HAVRE HIGH GIRLS WIN CLASS A STATE TITLE

GREAT FALLS - A 17-year girls basketball state championship drought came to an emotional and exciting end for the Havre High girls basketball team Saturday night at the Four Seasons Arena as the Blue Ponies beat the Hamilton Broncs 52-43 in the Class A title game.

The win was Havre's first in girls basketball in 17 seasons, and it capped off an exciting and impressive state tourney run for the Blue Ponies and head coach Dustin Kraske.

"I'm so proud of the kids," Kraske said. "I'm proud of them for all the hard work and effort that it takes to be great. And tonight, they were great. This tournament, they were great."

In Saturday's championship game, HHS again put on a vaunted defensive display, and led nearly wire-to-wire. Hamilton is an outstanding offensive team, led by junior Taylor Goligoski, but the HHS defense clamped down on the Broncs right away. Havre held Hamilton to just six points in the first quarter, and that set the tone for the rest of the game. Havre led 30-22 after holding Hamilton to just five points in the third quarter, before both teams came alive offensively in the fourth. First, Havre went up by as many as 12 points before the Broncs stormed back and cut the lead to four twice in the final four minutes.

But in the end, the Blue Ponies, who held Southwest A runner-up Frenchtown to just 40 points Thursday, defending state champ Laurel to just 28 points on Friday, and the Broncs to just 39 percent shooting Saturday, were just too good. Morgan Mazurkiewicz capped the title with five free throws down the stretch, and the Blue Ponies celebrated in front of a huge Havre contingent.

Brandy Lambourne, easily the state tournament MVP, scored 25 points for HHS, including making three 3-pointers. She also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds and added a steal. Mazurkiewicz added nine points and Peyton Filius and Tori Mazurkiewicz each scored five.

FOR FULL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE, SEE MONDAY'S HAVRE DAILY NEWS.

Havre ...52 Hamilton ...43 (1st)

Havre ...10 11 9 22 -- 52

Hamilton ...6 11 5 21 -- 43

Havre – Brandy Lambourne 10-15 2-4 25, Dani Wagner 2-3 0-0 4, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 2-8 5-6 9, Lacey Waid 1-4 0-0 2, Peyton Filius 1-7 2-2 5, Tori Mazurkiewicz 2-3 1-4 5, Haley Ohm 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 19-42 10-16.

Hamilton – McKayl Rothie 1-1 0-0 3, Taylor Goligoski 4-13 4-6 13, Ellie Hurlbert 1-2 0-0 2, Jaylee Albert 5-12 3-4 13, Kloie Nye 1-1 0-0 3, Kali Hayes 2-4 0-0 6, Brianna Huggans 0-2 1-2 1, Sami Kratofil 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 15-38 8-12.

Total fouls – Havre 14, Hamilton 16. Fouled out – None. Three pointers – Havre 4-11 (Lambourne 3-4, M. Mazurkiewicz 0-2, Filius 1-5); Hamilton 5-14 (Rothie 1-1, Goligoski 1-4, Hurlbert 0-1, Albert 0-3, Nye 1-1, Hayes 2-4). Rebounds – Havre 22 (Lambourne 7); Hamilton 22 (Albert 8). Assists – Havre 15 (M. Mazurkiewicz 6); Hamilton 13 (Albert 9). Turnovers – Havre 7 (Filius 3); Hamilton 12 (Albert 5). Steals – Havre 3 (Lambourne 1, Wagner 1, Ohm 1); Hamilton 3 (Goligoski 1, Albert 1, Hayes 1).