Blue Ponies battle at state

The Havre High girls basketball team was on the doorstep of the Class A state championship game this past weekend in Butte.

And after taking a lead in the third quarter against Columbia Falls in the state semifinals, it looked like Havre might just get there.

But there is a reason why Columbia Falls didn’t lose a single game all season to Class A competition and why the Wildkats went on to win the Class A state championship Saturday night. And after falling behind 25-24 to the Blue Ponies Friday night at the Butte Civic Center, they went on an 11-0 run to end the third quarter. Then went on to win 55-42.

However, the loss didn’t knock Havre out of the tournament. That happened Saturday morning when the Ponies simply ran out of gas against Corvallis. Havre had to play at 9:30 a.m., after losing the night before. The Blue Devils wound up winning 47-37, eliminating the Ponies from the state tournament.

“They are a good team,” HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said of Columbia Falls. “But I was proud of the way that the kids played. I thought they played fantastic.”

After beating Butte Central in the opening round Thursday, Havre took on Columbia Falls in the semifinals. It was the third straight year the two teams met at the state tournament. C-Falls won the first two meetings and after outscoring Havre 15-6 in the first quarter, it looked like the Wildkats would win easily again.

However, the Ponies had no intention of going quietly into the night. Late in the half, the Wildkats led 21-12, but a 7-0 run from Havre that included a 3-pointer from Naomi Terry and a long two from her as well, made it 21-19 at intermission.

“The kids just really started to move the ball really well,” Kraske said. “We had a really good second quarter.”

In the third quarter, Havre grabbed its first lead of the game, when Kaylee Nystrom nailed her second three of the game. At that point, the Ponies led 25-24. But C-Falls responded with an 11-0 run to end the stanza, putting it ahead 35-25 with one quarter to play.

“I remember we had a really good pass there to Nystrom,” Kraske said. “We made the extra pass, and she made a great shot. We got a stop after that and had a couple of possessions that were kind of weird. Then we just fouled too much.”

In the fourth quarter, Havre continued to battle, but couldn’t gain much ground. The Wildkats ended up making 30 free throws for the game after earning 48 attempts. Sydney Hovde had 16 to lead the way for C-Falls, while Peyton Kuhr added 15. Ceyara Plante and Kyndall Keller both had nine for the Ponies, Terry pitched in with eight.

Despite the quick turnaround before the game against Corvallis, Havre came out hot and after two treys by Terry late in the opening quarter, and Havre led 13-9. The game was tied just before halftime at 17-17, but five straight points from HHS, including a Plante three gave Havre a 22-17 advantage.

“I think it’s really hard to come back and play that game,” Kraske said. “I thought our kids battled really hard, we just didn’t have the energy that we had the night before.”

In the third quarter, Corvallis outscored Havre 13-2 to grab a 30-24 lead going into the fourth. Refusing to go away, the Ponies got back within two after a hoop by Keller to make it 30-28. The Blue Devils responded with six straight, before another five-point spurt a 3-pointer by Terry got Havre within three points at 36-33 with 4:03 left in the game.

In the end, HHS never did pull even. Corvallis scored the next eight points and went on to win the game by 10. Corinne Sanderson was a driving force in the win for the Blue Devils with 16 points. Terry had 17 to lead the Ponies. Keller contributed with 12. The Havre girls ended the season 16-8 overall.

“I thought that we had a great season,” Kraske said. “You want to focus on the last game because it is disappointing to lose, but that shouldn’t define the whole season. So we are going to try and not think about it like that. I think all but one team goes home disappointed, so that’s just life. But I think playing in the state semifinals was great and I thought it was a great year all around.”

Corvallis, making its first-ever state tourney appearance, would end up finishing fourth to Butte Central. Columbia Falls beat Hardin for the Class A state championship.

Columbia Falls 55, Havre 42, sf

C. Falls 15 6 6 18 – 55

Havre 6 13 8 15 – 42

Columbia Falls – Dani Douglas 8, Cydney Finberg 5, Peyton Kehr 15, Kiara Burlage 10, Sydney Hovde 16, Hannah Gedlaman 1..

Havre – Ceyara Plante 9, Kyndall Keller 9, Kaylee Nystrom 6, Naomi Terry 8, Danielle Wallace 4, Samantha Oliver 2, Kyley Verploegen 4.

Corvallis 47, Havre 37, lo

Havre 13 9 2 13 – 37

Corvallis 9 8 13 17 – 47

Havre – Ceyara Plante 6, Kyndall Keller 12, Naomi Terry 17, Danielle Wallace 2. Totals: 9 14-19.

Corvallis – Penny Jessop 7, Calla Haldorson 7, Emme Warnken 10, Corinne Sanderson 16, Genesis Keith 2, Steffani Stoker 2, Lainie Albright 3. Totals: 15 14-17.

3-pointers – Plante 2, Terry 3, Sanderson 2, Albright.