sitter/PCT Surrounded by Bottineau Stars, Rugby basketball forward Mykell Heidlebaugh fights for a shot.

The Rugby Panthers began Jan. 17 as the number one class B girls’ basketball squad in the state.

A 57-43 home win over the Bottineau Stars later that night kept the Panthers at the top of the heap.

The Panthers earned the top spot given by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NDAPSSA) with an 11-win, 0-loss record.

But to Panthers Coach Jen Brossart, the rank is “It’s just another number.”

“We care about game number 12, which was tonight, and now we’re looking forward to game number 13 on Saturday,” she said.

The Panthers’ win at game number 12 came with lots of pressure.

The 10-4 Stars brought with them a full-court press and a glimpse of the kind of fight that would undoubtedly come at tournament time.

At tipoff, center Kyra Beckman hit the ball toward her Bottineau teammates. In just seconds, Hallie Nero landed the first bucket of the game.

The Panthers found themselves surrounded. Turnovers followed, and Beckman put another two points on the scoreboard for the Stars.

Panthers tried shots from the outside. The ball bounced away from the rim.

After nearly two frustrating minutes passed, Rugby forward Kendyl Hager landed the first Panthers bucket.

Forwards Peyton Hauck and Mykell Heidlebaugh fought the pressure to land inside shots. Heidlebaugh. A personal foul brought Heidlebaugh to the free throw line, where she landed one of two shots.

Beckman also drew a foul and gave the Stars a point.

But the quarter ended with the Panthers behind 15-11.

The second quarter saw Rugby turn up the pressure on the Stars. Rugby’s defense held Bottineau to just six points.

Panthers forward Joey Wolf broke the streak of bad luck for outside shots by landing a three-pointer. Rugby’s Charlie Hanneman Gym filled with the sound of deafening cheers.

A foul against Stars forward Hallie Nero brought her to the free throw line. She missed two of two shots.

The half ended with a slim 27-21 Rugby lead.

The Panthers kept the lead for the rest of the game, but not without a fight.

Both teams would battle to force turnovers, but the Stars made fewer fouls. Beckman and forward Kylie Simpson each went to the free throw line, and each made 100% of her shots.

Rugby’s Kendyl Hager landed a distance shot for three, then another bucket. Wolf and guard Joran Jundt each fought to the inside to land shots through a crowd of Stars.

The 11-point total for each team provided evidence of the battle in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter saw the Stars begin to make desperate moves to stop the clock. Fouls brought free throw opportunities for Panthers.

Without the bonus shots, Rugby still outscored Bottineau 12-10 in the quarter.

After one more struggle for a rebound in Stars’ territory in the final seconds of the game, the Panthers gained possession once again, wrapping up a 57-43 win, perhaps the team’s toughest of the season.

After a short talk in the locker room post-game, Brossart looked ahead to Jan. 21, when the Panthers travel to Carrington to face the Cardinals.

“We’re going to stay focused, and we take care of business at hand, that’s all there is to it,” she said.

Brossart said polls and ranks “are for other people to talk over coffee with, but we’ve got to take care of business in the gym, and that’s what it comes down to.”

“Every day, we’ve got to get better at something, and we’re only as good as the next game we play.”

What did the game against the Stars show as an area to improve?

“Pressure,” she answered. “We need these games. This is a good test for us.”

“Bottineau’s a great basketball team and they gave us the test we wanted,” she added. “They gave us the pressure we wanted and I felt we handled it well, and now we have to build on that.”

“And we’ve got to get ready for Carrington, and we’ll move on to number 13.”