Pony girls begin Central A title defense

Still in the beginning stages of the season, the Havre High girls basketball program knows it can still make some adjustments and improve.

And going after two very important wins this weekend, the Central A Blue Ponies (0-0, 1-1) need those adjustments to take hold. Tonight marks the start of the conference portion of the schedule, and conference play continues for the Ponies on Saturday. And if the Ponies can build off what they did in their home-opener last weekend, they have a great shot at grabbing two wins and holding maintaining their spot at the top of the conference.

Havre opens Central A play tonight at 6:30 against the Livingston Rangers, and the Ponies are home to host the Belgrade Panthers at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

“I am looking for our girls to keep defending like they did against CMR (Saturday),” Havre High head coach Dustin Kraske said. “Our kids were fantastic and did a great job in that game, but offensively, we need our kids to continue to shoot with confidence. We have continued to work on spacing and playing together, and we are hoping that will lead into more offensive efficiency. We aren’t displeased with how we have played offensively, we can just be more efficient with what we are doing.”

In two games last weekend, the Ponies scored 37 points in a loss to Malta, and 39 points in a win over CMR. But with the defense playing extremely well already, Malta was held to 47 and CMR was held to a dismal 23.

Defense isn’t the issue this weekend either. The Ponies are confident they can continue to pester teams with pressure out of the man and zone. But if the offense get more production, a 2-0 start to conference play should be more than doable. Kraske likes how his team is reading screens well and getting open on offense. He said they are making good runs and cuts, and getting open looks, but the shots just aren’t falling. If the shots do start falling, which they will eventually if not this weekend, soon, then the Ponies will be hard for any team to beat, especially with shooters like Peyton Gillman, Brandy Lambourne, Morgan Mazurkiewicz, Tori Mazurkiewicz amd Breck Don. And mix in Lacey Waid and Haley Ohm with the ability to score inside, and the Ponies should be ready to burst with offensive production.

The defense will also have its hands full but should be able to continue to play well.

Both the Rangers and Panthers have athletes that can score. The Rangers put up nearly 60 points in a loss, while the Panthers put up 54 in a win. Both teams will look to get rolling in Havre, but it should be difficult.

Megan Schoenen is averaging 13 points a game already this season for the Rangers, and gets a lot of help from Meadow Ingram and Mariel Kelly. They are big and physical and will look to get inside. And the Panthers will attack the Ponies with a lot of jump shots and perimeter shots from the likes of Alexis Clingingsmith and Kindall Bethke.

“If we play how we are capable on defense, I would say we would be difficult to score against,” Kraske said. “Our hands are active, our feet are great, and our communication is one hiccup that we need to improve. Early in games we communicate well, late in games we communicate well, but in between we need to communicate better. Our kids understand that, and if our kids do that, we will be just fine. We know who the shooters are that we have to look out for, but we will have our hands up and do our best to make them earn everything they get.”

As the two-time defending Central A champions, the Ponies are the favorite in both contests this weekend, but won’t be handed any easy wins. It will take two solid games to get any wins this weekend, but if the Ponies get rolling, they will be hard to stop all season long.

Tonight’s game between the Ponies and Rangers will tip at 6:30 at the HHS gymnasium. Saturday’s game will pit Havre against Belgrade and it takes place at 3:30 p.m.