Submitted photo Rugby's Sarah Blessum battles for a loose ball Saturday afternoon in a fifth-place game against LaMoure/Litchville/Marion at the Class B girls basketball state tournament in Grand Forks. Photo by Lori Gronvold.

GRAND FORKS — Two wins last year at the Class B girls basketball state tournament earned the Rugby Panthers a second-place finish.

After dropping its first-round contest to No. 2 Grafton, unseeded Rugby (23-3) rallied for two more wins at state this season to place fifth. The Panthers knocked off No. 5-seeded LaMoure/Litchville/Marion (21-7) by five points, 50-45, on Saturday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

Rugby junior forward Brooke Blessum went off for a game-high 27 points on 12-for-21 shooting. Blessum finished the three-day tournament with a team-high 58 points.

The only other Panther to make more than one field goal on Saturday was freshman Mykell Heidlebaugh, who went 5-for-9 for 12 points. Six Rugby players finished with 2 points or less.

LaMoure relied offensively on Allie Hebl and Molly Musland, as both scored a team-high 14 points. Ellie Holen finished with 7 points and eight rebounds.

The Loboes were held to 27% from the floor. Rugby shot 44%.

The senior-less Panthers are in good shape to make another return visit to the state tournament next season with the same cast.

Program-best third place at state for Trenton GBB

GRAND FORKS — Not pretty, but effective.

No. 3-seeded Trenton (26-1) made more free throws (19) than field goals (12) to beat No. 4 Central Cass (20-6) for a program-best third place at the Class B girls basketball state tournament.

The Tigers won 46-36 in a defensive slugfest at the Betty Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. Trenton held Central Cass to 20% shooting from the floor, while only hitting at a 33% clip themselves.

Alyssa St. Pierre picked up a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) for the Tigers. Kaity Hove and Raquel Archer added 9 points, while Jacee Turcotte chipped in with eight more.

No one from Central Cass reached double figures in points or made more than two field goals. Isabelle Linnard led the team with 9 points.

Trenton outscored Central Cass 26-18 in the second half to increase its two-point halftime advantage, 20-18.

The Tigers will graduate four seniors: Hove, Taytum Kreil, Kella Norby and Thearsha Bartlett.

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