State A Preview: Blue Ponies part of a powerful Class A field

Last week, the best boys basketball teams in Class A duked it out inside the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. Now it’s the girls turn.

Thursday through Saturday, the top eight girls teams in the state will gather for the 2014 Class A state tournament in Great Falls, and for the third straight season, the Havre Blue Ponies are in the field.

Two weeks ago, Havre breezed through two games at the Central A Divisional in Belgrade, winning a third straight Central A title for head coach Dustin Kraske. But things will get much more difficult this weekend in Great Falls.

The Blue Ponies are part of an elite field of teams, which includes defending Class A champion Laurel, as well as well as the likes of top-ranked Columbia Falls and perennial girls powers Anaconda and Hamilton.

The HHS girls open tournament play against up-start Frenchtown Thursday night, and with a win, will have to take on the defending champion Locomotives. It’s a tough draw for the Ponies, but with a senior-laden team and plenty of state tournament experience on their resume, the Ponies are certainly one of the teams to watch in what should be a close and competitive state tournament.

Here’s a breakdown of each team in the Class A state tournament, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the Four Seasons Arena.

Columbia Falls Wildcats

Northwest A Champion

Record: 19-1

Outlook: Laurel might be back as the defending champion, but the Wildcats, under legendary head coach Cary Finberg are the favorite. The Columbia Falls haven’t won a state A title before, but they’ll have a chance to give the school both championships this weekend, as The Col. Falls boys won last weekend’s state championship. The Wildcats are on the a difficult side of the draw, but still have aspirations of reaching the championship game. They are led by Haley Belgarde, Ciera and Cydney Finberg and Winter Kemppainen, all of whom can score double figures. Like the boys, the Col. Falls girls also have height and strength and that will be a factor as well. The up-start Belgrade Panthers are the Wildcat’s opening opponent.

Belgrade Panthers

Central A Runner-Up

Record: 9-13

Outlook: The Panthers are excited to just be in the field this weekend. They got to Great Falls by beating Browning in a challenge game after losing to Havre in the Central A championship on their home floor. But now that they’re here, the Panthers will look to pull an upset or two. Belgrade is a good shooting team, and the Panthers are athletic, but they don’t have as much size and depth as some of the other teams in the field. Jamie Woolman and Sadie Reddick are two players to watch for the Panthers as they try and upset the top-ranked Wildcats in the first round.

Hamilton Broncs

Southwest A Champion

Record: 17-3

Outlook: Hamilton will be a force this weekend, but the Broncs have flown in under the radar. They won a tough Southwest A tourney in Butte two weeks ago, but they are a team people might have overlooked. However, star junior Taylor Gologoski won’t be overlooked in Great Falls. She is one of the top scorers in the state and can put the ball in the hole from about anywhere on the floor. Brianna Huggins is also part of a strong inside game for the Broncs. The Broncs last won a state title in 1984, but they played in the 2009 championship game, and they should be matched up with Columbia Falls in the semifinals Friday night. Hamilton opens with Miles City Thursday.

Miles City Cowgirls

Eastern A Runner-Up

Record: 12-9

Outlook: The Cowgirls have a tough draw with Hamilton, but like Belgrade, they are in the field as a team no one thought would get here. Miles City upset Billings Central in the Eastern A semifinals, then pushed Laurel in the title game two weeks ago in Billings. The win over the Rams punched the Cowgirls’ ticket to state, and now they want to make some noise. Miles City was once one of the elite programs in Class A and won a state championship as recently as 2007. But this team, led by 20-point per game scorer Ashli Larson, hasn’t been on this big of a stage before. Still, having played in the brutal Eastern A all season long, the Cowgirls will be a team to reckon with this weekend.

Laurel Locomotives

Eastern A Champion

Record: 16-4

Outlook: Anaconda was the last team to successfully defend a state title, and that’s what the Locomotives are trying to do this weekend. Laurel lost a couple of key players off last year’s squad, but that hasn’t stopped them from having another great season. They captured the tough Eastern A title, and come to Great Falls poised to win another state championship. Led by super scorers Allie McGrath and Lexi Lewis, Laurel can put points on the board. They also have an excellent supporting cast, including Abbie Lohoff, as well as a favorable draw. Laurel begins its title defense with the Copperheads Thursday night, and if the Locomotives win, they’ll face either Havre or Frenchtown in Friday’s semifinal.

Anaconda Copperheads

Southwest A Runner-Up

Record: 12-9

Outlook: Anaconda won back-to-back state championships in 2008 and 2009, and overall, they were one of the dominant Class A programs of the last decade. But they are somewhat of a surprise team in the 2014 field. Anaconda won a couple of big games at the Southwest A to get to Great Falls, and they certainly want to present Laurel with a big test in the first round. Courtney Moodry, Taylor Flynn and Lacee Moodry are part of an athletic and offensive-minded Copperhead squad, and with how battle-tested Anaconda is, don’t be surprised if Thursday’s game with the Locomotives is a good one.

Havre Blue Ponies

Central A Champion

Record: 14-6

Outlook: The Pony lineup shouldn’t have any state tourney jitters come Thursday night. Havre seniors Peyton Filius, Brandy Lambourne and Lacey Waid are all four-year starters and are playing in their third straight state tourney. Juniors Morgan and Tori Mazurkiewicz have also been to three straight state tournament’s so Havre has plenty of experience on its side. A year ago, Havre lost to Laurel in the semifinals, and the Ponies would like nothing more than a rematch with the Locomotives Friday night. However, HHS must first beat Frenchtown Thursday night, and in order to do that, Havre will have to bring its trademark pressure defense, but also score points on the offensive end. The Ponies should also have a home-court advantage this weekend as they gun for their first state championship since 1997.

Frenchtown Broncs

Northwest A Runner-Up

Record: 15-6

Outlook: Frenchtown joins Havre, Columbia Falls and Laurel as making a return trip to the state tourney. But the Broncs would like to make this year’s tourney better. Frenchtown is a high-scoring, fast-paced team that, like Havre, plays up-tempo on both offense and defense. The Broncs also have the leading scorer in Class A in Vanessa Stavish, and while they aren’t an overly big team, they have a bevy of shooters and scorers around Stavish, and they are equipped to give any defense in the tourney fits this weekend. Frenchtown and Havre will square off at 8 p.m. Thursday night.