Glenburn knocks off Rugby 47-45, punches ticket to state
“Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!”
They could, and they did.
The chants from the Glenburn Panthers faithful shook the foundation of the Minot Auditorium in the waning seconds of the Region 6 title game, propelling its squad to a slim 47-45 victory over Rugby in an all-Panthers championship. Glenburn also locked up its spot in the state tournament with the white-knuckle win.
Glenburn, also the District 12 tournament’s victor, breezed past the Westhope-Newburg Sioux by a 70-38 final score in its quarterfinal game and dispatched of the Velva Aggies 59-45 Tuesday night to earn their place in the title game. Rugby first met with Des Lacs-Burlington and prevailed 56-26, and defeated Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood by way of a last-second 47-44 victory to fill the remaining space in the championship game.
The two schools’ Thursday tilt represented a rematch of their Dec. 19 contest, a game Glenburn won by a slim 50-47 final tally on its home court, with the intensity turned up to 11. McKenna Rolland best described the atmosphere throughout the night after the final buzzer sounded.
“The gym was so electric,” she exclaimed. “And I was just so excited to be here. It was so fun, and I’m so proud of each and every single girl here, and our coaches.”
With one side of the arena full of Glenburn supporters donning purple and gold and the other a sea of Rugby’s orange, even the entrances of both teams produced deafening roars from their respective crowds.
Both crowds cranked the volume a couple of notches higher for the opening tipoff, which was sent out of bounds and awarded to Rugby. Both defenses stood tall through the first couple of minutes, and the game’s first score did not come until around the two minute mark when Lorelei McIver’s layup put Glenburn on the scoreboard first.
McIver’s score was answered by Sarah Blessum’s layup on the other end, and Glenburn got the ball back and went to work.
DeAnna Heinze drained a three from just in front of Glenburn’s student section and ignited a 14-0 run. Glenburn simply could not miss from beyond the arc in the first quarter, as Nadia Post hit from deep with just over five and a half minutes to play. Lorelei McIver drained a mid-range jumper for two, and Post again hit from outside the arc.
Sophie Bachmeier also got in on the action and, following a brief 7-0 run by Rugby’s Anna Johnson and Mykell Heidlebaugh, Rolland joined in as well, making Glenburn’s fifth three-pointer of the quarter. At the end of the first eight minutes, Glenburn held a strong 19-9 lead.
The second quarter belonged to Rugby. Blessum and Kendyl Hager combined for another quick seven points out of the break, and Rugby was back in the game, trailing 19-16 with five minutes and 23 seconds left in the half.
Glenburn’s Lila Farden made one of two tries from the free throw line to break Rugby’s streak, but the visitors on the scoreboard were unfazed, and Heidlebaugh scored four more points to knot the affairs up at 20 apiece. The halftime buzzer rang, and both teams retreated to the locker rooms to strategize.
Glenburn came out of the locker room white-hot once more, as McIver, Rolland and Post combined for two made free throws, a layup and yet another make from deep to gain a seven-point lead.
A Hager triple halted Glenburn’s run with five minutes and 44 seconds in the quarter, but Glenburn would not stop, and outscored Rugby 15-6 to take a commanding 42-29 lead entering the final eight minutes of play.
Rugby did not go down easily. A layup made by Gabriella Sullivan kick-started a 16-5 stretch that took the contest down to its final two seconds, led by eight Heidlebaugh points. A Rugby mid-range jumper sailed wide of the net, though, and Glenburn’s student section stormed the court in jubilation.
When the dust settled, Post emerged as Glenburn’s leading scorer with 14 points on the strength of four-of-eight shooting and two three-pointers. DeAnna Heinze also added 11 points and made three of her four tries from beyond the arc. Heidlebaugh poured in a game-high 18 points as well on 57 percent shooting.
“Just keep going, keep pushing, never give up,” Rolland added. “Give it your all. You want to go off the court being proud of how you played, not regret that you didn’t play hard enough. I’m so proud of all of them. They all put in the effort and work, and we couldn’t be where we are today without each other.”