Blue Ponies earn Class A accolades

As expected, the Havre High girls basketball team was well represented on the 2016-17 Class A All-State and Central A All-Conference lists.

The awards were released Monday afternoon, with three Blue Ponies honored.

For the second straight season, Havre High senior Naomi Terry earned Class A All-State and First-Team Central A All-Conference honors. Blue Pony freshman Kyndall Keller earned the same accolades, while senior Ceyera Plante was named All-Conference.

Terry earned All-Conference honors for the third straight time, after averaging close to 17 points per game. She also came off an outstanding Class A state tournament, where she twice had game-highs for the Blue Ponies. While Terry wrapped up her Pony basketball career last weekend, she will stay in Havre to play for the Montana State University-Northern Skylights, starting next fall.

Keller meanwhile, is just getting started. During a remarkable first year for head coach Dustin Kraske, she averaged better than 14 points per game, and scored 20-plus points on six different occasions, in helping the Ponies to a perfect mark in the Central A, as well as another Class A state tournament appearance.

Plante, also in her final season of a strong Blue Pony career, averaged close to 10 points per game, and was a strong 3-point shooter all season long on her way to earning Central A Second-Team All-Conference honors.

Rounding out the rest of the Central A First Team was Belgrade's Shania Neubauer, Lewistown's Hanna Hayes and Belgrade's Gabby Webber. Neubauer was also All-State, and is set to play volleyball for MSU-Northern next fall. Belgrade head coach Sarah Fowler was named the Central A Coach of the Year.

The Class A All-State list also includes four players from the Eastern A in Hardin's Madisan Chavez, Laurel's Aspen Cotter, Miles City's Kaelei Koening and Billings Central's Olivia Moten-Schell.

As expected, the state champion Columbia Falls Wildkats dominated the All-State list from the Northwest A. Kiara Burlage, Cydney Finberg, Peyton Kehr and Dani Douglas were all named All-State, while Frenchtown's Shannon Worster was honored as well.

Butte Central's Mollie Peoples, Emily St. John and Kloie Thatcher, along with Dillon's Brynley Fitzgerald were All-State from the Southwest A.

2017 Class A All-Conference/All State

Central A

1st Team

Kyndall Keller, Havre (All-State), Naomi Terry, Havre (All-State), Shania Neubauer, Belgrade (All-State), Hanna Hayes, Lewistown, Gabby Webber, Belgrade.

2nd Team

Krista Brown,. Belgrade, Jocelyn Croff, Browning, Olivia Hall, Browning, Ceyara Plante, Havre, Claree Tecca, Livingston.

Coach of the Year - Sarah Fowler, Belgrade

Eastern A

1st Team

Madisan Chavez, Hardin (All-State), Aspen Cotter, Laurel (All-State), Kaelei Koening, Miles City (All-State), Olivia Moten-Schell, Billings Central (All-State), Wyniah Mintz, Glendive.

2nd Team

Karissa DuShane, Hardin, Jill Hardenbrook, Billings Central, Sharmayne Hardy, Hardin, Trahnea Phelan, Hardin, Jenna Swope, Miles City.

Northwest A

1st Team

Kiara Burlage, Columbia Falls (All-State), Cydney Finberg, Columbia Falls (All-State), Peyton Kehr, Columbia Falls (All-State), Shani Doouglas, Columbia Falls (All-State), Shannon Worster, Frenchtown.

2nd Team

Alivia Williams, Frenchtown, Allison Hochhalter, Frenchtown, Emilie Hinrichs, Frenchtown, Sydney Hovde, Columbia Falls, Lauren Lefthand, Polson.

Coach of the Year - Cary Finberg, Columbia Falls

Southwest A

1st Team

Mollie Peoples, Butte Central (All-State), Emily St. John, Butte Central (All-State), Brynley Fitzgerald, Dillon (All-State), Kloie Thatcher, Butte Central (All-State), Corinne Sanderson, Corvallis.

2nd Team

Calla Haldorson, Corvallis, Kylie Christiansen, Dillon, Bailey Berriocha, Dillon, Emma Warnken, Corvallis, Angel Richards, Stevensville.

Coach of the Year - Gabe Walker, Dillon