North Dakota Preview: Rugby

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Rugby Panthers were one of the three teams from the state tournament that got to end their season on a high note, winning the final two games to secure a fifth-place finish at the Class B State Tournament after losing to eventual state runner-up Grafton. With everybody expected to be back, the Panthers will head into next season with high expectations. </span> <strong>Go-To Girl: Brooke Blessum/[player_tooltip player_id="211404" first="Mykell" last="Heidlebaugh"]</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Blessum was a key player on the Rugby team that reached the state championship two years ago and predictably emerged as the Panthers’ top offensive option last winter. The 5-foot-11 forward averaged better than 12 points and eight rebounds and was consistently the team’s top scorer. She’s an active presence inside and while she’s not going to dominate with pure scoring, she’s consistent and steady in the paint. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Heidlebaugh was one of the best freshmen in Class B, averaging nearly 12 points and seven rebounds last year. She’s a skilled, athletic forward who can handle it, shoot it a little bit, get to the rim and make plays in traffic. Expect her to take a big step forward as a sophomore. </span> <strong>Breakout Candidate: [player_tooltip player_id="211407" first="Kendyl" last="Hager"]</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Breaking out on a team that returns all of its top players is tricky because there probably won’t be a lot of fluctuation in anyone’s role from last year - the hope is just that everyone is better in their specific roles. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Hager is one of the players who could see an uptick in playing time and productivity off the bench as the Panthers look to amp up the tempo and offense. She saw minutes last year as a freshman, averaging about two points per game off the bench, and at 5-foot-10, she’s got the kind of length and skill that the Panthers need in their backcourt. She showed some promise last year in the state tournament, scoring eight points off the bench in the team’s final game and while she won’t likely start, don’t be surprised if she’s a key cog in the team’s success.</span> <strong>Question: Can the Offense Come Close to Catching the Defense?</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Rugby was one of the best defensive teams in the state last year. When the Panthers struggled, it was because of their inability to consistently generate points. They don’t play an incredibly fast pace, nor do they have a great collection of shooters - so their winning formula is to grind games out. And that can get them a long way. But in order to get over the hump against some of the top teams, they’ll need to take a step forward on the offensive end of the floor. With [player_tooltip player_id="211404" first="Mykell" last="Heidlebaugh"], Brooke Blessum and Sarah Blessum, there’s enough talent to do so.</span> <strong>Outlook</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Panthers went into last year as a relative unknown after graduating a big chunk of the core. The script is flipped a year later, as Rugby will go into next winter as one of the top-five teams in Class B with all 10 rotation players back. The floor is set high, as this team is good enough defensively to win 20-plus games, reach the state tournament and win multiple games as it did this past spring. If players improve and the offense takes a step forward, the Panthers have the potential to win a state title. </span>