Sue Sitter/PCT Rugby’s Peyton Hack looks for an open shot against the Garrison Troopers in the third-place game of the NDHSAA Girls’ Class B Tournament at the Minot State University Dome.

The Rugby Panthers girls’ basketball squad capped what Coach Jennifer Brossart called “a hell of a run” with a third place finish at the 2023 class B state tournament in Minot March 4.

The Panthers had come to the 2023 North Dakota High School Activities Association State Class B Tournament in the Minot State University Dome as the third seed, bringing with them a 21-win, 2-loss record.

Rugby would move past a 53-52 defeat to the State Champion Central Cass Squirrels in the semifinals to top the Garrison Troopers 46-45 for the third place plaque.

With tears in her eyes and a catch in her throat, Brossart said at the tournament’s end, “They had a hell of a run as a group of young ladies.”

“I told the seniors in the locker room that we as coaches had watched them since they were in third or fourth grade and just every year, they were getting older and getting bigger and getting better,” she said. “And their parents who took them to these camps and kept them together, it came to fruition tonight.”

Nine seniors played for the Panthers in the 2022-23 season. Forward Mykell Heidlebaugh had played in the 2019 State Championship game, where Rugby finished as runner-up.

In the quarterfinal round of this year’s tourney, the Panthers squared off against the Region 4 Champion Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich’s Cardinals.

The Cardinals swarmed the Panthers from the start, trailing by only three at halftime.

The Panthers pulled ahead, led by top scorers Heidlebaugh and Joey Wolf, who each put 16 points on the scoreboard. Ten points from forward Kendyl Hager and a well-timed three-pointer landed by guard Joran Jundt propelled the Panthers to a 67-48 win.

In the semifinals, the Panthers would meet the Cass County Squirrels, a team on its way to the 2023 title.

The Squirrels had trounced Bowman County 61-28 in the quarterfinals, but the Panthers brought a fight to the floor that would keep both teams on their toes into overtime.

A narrow 53-52 loss for Rugby came after what many called the most exciting four quarters of the tourney, an experience that had fans and players biting their nails. 

The Panthers fought off a tenacious Squirrels defense from the start.

The Squirrels broke away from the Panthers’ grasp at times, leading by as many as eight points. 

But the Panthers dug in, refusing to let go. Rugby would outscore Central Cass in two quarters, trading slight leads in the fourth quarter before regulation play ended with a 48-48 tie. 

Led by top scorer Decontee Smith, the Squirrels would scratch out five more points.  A bucket from Smith would end the game 53-52. 

Although Smith would lead the way among scorers with 31 points, no other Cass County players hit double-digit totals.  

By contrast, Heidlebaugh, Hager and Wolf each went over 10, with Heidlebaugh’s 15 points leading the Panthers. 

The stunned Panthers would regroup, determined to end their season with a win the next day.

The Troopers stormed onto the court in the first quarter, building an impressive 17-5 lead.

Shot attempts by Rugby missed their mark early on, and Garrison steals caught Rugby’s offense unaware.

After a huddle between quarters, the Panthers sprang back, scoring 16 more points and allowing only two points from Garrison.

“We just kept on and some girls got some big shots, and it got us going,” said Hager, who did her part by landing an impressive distance shot.

The half ended with a 21-19 Rugby lead.

Heidlebaugh and forward Peyton Hauck would add distance shots of their own to the Panthers’ offensive push in the second half.

The Panthers stretched their lead to four points in the third quarter before the Troopers came back with a vengeance, with forward Cara Schiehr leading the way for Garrison.

Fouls and a shot clock violation proved fatal to the Troopers. The Panthers led by three points as the last seconds of the game ticked away. A last-ditch shot by Schiehr from inside kept a 46-45 win for Rugby as the buzzer sounded.

As the team celebrated, Hager said, “This tournament is going to stick with me forever. My whole career, my coaches and teammates have made it awesome.”

Hager said her basketball days would end with high school. “This is the end of it for me. I’m going to UND, but no sports,” she said.

Heidlebaugh, who has signed on with Northern State University in South Dakota for basketball, said the tournament brought “an overwhelming amount of emotions” to her.

“You get a little bit of sadness and happiness all mixed in, but I’m proud of my team and I’m really proud of the way I ended my career here,” she added.

Heidlebaugh smiled at the mention of one bit of irony from her matchup against Cass County in the semifinals.

“Deconte Smith is going to be my roommate (at Northern State),” she said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“It was a really fun game yesterday, it was down to the wire,” she added. Central Cass is an amazing team all around and they totally deserve to be in this game. We did, too, but we just came up short but it was honestly an amazing game.”

“They’re probably going to be close friends, I’m sure,” Brossart said of Heidlebaugh and Smith.

Brossart has led the Panthers to five regional girls’ class B titles.

She said she felt proud of Rugby’s accomplishments.

“In 2019, we played in the championship game and got second,” she said. “And now, we’ve placed third. Second, third, fifth and seventh, so, pretty much every bracket.”

“There’s a lot of talent left in the Rugby Panther girls’ basketball program,” she added. “We’re certainly not leaving the cupboard bare.”

Brossart said she expected good things from a team that included Lacie Deplazes, a junior forward, and Elise Fahnestock, a sophomore guard, and sisters Brooklyn and Madison Corum, who are juniors. “There are a lot of good kids coming up,” she said.

“If these girls want to put in the effort next summer, they’ve got what it takes to be back in one of these tournaments in not too far of a time,” she said.

When asked about next year’s change to a three-class system, which would add schools such as Devils Lake and Valley City to Rugby’s competitors, Brossart answered, “It’s going to be an interesting two years.”

“But,” she added, “I think our girls will handle it well. We’ve just got to put the work into the off-season. That’s where it starts.”