Pony girls win dramatic Central A title

Once upon a time the Havre High girls tennis team was racking up Central A and Class A state trophies at a rapid pace. But the Blue Ponies hadn't carried a trophy home since the Central A Divisional of 2010.

On Saturday morning in Bozeman, that all changed.

Blue Pony junior Tatiana Ralph scored a dramatic and unusual win in the girls singles consolation match of the 2014 Central A Divisional tournament in Bozeman, and that win gave Havre 47 team points, one better than defending champion Livingston.

The thrilling part of Ralph's win over Anaconda's Destiny Strutzel was the fact that after winning the first set 6-2, Ralph dropped the second set in a tiebreaker. Then she fell behind 4-1 in the decisive third set before battling back to even the match at 6-6. Then, in the final tiebreaker, Ralph fell behind 6-1, and had to erase five straight match points. Not only did she do that, but she won two more points to secure the victory for herself, and for her senior-laden Blue Pony team. The unusual part was that Ralph and Strutzel played the only match on Saturday. Strutzel played the limit of four matches on Friday, and while the tournament was finished in every other bracket, the consolation singles match couldn't be played until Saturday morning.

"I've coached 11 years now, and I haven't been involved in a match like that," Ferguson said. "We had nine empty courts, we had all of our boys and girls cheering for Tatiana and the same for Anaconda and Destiny. And for good measure, you had Livingston kids there cheering for Anaconda because if Destiny wins, Livingston wins the team title. And then, you have an epic three-set match where neither girl gave in. So it was pretty intense and dramatic.

"And all the credit in the world to Tatiana," Ferguson continued. "She had the match in hand, then had it slip away, and was really up against the wall in that third-set tiebreaker. But she never quit. She never folded. She kept coming back, she kept fighting. It was very special to watch and I'm so proud of her, not just for the win, but for the way she carried herself and for showing so much heart and determination. That's a match I'm always going to remember."

The Pony girls put a divisional tournament together they'll all remember too. Senior Brandy Lambourne breezed to the singles championship, while seniors Breck Don and Ellery Bresler wound up finishing a close second in girls doubles. That's a good tournament in itself, but along the way, Havre and Livingston seemed to be neck-and-neck throughout the tourney, and that's where Ralph's win, as well as key points from senior Shannon Herring in singles and sophomores Rainey Stoner and Madison Huebsch came into play.

"This divisional championship is so special to all of us," Ferguson said. "The girls, especially the seniors, wanted this one really bad. They were excited and pumped up and intense the entire tournament. They were focused and determined to get this trophy, and they got it done. I'm happy for our seniors, because they followed a great string of girls trophies in our program, and hadn't got one of their own yet. But I'm also so proud of every girl on this team. Because all 10 of them came to Bozeman with one goal, and one mission, and together they accomplished something very special."

Lambourne went untested in four matches over the weekend, and she downed Livingston's Shelly Ouelette 6-1, 6-4 in the final. Bresler and Don lost a heartbreaker to Livingston's top team in the championship match, 7-5, 7-6, but their thrilling three-set win over the No. 2 Livingston team in the semifinals was another huge reason why Havre was able to secure a team title. Meanwhile, the senior duo of Haley Graham and Morgan Jappe also came up big, winning a key first-round match and scoring four points before losing to the Livingston No. 2 in the match that would have qualified the duo for state. Herring gave Havre another two points in singles and came up just one win shy of having a chance to reach the state tournament.

"I am extremely happy for Brandy Lambourne," Ferguson said. "She's had a lot of success over the years, but in singles, our division had been ruled by some really good players the last two. Now, Brandy is that player who rules our division and she played like it this weekend. She was very, very good and she deserves this title. Breck and Ellery won a heroic match in the semifinals, and actually played even better in their loss in the championship match. I know they were disappointed, but their comeback in the semifinals, we wouldn't have won the team title without, and I still think they are going to be one of the teams to beat at the state.

"The same goes for Morgan, Haley and Shannon," Ferguson continued. "We won the team title by one point, so clearly, it wasn't possible without everything those three did this weekend. But at the same time, they had goals of going to state individually too, and it didn't quite happen. And that's why divisional tournaments like this one are so bitter sweet. You're so excited that we won a team title, and as a team you're elated, but at the same time, with those three seniors, it breaks your heart for them that they didn't quite make it to where they were hoping to be. But I couldn't be more proud of those three, and of all our seniors. They have been dedicated to this team, and even though it's an individual sport too, I know how much this trophy means to all of them. They are a special group and I'm so proud and honored to be their coach."

While the seniors played a huge role in the Ponies' first Central A title in four long years, Ralph was the catalyst. She scored a crucial seven points, with her first loss coming in a close match against Ouelette in the semifinals. She bounced right back to win in the consolation semifinals, then beat Strutzel in the epic match. Ralph also beat Strutzel in straight sets in the quarterfinals Thursday. Stoner and Huebsch, playing in their first divisional tournament together, added a win in the consolation bracket, while sophomore Alara Vogel went 0-2, but played well according to Ferguson.

"Again, this was a total team win," Ferguson said. "And our sophomore class was every bit a part of it as Tati and the seniors were. That's what made this weekend so fun and special. These 10 girls went to Bozeman on a mission. They were bonded, they supported each other and pushed each other, and they stuck together, and the result was a really exciting and special championship. This is a great moment for our girls program, but more so, for this 2014 girl's team. I'm just so happy for all 10 of them, and even more proud of every one of them."

Lambourne, Ralph, Bresler and Don will now prep for a trip to the 2014 Class A state tennis tournament, which runs Thursday-Friday in Billings.

Team Scores

Havre 46, Livingston 45

SINGLES

Championship – Brandy Lambourne, HAV def. Shelly Oulette, LIV, 6-1, 6-4; 3rd Place – Tatiana Ralph, HAV def. Destiny Strutzel, ANA, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6).

Havre Individual Results

Brandy Lambourne (1st Place)

1st rd – def. Abby Gatz, LEW, 6-0, 6-0; 2nd rd – def. Olivia HintZ, liv, 6-1, 3-0 (INJ DEF.); Semifinals – def. Beth Olson, LEW, 6-2, 6-2; Championship – def. Oulette, LIV, 6-1, 6-4.

Tatiana Ralph (3rd Place)

1st rd – def. Tayler Totland, LIV, 6-2, 6-2; 2nd rd – Destiny Strutzel, ANA, 6-4, 6-1; Semifinals – def. by Ouelette, LIV, ; Consolation Semifinals – def. Hintz, LIV, 6-4, 6-1; 3rd Place – def. Strutzel, ANA, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6).

Shannon Herring

1st rd – def. by Strutzel, ANA, 6-4, 6-4; Consolation 1str rd – def. Totland, LIV, 6-4, 6-0; Consolation 2nd rd – def. Ameilia Wood, ANA, 6-0, 6-0; Consolation 3rd rd – def. by Strutzel, ANA, 7-5, 7-5.

Alara Vogel

1st rd – def. by Olson, LEW, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1; Consolation 1st rd – def. by Emmy Keenan, ANA, 6-1, 6-0.

DOUBLES

Championship – Kelley/Coleman, LIV def. Breck Don/Ellery Bresler, HAV, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3); 3rd Place – Johnson/Salle, ANA def. Lane/Lane, LIV, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Havre Individual Results

Ellery Bresler/Breck Don (2nd Place)

1st rd – Bye; 2nd rd – def. Phipps/Printz, LIV, 6-1, 6-1; Semifinals – def. Lane/Lane, LIV, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5; Championship – def. by Kelley/Coleman, LIV, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).

Haley Graham/Morgan Jappe

1st rd – def. Mhyre/Godbey, LEW, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4); 2nd rd – def. by Johnson/Salle, ANA, 6-3, 6-1; Consolation 2nd rd – def. Hammer/Neilson, ANA, 6-0, 6-1; Consolation 3rd rd – def. Mhyre/Godbey, LEW, 6-0, 6-2; Consolation Semifinals – def. by Lane/Lane, LIV, 6-2, 6-2.

Rainey Stoner/Madison Huebsch

1st rd – def. by Phipps/Printz, LIV, 6-1, 6-1; 2nd rd Consolation – def. Davis/Grosvold, ANA, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5; Consolation 3rd rd – def. by Phipps/Printz, LIV, 6-1, 6-0.