Mike Kraft/MDN Rugby’s Sara Schmaltz goes up for a shot in between Our Redeemer’s defenders Hannah Conway (23), Londyn Lauf (22) and Auna Peterson (15) during the Dale Brown Hoopster Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at the Minot State University Dome.

Through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, the Rugby girls basketball team had already surrendered more points than it had in any of the first three stanzas against Our Redeemer’s on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at the Minot State University Dome.

But, as has been the case all season for the Panthers, the defense was there when they needed it the most.

Clinging to a four-point lead with three minutes remaining, the Panthers clamped down defensively and kept the Knights off the scoreboard the rest of the way, propelling them to a 44-35 victory in their final game of the Dale Brown Hoopster Classic. Rugby allowed a combined 55 points in two wins at the showcase event.

“You take a timeout and you tell your girls that they just have to suck it up and play,” Rugby coach Jen Brossart said. “They’re tired and it’s a bigger floor, earlier game, but they just have to suck it up and play and I thought our girls did that and responded well in the last three minutes.”

The Panthers (5-1) entered the fourth quarter with a 30-21 advantage, a lead that seemed insurmountable for a team allowing just 36.8 points per game, which is third fewest among Class A schools. Through three quarters, Rugby’s defense had limited the Knights (4-3) to just eight total field goals and one 3-pointer, but saw their opposition find its scoring touch in the fourth quarter.

Kadyn Braun had 10 of her 14 points in the final quarter, hitting a pair of 3-pointers to get the Knights to within six at 35-29. Braun and Lauren Strom accounted for all but two of Our Redeemer’s points in the second half.

“They were overplaying us so hard on everything that we started spacing the floor and doing a high ball screen and doing work off that,” Our Redeemer’s coach Hart Andes said. “Kadyn was able to get an open shot or hit those corners if they were helping from the outside in. It gave us a lot more spacing and a lot more freedom to go out and play some ball.”

The Knights struggled to put much of a dent into Rugby’s lead, as the Panthers had a response of their own at the other side of the court. Five different Panthers tallied points in the fourth quarter after Avery Santjer spent most of the first three quarters carrying the offense. Santjer scored 15 of her 18 points during that span.

Our Redeemer’s cut Rugby’s lead to as little as four at 39-35 with three minutes remaining before the Panthers’ vaunted defense took over. With the Knights having possession coming out of a timeout trailing by that same score, Rugby stole the ensuing inbounds pass and Sara Schmaltz converted on the other end with an easy layup. Schmaltz knocked down a free throw and Hallie Hauck converted a pair in the final moments to clinch the victory, handing the Knights their first loss on a neutral court this season.

“It was a really competitive game,” Brossart said. “I thought Our Redeemer’s brought it. Kadyn Braun is a good basketball player. She shot the ball extremely well. We left her open in the second half and she got hot from the outside, but I thought our girls responded well. We could have easily lied down. We stayed aggressive at the glass, we got some looks at the rim in the second half and we finished them.”

Both teams knew coming into the game that points could be at a premium. Rugby came in with one of the better defenses in the state and Our Redeemer’s wasn’t too far behind, allowing 42 points per game. Both defenses lived up to their billing early. The teams combined for 30 points in the first half on 12 made field goals as Rugby led 17-13 at the intermission.

“We worked really hard on defense and didn’t give them the shots they wanted,” Santjer said. “We shut them down on that pick-and-roll they did against Langdon and that was one of the main factors.”

Santjer was the only player on either side consistently able to find the basket, registering points in all four quarters. Her first field goal of the second half pushed Rugby’s lead to double digits with 4:30 left in the third quarter as part of an 8-2 run.

“She works hard,” Brossart said. “She plays a lot of AAU, so she sees a lot of that competitiveness and physicality. And she knows how to create things for herself, but she also knows how to distribute the basketball and the last three minutes she was a good team player. She occupied the defense and let the other girls do their work and that’s the makings of a good player.”

Falling behind by 10-plus points was something Andes warned his team against.

“I told them in the locker room before the game that if we got down by 10 it was going to be tough to battle back,” Andes said. “I’m not saying we couldn’t, but they are such a defensively sound team, they all move their feet really well and know the rotations. They did a good job of that tonight and I thought we battled back hard and just came up short at the end.”

Rugby led 30-21 through three quarters.

Schmaltz and Hauck finished with nine and seven points, respectively.

Strom joined Braun in double figures with 11 for the Knights. Both Rugby and Our Redeemer’s starters accounted for all but two of their points.

Our Redeemer’s looks for its first district win of the season when the Knights host Berthold on Friday, Jan. 2. The Panthers have a week off before hosting Carrington on Tuesday, Jan. 6.