CMR takes care of HHS in Havre and Great Falls

Just two days after both the Havre High boys and girls basketball teams faced a tough Great Falls High team, the Blue Ponies hand their hands full with an even tougher Class AA program. On Monday both Central A Pony squads faced the always tough Class AA CMR Rustlers. The HHS girls hosted the Rustlers and lost 52-34 at the Havre High gymnasium, and the HHS boys were on the road where they lost 78-44 in Great Falls. Playing at home, the Pony girls knew they had a challenge awaiting them. And in the first half, the Ponies were right there with the Rustlers. The first quarter ended in a 10-10 tie, and at the halfway point, the Ponies only trailed 21-18. "I felt real good about how we played in the first half," Havre High head girls coach Dustin Kraske said. "I think we were fairly physical with them, we were very patient offensively and we hit open shots." The Ponies were very patient on offense. They had good ball movement, and good movement amongst themselves. And taking what the Rustlers gave them, the Ponies worked to find the open shot, mostly coming from just underneath the basket. The first half was led by Cali Freier and Cassi Darrah who both finished the first 16 minutes with six points. But after the start of the third quarter, the Rustlers proved to be too big and too deep for the Ponies. In the first five minutes of the third quarter, the Ponies were held to just four points. And in the entire third quarter, the Ponies scored just six. The Rustlers on the other hand, widened the gap with five players getting on the board with a 19-point third quarter outburst. "They are a very good team and we know that," Kraske said. "They started making their shots, and we were in trouble at that point, but I thought our kids still played great." In the fourth quarter the Ponies were able to answer back with 10 points, but the Rustlers maintained their lead with 12 points of their own, and captured the 18-point win. The biggest difference in the second half was the fact that CMR just started hitting shots. They also came out more physical, and wore the Ponies down with their size and athleticism. Turnovers were also a problem for the Blue Ponies. They turned the ball over 23 times, including five in the fourth quarter. The Rustler turned the ball over 13 times. It was a tough loss against a tough opponent, but the Ponies did play fairly well. Darrah led the team with 11 points and Hayley Donovan came away with nine with the help of two 3-pointers. Donovan also led the team with nine defensive rebounds. Freier also played an outstanding game. She played all 32 minutes and was 4-of-8 shooting for eight points. She led the way with five assists and four steals, and also recorded three rebounds. "Freier had a whale of a ball game," Kraske said. "That was probably the best she has played all year. She rebounded strong and finished at the basket." With the loss the Ponies slipped to 0-5, but agasint talent like CMR, the Ponies aren't too worried. They played well against a very talented team, and know their time will come. "I thought our kids played great," Kraske said. "We are going to take and go with it, I feel real good about where we are. It's coming, I think we're a pretty good 0-5 team, I really do." The HHS boys also found their backs up against the wall facing the No. 1 Rustlers in Great Falls on Monday night. "We played an awfully good basketball team," Havre High boys basketball coach Andy Smith said. "They were just bigger and had more depth. They made it really tough to match up." At the end of the first quarter the Ponies trailed 21-11, and at they half they trailed 43-21. The Ponies were able to find open shots and get to the bucket, but the Rustlers were just too big to handle. In the second half the Ponies were held to 23 points, while CMR put up 35. HHS had to work hard on every possession, and had to work for every shot they took. CMR was dominant with their size and physical play. C.J. Evans led the Ponies with 13 points, while Logan Connor finished with 11 and Anfernee Standing Rock with seven. "I know it doesn't resemble the score," Smith said. "But I think our kids did a lot of things well that we can take out of this game. Our kids showed great patience and got some nice looks. They competed all game long no matter what the score was, they never gave up and continued to work hard." Both Pony squads play again this Firday and Saturday. On Friday, the girls host the Lewistown Golden Eagles, while the boys will play on the road in Lewistown. And on Satuday, the HHS boys will host the Butte Central Maroons, while the girls will play on the road in Butte.