Browning stops Havre on senior day

With the Eastern A Divisional starting this week, the Havre High boys basketball team had one last chance to end the regular season with some momentum. What it got instead, was a tough defeat at the hands of an old rival.

The Blue Ponies, who defeated Browning earlier in the season, lost to the Indians Saturday inside the HHS gymnasium by the score of 69-62. The loss gave Havre a final regular season record of 3-15. HHS also finished 2-6 in the Central A and ended up as the fifth seed. Havre will play Miles City in a divisional play-in game Wednesday in Billings. Tip-off time is set for 1:30 p.m.

“We had some chances,” HHS head coach Curt Leeds said. “We just made too many mistakes. We had a lack of communication. We had a few times when we didn’t match up right on free throws for boxing out and gave up rebounds. It’s the little things like that. We just can’t keep making those kinds of mistakes.”

Havre, which was playing on senior day, roared out of the gates. Nate Korb scored twice, as did Ryan Bakke and the Ponies jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Browning finally got a bucket, but then Isaac Warp made a 3-pointer and Havre was up 11, 13-2. Yet, a couple long jumpers, including a trey by Justin Calf Boss Ribs, sparked a 13-2 Browning run, and at the end of the first quarter, the score was tied 15-15.

“We came out with a lot of energy and a lot of fire,” Leeds said. “We hit a couple of shots and our teams always play better when they first their first couple shots. But then they went into their 1-2-2 zone and we just didn’t execute our offense very well and we let them back in the game.”

After giving up the lead, Havre quickly regained it in the second quarter, as Korb scored and then Warp hit from deep for the second time. But Browning responded with an 11-1 run that gave the Indians a 26-20 lead, before Havre scored the final three points of the half to make it 26-23 in favor of Browning at halftime.

Right away in third, a trey by Warp and another hoop by Korb had the lead down to one at 29-28. However, the Indians put together another run, this time a 10-1 spurt that was capped with a triple from Calf Boss Ribs that made it 38-30 Indians with 2:11 left in the third.

Calf Boss Ribs scored seven more points in the third, but a triple from Bobby Personett in the final seconds of the quarter kept Havre close at 45-39.

Havre cut the lead to four early in the final stanza, but Calf Boss Ribs answered with another three. The lead eventually got as big as 11 points for Browning before Havre made a final effort at a comeback.

After scores by Bakke and Ivar Aageson, Havre got within seven and following another hoop by Aageson and two free throws by Warp, the Ponies were down just three, 63-60 with 54 seconds left. Yet, two free throws by Tyree Whitcomb and two more from Calf Boss Ribs, with a Havre turnover sandwiched in between, iced the game for the Indians.

Calf Boss Ribs was exceptional. He finished with 28 points for the Indians, while Whitcomb and Brandon Aimsback each had 11. Korb and Warp both led Havre with 18. Aageson added eight and Bakke pitched in with seven.

“We did a great job of battling back,” Leeds said. “I thought the boys did a great job of fighting, but all those little things, they start to add up.”

The Havre girls were also in action Saturday and traveled to Browning. The Ponies beat the Indians 55-37 to finish 13-5 overall and 8-0 in the Central A.

“Yeah, it was kind of neat to finish unbeaten in the conference,” HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. “But the kids played really well. They were really focused and I was really pleased with the way they played.”

HHS jumped out to a 15-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 29-13 at the half. In the third quarter, the Ponies blew the game wide open thanks to three triples from Naomi Terry, who finished with a game-high 21 points. Havre led 45-21 after three and went on to win by 18. In addition to Terry’s 21 points, Kyndall Keller had 13 for Havre, while Danielle Wallace had seven and Marca Herron had five.

Havre will take on Miles City in the girls Eastern A Divisional tournament Wednesday at 5 p.m. The Havre boys will also play Miles City Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

Browning 69, Havre 62

Browning 15 11 19 24 – 69

Havre 15 8 16 23 – 62

Browning – Justin Calf Boss Ribs 28, Chase Smith 4, Dylan Loring 2, Donovan Blackman 4, Landon Magee 6, Weston Mad Plume 3, Tyree Whitcomb 11, Brandon Aimsback 11. Totals 24 17-33 69.

Havre – N. Korb 18, J. LaBrie 2, I. Warp 18, B. Personett 3, R. Bakke 7, I. Aageson 8, T. Murphy 6. Totals 21 16-27 62.

3-point – Calf Boss Ribs 4; Warp 3, Personett.

Havre 55, Browning 37

Havre 15 14 16 10 - 55

Browning 3 10 8 16 - 37

Havre - Ceyara Plante 4, Kyndall Keller 13, Naomi Terry 21, Marca Herron 5, Danielle Wallace 7, Kristen Nash 2, Kyle Verploegen 1.