Central A Preview: Havre boys chasing elusive Central A title in Great Falls

To make a return trip to the Class A state tournament this season, the Havre High boys basketball team will need to conquer the one team in the Central A it has yet to defeat.

Much like last year, one of the semifinals in the Central A divisional tournament will match up Havre and Browning. The semifinal showdown, with the winner likely to move on to the state tournament, will take place Friday in Great Falls at the CMR Fieldhouse with tip-off set for 2:30 p.m. The winner will advance to the championship game Saturday night at 8 p.m., and likely to the state tournament as only two teams from the Central A will advance.

Despite going just 1-4 in their last four conference games of the season, a stretch that includes two losses to Browning, one of which was a 65-41 defeat at the hands of the Indians last Saturday in Havre, the Blue Ponies are still confident in their chances of beating the Indians and moving on to the state tournament.

"We were in the same position last year and our kids really stepped up and responded," HHS head coach Curt Leeds said. "Last year, they were really up to the challenge, and I think our boys are capable of doing that. We just have to really dig in and commit ourselves defensively to not giving up as many easy baskets."

One big positive for the Ponies (12-6 overall, 4-4) is that they have the best offensive weapon in the Central A on their side as HHS boasts Dane Warp, who not only leads Havre in scoring at 23.2 points per game, but the entire Central A as well. (See more on Warp on A7.)

Not only is Warp tops in the conference in points scored but he is also in the top 10 in 2-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage, making him one of the league's most efficient scorers, as well as its most prolific.

Yet, Warp does more than score, he is also seventh in the Central A in rebounds, tops in the Central A in steals, third in blocks and fifth in the conference in assists.

He is not the only difference-maker on the Ponies' roster, as Michael Bakke has also made his presence felt this season and leads the conference in rebounding with 9.3 per night.

Bakke, who is Havre's second-leading scoreer with an average of 8.7 points per game, as well as others such as Jerod Boles, Nate Rismon, Jase Kato and Jacob LaBrie will all need to step up if the Ponies are going to beat Browning for the first time this season.

While the Ponies have averaged 56.5 points per game this season, the Indians are the top scoring team in the conference with an average of more than 63 points per game. Browning may not have a dominant scorer like Warp, but the Indians make up for it with depth and a physical presence in the post.

Browning (10-8, 5-3) has two players who average double figures in scoring, and both are players that make hay down low. Josh Monroe is the leading scorer for Browning with an average of 12.9 points per game to go along with a rebound rate of 7.3 per game. The other inside presence for the Indians comes from Joe Bremner, who dominated down the stretch against Havre last Saturday and finished with 15 points. He also averages 6.9 rebounds per game, giving Browning possibly the best combination of rebounders in the league.

While Browning held the Ponies to 41 points thanks in part to Bremner's defense and rebounding in the paint, Leeds believes the Havre offense will function much better with the full repertoire of plays available to it. That's because in the last meeting between the two teams, Leeds had the Ponies run a basic offense, which will not be the case Friday.

"I think it will help that we will be running more offensively than just a basic motion offense," Leeds said. "That will help us get an easy basket or remind us how to move around on the floor when we need to. But the big thing, is going to be us stepping up defensively and not allowing so many easy baskets."

To stop Browning however, the Ponies will need to do much more than just stop Bremner and Monroe, they will also have to deal with the likes of Willy Pepion, Jordan Hipp, Tristen Red Horn and Alonzo Skunk Cap, among others.

If Havre is able to knock off Browning, the Ponies would face either Belgrade, Livingston (8-10, 3-5) or Lewistown (7-11, 2-6) in the championship game Saturday. Belgrade (13-5, 6-2), the regular season champion, gets a bye in the first round and will take on the winner of fifth-seeded Lewistown and fourth-seeded Livingston in the other semifinal.

If Havre loses, the Ponies would be in jeopardy of missing the state tournament and the only way they could make it would be by coming back and finishing third, then hoping Browning wins the championship so HHS could challenge Belgrade, Livingston or Lewistown for the second spot at the state tournament.

"I think this tournament is wide open," Leeds said. "It's a pretty open tournament 1-5, it just is going to depend on who comes out and plays the best basketball, that's who is going to e

Central A Team-by-Team

Belgrade (13-5, 6-2): No team in the Central A comes in hotter than the Belgrade Panthers. Not only did they win their last four conference games to wrap up the regular season title, they have also won eight games overall and come in as the No.1 seed. The Panthers are led by Keldon Lamb, who leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game as well as Brayden Konkol and Koby Ruff, who each play key roles.

Browning (10-8, 5-3): Browning has played as well as anyone in the Central A of late and come into divisionals on a high note after beating Havre 65-41 in the season finale. Jose Monroe and Joe Bremner are the two leaders for Browning but they have a number of other talented players that can step up and make significant contributions.

Livingston (8-10, 3-5): The Rangers hit a slump late in the season when they lost six of seven games. But since then, they won their last two, including a 50-46 win over first-round opponent Lewistown back on Feb. 19. Livingston also has a win over Belgrade under its belt and boasts the second-leading scorer in the Central A in Ladan Ricketts.

Lewistown (7-11, 2-6): Lewistown had earned three consecutive victories before losing to Browning and Livingston to end the season. Yet, the Eagles boast the third-leading scorer in the Central A in Morgan Ray as well as James Derheim and Hunter Erreacart. They are the fifth-seeded team but they are still capable of pulling an upset or two.