Ponies kick the Cowboys

It's funny how quickly things can change in sports. The Havre High boys basketball team for instance, needed a legendary comeback to prevent a four-game losing streak. After an unlikely win over CMR and a dominant performance over Conrad last Friday night, suddenly, the Blue Ponies are on a roll.

Havre backed up its win over the Rustlers with an impressive performance on the road against Conrad. The Ponies, who beat the Cowboys by four earlier in January in Havre, trounced the Class B opponent this time around, 71-38.

"We talked about how if we are supposed to beat a team by 10 points, we need to do that," HHS head coach Curt Leeds said. "And this was one of the first times all year that we came out and played the way that we are supposed to play. We played four good quarters and that's what we need to do. Play well from start to finish."

The non-conference tilt started slowly as the two teams felt each other out and at the end of the first quarter, the Ponies held a 9-5 lead. But in the second quarter, Havre began to hit its stride offensively and following a 22-point outburst, HHS led 31-12 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Ponies blew the game wide open. Conrad did come out with renewed energy on the offensive end in the third with 15 points, but it was no match for the 24 points poured in by the Ponies, who shot a combined 72 percent over the second and third stanzas.

"We moved the ball really well," Leeds said. "Our passing was really good and we found holes in their zone and a high percentage. I was happy with the way that we shot the ball offensively and I was pretty happy with how we played defensively as well."

The Ponies finished the game with another strong quarter offensively with 16 points in the fourth quarter, compared to 11 for Conrad. Havre improved to 10-5 overall with the win. HHS is still 4-2 in the Central A conference.

Dane Warp broke out for another 30-point game as he finished with 32 points in the win. Jerod Boles also had a stellar performance, knocking down four 3-pointers as he scored 12 points. Jacob LaBrie also had a hot-shooting night for Havre, connecting on three shots from downtown for a total of nine points.

"Everybody scored but one person," Leeds said. "And when you have guys making shots, it really open things up for everyone on the floor. It makes us a lot tougher to guard when we have multiple guys that can score."

Klye Murack was the only Conrad player who managed to score in double figures as he lead the Cowboys with 10. Clark Judisch had nine and Trent Zimbelman added seven.

The Ponies will be back in action Friday, when they will host Lewistown in the final Central A home game of the season. Havre will also play at Rocky Boy Saturday.

Havre 71, Conrad 38

Havre 9 22 24 16 -- 71

Conrad 5 7 15 11 -- 38

Havre – J. Boles 12, N. Rismon 4, N. Korb 3, D. Warp 32, J. LaBrie 9, I. Warp 5, I. Aageson 2, Z. Hunt 2, B. Bibeau 2. Totals: 28 6-9.

Conrad – Clark Judisch 9, Trent Zimbelman 7, Logan Garman 5, Eric Harwood 5, Damon Baney 2, Kyle Murack 10. Totals: 16 3-5.

3-Point goals – Boles 4, D. Warp 1, LaBrie 3, I. Warp 1, Garman 1, Murack 2. Fouls – Havre 9, Conrad 11. Fouled out – Cordell Wittmier.