Tourney Time: Blue Pony girls poised to make a run at some hardware in Billings

The Havre High girls basketball team is used to winning divisional championships. Before last season, the Blue Ponies had won four in a row. But those were Central A titles. What Havre wants now is an Eastern A championship.

And after a season that saw the Ponies go 13-5 overall, as well as 8-0 in conference, Havre heads to the Eastern A Divisional as one of the teams to beat. HHS will open its tournament today inside the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra in Billings against Miles City. Tip-off time is set for 5.

"I think we come in playing really well," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "We have put some new wrinkles in at the end of the season, and the kids have adjusted well to those. So we are excited to go down and see what we can do."

After winning 10 of 11 games to start the season, the Ponies fell into a bit of a slump, losing three straight games. Yet consecutive wins over Rocky Boy and Browning to end the season, as well as a victory over Lewistown earlier, means Havre has won three of four heading into its matchup with Miles City.

While Havre is coming into the divisional tournament with momentum, Miles City comes in going in the opposite direction. The Cowgirls lost their last three games, which dropped them into fourth in the final Eastern A standings. However, they have plenty of talent still, including Kaelei Koenig, who scores 15.6 per game to go along with 8.7 rebounds. Miles City's other key player is Kyra Oakland. She averages 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. As a team, Miles City scored 54.8 points per game during the regular season.

"Miles City is a pressing team," Kraske said. "They get after you and they want to try to make you play fast. We are going to have to handle that pressure."

One thing that will help Havre handle the pressure is the steady presence of senior point guard Naomi Terry, who averages 3.1 assists per game, compared to just 2.5 turnovers. While Terry leads the Ponies in assists with 55, she is also their leading scorer at 14.6 points per game. The Montana State University-Northern commit is a dual threat that can attack the basket, as evidenced by her 72 free throw attempts, but is also a threat from deep. She made 36 3-point field goals this season, tops for Havre, but did so efficiently shooting at a 35-percent clip.

As good as Terry is, she certainly isn't the only threat for Havre offensively, as freshman Kyndall Keller has been another solid option. The first-year player has had multiple 20-point outings and is second on the team in scoring (12.1 ppg). She is also third on the team in both steals and assists.

In terms of an inside presence, Danielle Wallace is the key contributor there. She averages 5.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while Ceyara Plante (7.0 ppg) and Marca Herron (4.3 ppg) are the other consistent scorers. On the defensive end, Havre is sparked by Kaylee Nystrom, who forced 53 steals, which ranked ninth in Class A.

"Definitely," Kraske responded when asked if his team was peaking. "The kids have been really focused and we have been having great practices for the past couple of weeks. I think we are playing really well right now and we are looking forward to the challenge. It should be a lot of fun."

If the Ponies win, they would advance to the semifinals, which would be Friday at 3:30 p.m. Havre would face the winner of Laurel (11-6) and Browning (9-8). The Locomotives are the No. 2 seed from the East and feature a solid trio of Aspen Cotter, Rylee Clark and Ellie Kildalh. Browning is the third seed from the Central A and will rely on its depth. The Indians don't have any scorers averaging double figures, but they do have seven that average at least five per night.

On the other side of the bracket, possibly the most intriguing first-round matchup is Belgrade (10-8), the second seed from the Central, which takes on Billings Central (9-7), the No. 3 from the East. The Rams features one of the top scorers in Class A in Olivia Moten-Schell (17.2 ppg), as well as Jill Hardenbrook and Camryn Gunderson. The Panthers are led by Shania Neubauer, the team's leading scorer (11.1 ppg).

The winner of Belgrade and Billings Central will face either Hardin, the top seed from the East or one of the four teams trying to play their way into the tournament. Play-in games took place this morning between Sidney and Lewistown, as well as Livingston and Glendive. The two winners will then meet for the right to face Hardin.

The Bulldogs, who finished the season 17-1 are a tournament favorite, along with Havre, thanks to a dynamic offense that averages 66.2 points per game, second only to Columbia Falls (66.3) in all of Class A. Hardin has three double-digit scorers on its roster, with Madisan Chavez leading the way at 14.7 ppg. Karissa Dushane averages 13.1 and Trahnea Phelan scores 11.8.

Hardin may boast the best offensive team at the Eastern A Divisional, but the best defense statistically, belongs to Havre, which allows just 40.2 points a game.

That could lead to a battle of strengths come championship night in a hypothetical matchup between Havre and Hardin if the tournament plays out according to seed. However, when it comes to postseason play, just about anything can happen, which is why Kraske likes the fact that his players are used to playing on the big stage.

"Most of our kids have played in the tournament before or played at the state tournament," Kraske said. "And I think that experience is helpful. But every game is going to be tough. That's just how it is, so we need to go out and earn out invitation to the state tournament."

The Eastern A Divisional started this morning and will continue through Saturday. The semifinals will be Friday at 3 and 5 p.m. Four teams will advance to the Class A state tournament next week in Butte. The consolation game will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, with the championship to follow at 6:30.

Eastern A

At Rimrock Auto Arena, Billings

(4 teams advance)

Wednesday

Game 1: Lewistown vs. Sidney, 9 a.m.

Game 2: Glendive vs. Lewistown, 10:30 a.m.

Game 3: Laurel vs. Browning, 3:30 p.m.

Game 4: Havre vs. Miles City, 5 p.m.

Thursday

Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 9 a.m.

Game 6: Belgrade vs. Billings Central, 10:30 a.m.

Game 7: Hardin vs. Game 5 winner, 3:30 p.m.

Game 8: Game 3 loser vs. Game 5 loser, 5 p.m.

Friday

Game 9: Game 4 loser vs. Game 5 loser, 9 a.m.

Game 10: Game 3 loser vs. Game 6 winner, 10:30 a.m.

Game 11: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 3:30 p.m.

Game 12: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 5 p.m.

Saturday

Game 13: Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 loser, 9 a.m.

Game 14: Game 10 winner vs. Game 12 loser, 9 a.m. (Rocky Mountain College)

Game 15: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 3 p.m., third place

Game 16: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 6:30 p.m., championship.