Havre girls look to corral the Bison tonight

There can no debating the fact that the Havre High girls basketball team has been on a roll, but if the Blue Ponies want that to continue, they will need to take their game to the next level.

That's because this week, the Ponies face the daunting task of playing back-to-back games against their Class AA rivals as Great Falls High (10-1, 4-0) is set to invade the HHS gymnasium tonight. That game will tip-off at 7 p.m. Then, Havre will get a day off, before traveling to Great Falls to take on CMR (3-8, 1-3) at the CMR Fieldhouse — that contest will tip at 5 p.m.

"These are two games that we are really looking forward to," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "We get a chance to play two very well-coached teams, and I think that our kids are excited about that challenge. It should be two great basketball games."

The Ponies, who are 8-4 overall and 6-0 in the Central A conference, have rebounded from a 2-4 start and have surged as of late with a six-game winning streak. And while the Ponies may be motivated to keep that streak going, the fact that they lost to both Great Falls schools the first time around, should keep HHS plenty motivated for both non-conference tilts.

The first game between the Lady Bison and HHS took place Dec. 22 in Great Falls. In a forgettable defensive performance, the Ponies allowed Great Falls High to score 74 points en route to a 23-point trouncing. Hannah Collins, a post player for the Bison, who averages 11.4 points per game (10th in Class AA) poured in 25 points, while Nora Klick, a University of Montana basketball commit, added 14. For the season, Klick ranks seventh among all AA scorers with 12.2 points a night.

"We feel pretty good coming in," Kraske said. "We are going to do our best to not let them score 74 points. That's probably the first adjustment that we need to make. Our kids are playing well. Great Falls High is very nice team. I think they are one of the better teams in (Class) AA."

Since that game, the Havre defense has made tremendous strides and now the Ponies, who at one time were giving up more than 50 points per game, have reduced their opponents per-game average down to just 47 points, which ranks second in the Central A conference. While the defense still has areas where it can improve, Kraske said the challenge of slowing down the Bison, might be exactly what his team needs.

"I think we are going to view it as an opportunity to play a team that is really good," Kraske said. "And our kids are going to have to play better than we have been in order to beat them. We have talked about valuing each possession, doing a better job of that, getting our hands up defensively and doing a better job of communicating on defense. Our Achilles heel right now is that we don't talk to each other very well, so that's what we are looking for."

On the offensive end of the floor, both Dani Wagner and Naomi Terry played well in the first go-around with the Bison as each scored 15 points. But as the season has progressed, both Wagner and Terry have gotten better with each passing game and now they make up the most prolific scoring duo in Class A girls basketball.

Wagner is currently second among all scorers in Class A with an average of 18.4 points per game, while Terry ranks sixth overall with 13.75. Between the two of them, they average 32.15 a night, which is almost four points better then any other duo in their classification.

"That's kind of just who we are as a team right now," Kraske said of relying on Wagner and Terry. "It's important for those two to be focused on being aggressive scorers and aggressive playmakers, so to speak. They need to do that, not just this weekend, but from now on if they want to reach the highest level of performance that this team can do."

In addition to Wagner and Terry, the Ponies have been getting even more offensive production from players such as Danielle Wallace, Kristen Nash and Marca Herron, which Kraske said was important.

"It would be great for us to establish a presence around the basket with Danielle, Nash and (Wagner)," Kraske said. "But it has been nice to see some of our other players step up. Marca is playing really well right now and it would be nice to see Ceyara Plante get it going. Everyday, she shoots lights out in practice, so we just need to find a way to get that confidence to transfer over to games."

After going head-to-head with Great Falls High tonight, the Ponies will be on the road Saturday to take on a tough, hard-nosed CMR club that defeated Havre 48-37 in the first meeting between the two teams Dec. 12 in Havre.

Much like the Bison, the Rustlers count heavily on a few scorers to do most of their damage, starting with Addison Gardner, who is fifth in AA with a scoring average of 12.8. CMR will also rely plenty on both Akasia Denton, who averages 7.7 points and Mady Shawinski, who averages 7.0.

Unlike the first game against the Bison, the biggest problem Havre had against the Rustlers was its inability to score. HHS managed just 37 points in the loss. The Ponies aren't the same team they were in December and this week will give them a chance to prove it.

"Our kids will be up. They will be ready to go," Kraske said. "We are playing really well right now and we are playing with a lot of confidence. I told the kids that I think we are one of the better teams in Class A and it's OK for us to act like it."

The Ponies and Lady Bison will get things started tonight at 7 inside the HHS gymnasium. The game Saturday in Great Falls between Havre and CMR will tip at 5 p.m.