Rivalry Weekend: Blue Pony boys set for big road showdowns with Indians, Stars

The Havre Blue Ponies have been road warriors this season. Five of the HHS boys basketball team's first eight games have been on the road, and after two more this weekend that will make it seven of 10.

But for the Ponies, who have won four of five road games this season, and play at Browning tonight at 7, and in Rocky Boy Saturday at 6:30 p.m., it doesn’t matter who or where they play, the mentality is always the same — win.

“With this group of boys they just do what it takes to get the job done,” HHS head coach Curt Leeds said. “There is no fear in their eyes. There is no hesitation in their eyes. They have a killer instinct to win. They also work well with each other, even if we have some people scoring more points than others. It seems like someone always steps up for us in every single game when we need it.”

The No. 3 Ponies come into tonight’s Central A contest against Browning with a 7-1 overall record and a 3-0 record in conference play. Havre has already defeated three of its four conference rivals this season and will look to finish the first half of the conference slate unbeaten with a win over the Indians.

A big reason for the Ponies success this season has been the play of Dane Warp, who leads Havre and the Central A in scoring with an impressive 22.1 points per game. Warp has been highly efficient, connecting on 44 percent of his shots from the field, including 33 percent from 3-point range. He is also shooting more than seven free throw attempts per game, which has helped him maintain his high scoring average.

Yet, HHS is becoming more balanced. And in recent weeks, others have begun to emerge such as Nate Rismon, who is averaging 9.5 points per game and hit the game-winner last Friday against Conrad. Others who have emerged include Jerod Boles and Jacob LaBrie.

Michael Bakke has been another key player for the Ponies, scoring an average of 9.2 points per game and leading the team with nine rebounds per game. However, he has been dealing with an injury that caused him to miss both of last weekend’s games and could hold him out against the Indians and Stars as well.

“Dane has been consistent with his 20-some points,” Leeds said. “But we have also had (Rismon) step up in multiple games. Bakke has stepped up in multiple games. Jase Kato gives us a big presence inside. Wyatt Lindbloom has stepped up and then Boles and LaBrie have both stepped up at times as well.”

Right now, the Ponies hold sole possession of first place in the Central A standings but Browning, which is sitting at 1-1 in league play and 3-4 overall, is well within striking distance, especially if the Indians can get a home win over Havre. And while HHS boasts Warp, Browning has Josh Monroe, who has been one of the more prolific scorers in the conference with an average of 17.2 points per game. Joe Bremner has also been a key contributor for the Indians with eight points per game and 7.6 rebounds.

"A big thing for us in both games this weekend is going to be controlling the tempo," Leeds said. "Browning also is going to really try and put pressure on you with some full court and half court traps. They try to force you into turnovers and get easy layups. So we need to make sure we keep the tempo at our pace, take care of the ball and get good shots."

After taking on Browning, the Ponies will head to Rocky Boy Saturday to play their Class B Rival in front of what should be a fired-up crowd as the Stars look to see just how good they are against the third-ranked team from Class A.

Rocky Boy possesses a slew of good players who should challenge Havre such as Junior Day Child, Bubby Gopher, Skyler Parisian, Cecil LaFromboise, Levi Olsen and Shadow LaForge.

The game also pits two traditional basketball powers along the Hi-Line against each other and even though the game does not meaning anything in the standings or postseason seeding, it's one the Ponies are looking forward to. Rocky Boy swept the Ponies a season ago, including a blowout win in the Stars’ home gym last February.

"I think it's going to be a fun atmosphere," Leeds said. "They usually have a really good crowd and it's going to be tough to go down there and get a win. But as I have said, our goal is to play the last two Saturday nights of the season and we look at this as another opportunity to improve and get better."

Havre and Browning will tip tonight at 7 in Browning. Then Saturday, the Ponies and Stars will go head-to-head at 6:30 p.m in Rocky Boy.