Rivalry Weekend: HHS girls host Browning

The Havre High girls basketball team has a good blend of youth and experience. The experience has helped the Blue Ponies get off to a strong start, but the youth and the growth potential that comes with it is what gives the Ponies the chance to once again compete for the Class A state championship.

This weekend will provide the Ponies with another opportunity to grow as they will be thoroughly tested in a pair of high-profile matchups against the Browning Indians and Rocky Boy Morning Stars.

Havre will start its weekend against Central A rival Browning at home inside the HHS gymnasium in a battle of the two unbeaten teams in the conference. Tip-off is set for 7 tonight. Then, Saturday, the Ponies will turn around and travel to Rocky Boy, where they will do battle with the Morning Stars, who are the eighth-ranked team in Class B.

"Right now, I think we have only scratched the surface of how good we can be," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "I think we have room for improvement defensively. But also on offense, we have a lot of room to grow over the final 10 or 12 games of the season, so that is something that is exciting for us."

Havre, which comes into the Browning game with a 5-2 overall record and 3-0 mark in the Central A, will be looking for its third straight win in the battle for Central A supremacy. Browning is currently 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the Central A, but with a win tonight, they would take over sole possession of first place in the standings.

Meanwhile, the Ponies already have road wins over Livingston, Lewistown and Belgrade and if they can knock off Browning in the showdown for first, they will have swept their way through the first half of their conference schedule.

"I know I have said this before, but winning or losing against Browning won't make or break our season," Kraske said. "But it would be great for our kids. It is our first conference home game, the pep band will be there, it will be a good crowd and it will be a great atmosphere for basketball. We will need to defend, push the tempo and play how we play. That's what we have worked on this whole week in practice."

The Ponies will be led into action against Browning by senior guard Morgan Mazurkiewicz, who simply does it all for HHS. Not only does she lead the team in scoring with an average of 16.1 points per game, she also is the second leading rebounder with 5.4 per game. But it doesn't stop there. She is also averaging 4.5 steals per game to along with just under six assists. To put it bluntly, she is the straw that stirs the drink for Havre.

Yet, Mazurkiewicz certainly doesn't do it alone. Sophomore Naomi Terry has emerged as a legitimate scoring threat in recent weeks and is second on the team in scoring with 11 points per game. Dani Wagner is another solid player for the Ponies, who gives opponents fits with her length and athleticism. The junior forward is currently third on the team in scoring with nine points per game as well as the leading rebounder with 8.1 per game.

But, no matter how good the Ponies play on offense, the identity of Kraske's team will always be defense. Through seven games, the Havre defense has not disappointed. In the win over Conrad last Friday, the Ponies allowed just one field goal in the second half to the Cowgirls. It came with less than a minute left in regulation and ended a drought that lasted over 16 minutes.

"The first part of every possession we are really good defensively," Kraske said. "But it seems with each pass the other team makes we get a little less urgency. So we have been working on maintaining our level of defensive urgency and continuing to do the little fundamental things. Then, when we get them to shoot the shot we want, collectively rebound the basketball. We are getting better at it and we are especially good early in possessions then we get a little weaker. But it's kind of fun because we have a lot of young kids playing and the growth potential is much greater than maybe it is with an older team."

The two girls from Browning who will give Havre the most cause for concern are Tiara Gilham, who averages 13.6 points and eight rebounds per game, as well as Kaylea Skunkcap, who is the Indians' second-leading scorer with 10.5 points per game.

"(Tiara) Gilham and (Kaylea) Skunkcap are both very good players," Kraske said. "Ray Azure is one of the better coaches out there, so we will have our hands full with Browning. It should be a good game. I am looking forward to it."

After the Ponies battle Browning for the top spot in the Central A, HHS will hit the road for a challenging game against Rocky Boy.

The Morning Stars are not built on star power, instead they are built on depth. They have a number of talented players and easily go ten deep. Minnie The Boy, Jai-Lynne Day Child, Lauren Four Colors and Rachel Parker are the most consistent contributors and thanks to numbers alone, Rocky Boy will make things tough on Havre. Not to mention, the Morning Stars play a brutal schedule. Their only losses this season have come at the hands of mighty Fairfield and Malta, two powerhouses of girls basketball, regardless of classification.

"We are looking forward to going down there and playing," Kraske said. "It's hard to win on the road anytime and this will be no different. Really there are no more dominant teams in basketball in Montana, at least not a ton, so it's not a surprise to see a team lose on the road. So any time you can win on the road it's an accomplishment."

Havre and Browning will kick things off at tonight 7 in the HHS gymnasium, while the Ponies and Morning Stars will begin at 5 p.m., Saturday in Rocky Boy.