Blue Ponies dim the Stars

Over the years some pretty good Havre High basketball players have had the last name of Rismon and after an 18-point performance that included four 3-pointers, it looks like the Blue Ponies may have found another.

His name is Mason Rismon and his breakout game for the Ponies began with an early triple that set the tone for the night. The junior scored 12 points in the first half, then added five key points late as Havre outscored Rocky Boy 29-14 over the final 12 minutes to knock off the Stars 66-57.

"It was a great experience to watch both Nate and Kade," Mason Rismon said of his older brothers who were each all-conference players. "I learned a lot from them and I just try to do everything they did."

Havre High head coach Walynn Burgess said he had a feeling before the game that Rismon was going to have a good night and when he connected on his first triple of the game, which gave Havre a 3-0 lead, his premonition was right on the money.

"I just had a feeling he was going to have a big game," Burgess said. "The kid played well. He is going to keep growing. He's going to be a good player for us when it's all said and done and we are excited to have him."

While Rismon was one of the stories from Thursday night, the other was Havre's defense, which suffocated the Stars in the second half, holding them to just 14 points over the last 12 minutes and change. At the 4:06 mark of the third quarter, Olin Arkinson scored to give the Stars a 43-37 advantage and after that, Havre outscored Rocky Boy 29-14.

"We talked about it in the huddle and trying to limit their touches in the paint," Burgess said. "I thought the boys did a really good job adjusting to it and they fed off the energy of the crowd, which was great tonight. It was a great atmosphere."

However, the defense was only part of the equation and early on Havre didn't have an answer for Arkinson. But thankfully, Rismon was there to help the Ponies keep pace. After allowing a three to Rismon to open the game, however, Rocky Boy went on a tear of its own, scoring 13 of the next 15 points to grab a 13-5 lead. But, a 3-point play from Rismon got Havre within eight at the end of the first quarter and then a three by him early in the second trimmed the lead to 16-13.

The two teams traded buckets for the next few minutes, but with Rocky Boy leading by five, Rismon hit again from downtown, getting Havre within two.

A bucket by Clint Owens kept the margin intact and when a 3-pointer from Austin Delarosa hit the bottom of the net as the first-half buzzer sounded, the Ponies went into the locker room leading 35-34.

Starting off in the third quarter though, Arkinson sparked another run by the Stars. He knocked down a triple, then scooped in a layup and suddenly, after a 9-2 start to the second half, Rocky Boy was in front 43-37.

Facing a six-point deficit, Havre got back within striking distance thanks to back-to-back hoops by Clint Owens, who put together a scrappy effort that concluded with 12 points and eight rebounds. The four points from Owens sparked a 17-2 run by the Ponies, which included a 3-point play from Kellen Detrick, as well as 3-pointers from Jake Huston and finally Rismon, who buried a three to put Havre in front 54-45.

Rismon scored again a few possessions later on a backdoor cut and following another hoop by Detrick, which capped a 25-6 run, Havre led 62-49 with less than three minutes to go and at that point, it was all but over.

"It feels great to get this win," Rismon said. "We played really well on offense and we played some great defense. In the first quarter, we were a little off but in that second half we came out fired up."

All in all, it was a productive night for Rismon, who not only scored 18 points but also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists. Detrick also had a big night for the Ponies, scoring 12 points, as well as tallying eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tommy Brown also had a solid night with 10 points and four assists, while Huston added nine points. Arkinson led Rocky Boy with 13. The Stars also got 11 points from Wyatt Caplette and Frankie Bacon.

"Everybody is always telling me to shoot the ball," Rismon said. "Coach is always wanting me to shoot and I had the open shots, so I decided to take them."

Havre (4-3) will be in action again Saturday at Lewistown. Tip-off time is set for approximately 6:30 p.m.

Havre 66, Rocky Boy 57

Rocky Boy 16 18 9 14 - 57

Havre 8 27 8 23 - 66

Rocky Boy - Joe Demontiney 2, Mac Sutherland 2, Frankie Bacon 11, Wyatt Caplette 11, Olin Arkinson 13, Blake Cantrell 4, Jordan Tyner 9, Ben Crebs 5.

Havre - Jake Huston 9, Tommy Brown 10, Nate Rismon 18, Kellen Detrick 12, Clint Owens 12, Austin Delarosa 5.