EASTERN A CHAMPS

Divisional championships are nothing new to Dustin Kraske and the Havre High girls basketball team. In fact, the Blue Ponies have won quite a few over the years. Yet they had never won the Eastern A Divisional championship, until this past weekend, that is.

Inside the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra in Billings, the Ponies got revenge for a 2017 title game loss to Hardin by defeated the Bulldogs 42-34 Saturday to win their first super divisional title, and capturing their first title since the Central A crown back in 2015. The 21-0 Ponies will head to the Class A state tournament in Great Falls as the top seed from the East. Havre will meet Hamilton, the fourth seed from the Western A at 12:30 p.m. March 8 in the Four Seasons Arena.

“It’s a big deal, it’s great and it speaks to our kid's level of hard work and all of our coaches' hard work,” Kraske said. “That’s the reward for doing all of that. We are so happy for our players, it’s been a long season, they have ground it out. It’s been tight down the stretch and they executed and they earned it. It’s a big deal because there are a lot of teams over there that are good and I couldn’t be more happy for our guys.”

There are a lot of reasons why Havre has yet to lose this season, but the biggest reason for its dominance might just be its defense.

And in the championship game against Hardin, the Pony defense was on another level. The Bulldogs, who scored just under 60 points a game during the regular season, were held to 14 points in the first half. Hardin had just 20 points after three quarters, before scoring 14 in the final stanza.

Havre didn’t dominate the game offensively, but the Ponies did enough. Kyndal Keller scored 12 of her team’s first 15 points and helped HHS build a 15-5 advantage in the second quarter. At the half, Havre led Hardin 21-14. The Bulldogs kept the game close in the second half, but Danielle Wallace, who finished with 14 points, helped keep Hardin at bay. The defense did its part too, keeping the Bulldogs under 40 points. Keller finished with 15 points, a game high. Kaylee Nystrom also added six, including a key 3-pointer in the second half. Marie Five, who scored 13 points for Hardin, was the only Bulldog to reach double figures.

“Danielle Wallace and Kyley Verploegen, they were big in the second half,” Kraske said. “That Marie Five of Hardin is a good player and they did a nice job of holding her in check. All our kids played really well on the defensive end.”

To get to the championship game against Hardin, the Ponies first had to take care of business Friday night in the semifinals against Laurel and, early on, nothing came easy for the Ponies. The game was tied at 11-11 after the first quarter and with just a minute left in the first half, the score was 16-16. But, in the closing moments of the first half, Kadia Miller hit a 3-pointer, which gave the Ponies a 19-16 halftime lead.

In the second half, the tide turned in favor of the Ponies. Nystrom scored after an offensive rebound to put the Ponies up eight, then a 3-point play by Miller pushed the lead to 11. Havre eventually built a 20-point lead before winning 56-41. Keller had 15 points, despite sitting out some of the first half due to foul trouble. Miller and Nystrom both finished with 10 points, while Wallace and Kyley Verploegen each had seven. Kaitlyn Dawes led Laurel with nine.

“Kadia played so well defensively, her and Kaylee Nystrom,” Kraske said. “Not to single them out, but they did such a good job of taking away the other team’s best. We are just playing so well defensively right now. Even when it was down to six points, if felt like we were in control, like we could make the plays we needed. I am just happy for our kids. They have worked extremely hard and they deserve it.”

The Ponies (21-0) will be off this week, before heading to Great Falls next week for the Class A state tournament, which will be held March 8-10 inside the Four Seasons Arena. The last time the Class A state tournament was in Great Falls, back in 2014, Havre beat Hamilton in the state championship game.

“I am glad that it’s in Great Falls,” Kraske said. “It will be nice for our community to have the chance to travel two hours to watch this team play, because I think this team is worth it.”

Havre 56, Laurel 41, SF

Havre 11 8 17 20 - 56

Laurel 11 5 9 16 - 41

Havre: Kyndall Keller 15, Kylie Walker 4, Kaylee Nystrom 10, Kadia Miller 10, Marca Herron 3, Danielle Wallace 7, Kyley Verploegen 7.

Laurel: Maeson Cotter 6, Apsen Cotter 6, Sammi Spitzer 3, Gracey Willis 1, Paige O'Toole 4, Kaitlyn Dawes 9, Abby Lorash 6, Madison Cooney 4, Riley Chapman 2

Havre 42, Hardin 34, 1st

Havre 8 13 8 13 - 42

Hardin 4 10 6 14 - 34

Havre: Kyndall Keller 15, Kaylee Nystrom 6, Marca Herron 2, Danielle Wallace 14, Kyley Verploegen 5.

Hardin: Ivery Fritzler 5, Karissa DuShane 9, Aiyanna Ereaux 7, Marie Five 13.