Aiming for Great Falls: Pony boys play Browning with state tourney berth on the line

The Havre High boys basketball team knows it is right in the thick of things among the rest of the Central A, but the Blue Pony boys also know they will have to be at their very best if they hope to reach the state tournament.

The Blue Ponies finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed and with a 4-4 record in the Central A. The Belgrade Panthers ran away with the No. 1 seed, finishing 7-1, while the Browning Indians took the second seed with a 5-3 league record. The Lewistown Golden Eagles (2-6) also enter as the No. 4 seed and the Livingston Rangers (2-3) enter as the No. 5 seed. And all those teams will vie for two spots in next week’s Class A state tournament when they converge on Belgrade for the 2014 Central A divisional today through Saturday.

With just one league loss the Panthers are a favorite to win the title. The Panthers split with the Indians, but swept the Ponies in two games. In the second meeting the Panthers defeated the Ponies by just eight points. But the Ponies also split with the Indians in their two meetings, winning at home and losing in Browning. The Indians and Ponies face off Friday at 1 p.m. in the semifinals, setting the stage for what could turn out to be a one-game playoff for a state tourney berth, something Havre hasn’t achieved in eight seasons.

“It should come down to us three for a chance at going to state,” Havre High head coach Curt Leeds said. “Lewistown has gotten better, and you never know, anything can happen, but if every team plays well then us three are better than the bottom two.

“I think this game (against Browning) has the opportunity to be tight,” Leeds added. “I think it will come down to who wants the win more. We beat them by 26 here (in Havre), they beat us by 21 there (in Browning). They didn’t do anything right here, and we didn’t do anything right there, so really, this game should come down to which team can execute better.”

A win puts the Ponies in Saturday’s title game. The Panthers earned a bye and will face the winner of the Lewistown/Livingston matchup that will be played today.

In preparation for the Indians, the Ponies know turnovers will be crucial for either team. If the Ponies can force the Indians to turn the ball over, while taking care of the ball on their end, it will better the HHS chances. Browning can score in bunches and runs, and turnovers will only feed the Indians’ efforts more. The Ponies also know they have to take full advantage of every offensive possession and at least get off a shot attempt while on that end of the floor. The Ponies had 26 turnovers in last weekend’s loss to the Indians. Browning leads the league in turnovers with 408, but is also first in steals with 267 this season.

Havre’s first game is the most important game of the weekend and the Ponies have made sure to prepare fully for Browning, not looking ahead to who they could play with a win.

“We are spending all of our time on Browning, that is the game that counts right now,” Leeds said. “If we win we are set up fairly well, but if we lose it will be very tough to get back to second place. Again, I think it comes down to execution. I think we are a better team, but if we aren’t taking care of the ball, those turnovers play right into the game plan of Browning.”

A loss would send the Ponies through the loser-out bracket, hopefully earning a No. 3 finish, then having all fingers crossed in the hopes of a challenge game to earn their place at state. And how the Ponies handle the Indians’ press could determine if they win or lose in the semifinals. Havre showed it could handle an opposing press throughout the season, but struggled in the season finale last Saturday. But when the Ponies run their press break offense, they have shown they can get the ball down the floor, especially when it’s in the hands of standout sophomore Dane Warp. Warp leads the conference with his nearly 24 points per game and is in the top 10 in field goal (54), 3-point percentage (38), rebounds per game (six) and steals per game (three).

“(Against Browning) was the first time where nothing was really clicking against the press,” Leeds said. “But we are going to make some changes to our press break, try to get a little more strength in our backcourt and get our guards in the frontcourt to spread things out.”

Senior Kade Rismon is also crucial as he averages just under 12 points game, fourth-best in the Central A. Jase Kato also gives the Ponies depth in the post, while Nate Rismon gives the Ponies another deep threat. He has hit 29 3-pointers, second only to Warp this season. If the HHS offense can get on the same page for all 32 minutes, they can run with anybody in the conference.

“We have a great chance to get to state if we come out ready to play,” Leeds said. “Dane (Warp) and Kade (Rismon) can score, but we are still looking for guys like Jase (Kato) to score more. Jase is shooting 61 percent and when he actually takes those short corner shots they go in. He needs to get a shot up a little bit more, but Nate (Rismon) has also been getting his average up all season long, so we are still waiting for him to break out and have a big game, too.”

The Ponies face Browning Friday at 1 p.m. at the divisional tournament in Belgrade. The tourney runs through Saturday night’s championship game and the top two teams advance to next week’s state tournament in Great Falls.