Ryan Ladika/MDN Glenburn’s McKenna Rolland dribbles the ball across midcourt in the first half.

Fresh off their District 12 tournament victory over the Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood Mavericks, the top-seeded Glenburn panthers took the court Monday afternoon to kick off the Region 6 tournament against the Westhope-Newburg Sioux.

The contest was the first of four that would be hosted at the Minot Auditorium Monday, with the all eight teams playing to be the last one standing and earn a trip to the state tournament.

Ellie Braaten got the scoring started, putting up a quick two-pointer for the Sioux, but the Panthers quickly grabbed the momentum right back.

Led by senior Nadia Post, Glenburn exhibited the offensive prowess that led to its success in the District 12 tournament. Post tied the game led the Panthers on an eventual 15-4 scoring run, on which she scored eight points. McKenna Rolland, Brooklyn Heinle and Lorelie McIver all factored in on the run as well. The Sioux called timeout trailing by 11 with three minutes and 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

Only five more points would be scored in the first eight minutes of play, as the Panthers completed a defensive first quarter ahead 17-7 after another two-point shot by Post.

Both teams kicked it up a notch in the second quarter, and neither squad was able to score more than five unanswered points. Rolland and Post traded baskets with Braaten and Kimberly Tabarez, and the gap was closed to 24-17.

Rolland continued her impressive pace, scoring six of nine Panthers points to end the half, and Glenburn entered the locker room with possession of a 33-20 advantage.

The Panthers did not let up in the second half, as McIver, Rolland and Deanna Heize led their squad to an eventual 70 points. Glenburn allowed only 18 points during the remainder of the contest, and advanced to the Region 6 semifinal with a 70-38 victory.

Rolland scored a game-high 25 points, and Post and McIver also hit double digits with 13 and 12 points respectively. For the Sioux, Braaten was the team leader in scoring with 18 points, and Tabarez added 11.

The Panthers will return to the court Feb. 23 against the Velva Aggies at 6 p.m. at the Minot Auditorium.