HHS boys make their home debut Saturday

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the new era of Havre High boys basketball and tonight, it officially gets underway as new head coach Walynn Burgess makes his official debut.

Unfortunately, for Havre basketball fans, the Blue Ponies will open on the road tonight against Billings Central. So the first time fans can catch a glimpse of the Ponies at the HHS gymnasium will be Saturday night against Glendive. That game will tip off at 5 p.m. Havre and Billings Central will play tonight at 6.

"The boys are really excited to get out there and play," Burgess said. "It's going to be exciting to go on the road and play a really good Billings Central team and getting a chance to play that first home game. We are excited to play in front of our fans and we are hoping that we get some good support."

The Rams have been a dominant team in Class A over the past three seasons, reaching the state championship game each year. However, each time the Rams have finished as the Class A runner-up, with the most recent loss coming to Hardin last March. Yet, following that disappointment, Billings Central should be poised to make another run at Class A's biggest prize, especially with the return of Chrishon Dixon, one of the most dynamic athletes in the state of Montana. He is an All-State wide receiver that has drawn interest from both Montana and Montana State. Yet, he's very skilled on the basketball court, too, and last season the 5-foot-10 guard averaged 14.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists. Sam Gray, another returning player, stands 6-foot-7 and will be a load to handle inside for HHS after earning Second-Team All-Conference in the Eastern A last season.

"We know that (Billings Central) is going to be a big challenge for us," Burgess said. "They have made the state championship game three years running. But like we talked all week, we just have to go out and play as hard as we can. I like that we will get a chance to see how we stack up against one of the better teams right away."

While the Ponies will have a new face on the bench in Burgess, Havre will have a slew of familiar faces in its starting lineup including Tommy Brown, Austin Delarosa and Tysen Sangrey. All three of those guys had regular roles last season. According to Burgess, Brown has taken a big step forward after another off-season of development and he's ready to be among the top scoring options on a team who has struggled to score the past two seasons.

"He's just a really solid player all around," Burgess said. "He has really put a lot of time in and it has really paid off for him. He's going to be a big part of what we do."

While Brown will a top option on the wing for the Ponies, Sangrey will be counted on to provide an inside scoring presence. He will be joined up front by fellow starter Kellen Detrick, who Burgess described as a stretch four. Detrick plays defensive end for the Havre football team and his size, athletic ability and shooting touch should give opponents something to think about. Running the point for Havre will he Mason Rismon, a junior that came off the bench last season.

Other players that should contribute and see heavy minutes right away are Jake Huston, Max Olson and Josh Warp. who like his older brothers Dane and Isaac Warp, is a threat from beyond the arc.

After taking on the Rams tonight, Havre will play its first game inside the Pony Corral Saturday night against a Glendive team fresh off a 7-14 season. The Red Devils return one of the top players in the Eastern A in Stephen Steinbron, however, he may not be able to play Saturday due to an ankle injury. Glendive head coach Wade Murphy told the Glendive Ranger-Review recently he doubted whether Steinbron would play against Lewistown in Glendive's season-opener tonight, so it puts his status for Saturday up in the air.

Regardless, Burgess said, his team will be fired up and said he was also looking forward to his first game as the Ponies head coach inside the HHS gymnasium.

"We are all looking forward to it," Burgess said. "I have coached a lot of games here at the (District) 9C tournament and now it's our home floor, so it will have a little piece of my heart, for sure, but when you come down to it, it's just the first one. Our boys are excited about the chance to play at home and we are just ready to get out there and play."

Havre will open the season tonight, on the road against Billings Central at 6. Havre will then host Glendive inside the HHS gymnasium Saturday night at 5.