Browning too much for Pony boys

The Havre High boys basketball team has faced a slew of difficult opponents on the road and Friday in Browning, the Blue Ponies faced another big challenge, playing a third state semifinalist from last season in the Indians.

And much like the first two such road games against Billings Central and Lewistown, other upper-echelon teams, Havre hung around for much of the game before giving way to a superior opponent at the end.

In Browning, the Ponies were competitive and trailed 33-25 at the half before the Indians used a 27-point third quarter to create some separation in what ended up as an 80-54 win.

The loss was the second straight for the Ponies who also lost on the road to Lewistown Jan. 5. Havre is now 4-6 overall, but it has also played eight of its first 10 games on the road and will finish with six of eight at home, including all three remaining games against Central A teams.

“We knew our schedule was going to be tough,” HHS head coach Walynn Burgess said. “But it has given us a chance to grow and get better. Browning is a really good team.”

When it comes to scoring, few teams in Class A can do it better than the Indians, who opened the battle of old Central A rivals with an 18-point first quarter, which put the Ponies down 18-8 after the first eight minutes. In the second quarter, the Indians continued to find success and scored another 15 points, however, the Ponies were also able to put some good stretches together and poured in 18 points in the stanza, which trimmed Browning’s lead to 33-25 at halftime.

In the third quarter, though, Browning took over. The Indians went off for 27 points, while the Ponies went cold and scored only seven points, which left Havre trailing 60-32 with just eight minutes left to play. Havre added 22 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to get back within striking distance.

Despite the loss, three Ponies reached double figures led by Mason Rismon, who finished with 15 points. Tommy Brown also contributed with 11 and Jake Huston added 10. Kellen Detrick, Havre’s leading scorer on the season, also pitched in with eight. Tyree Whitcomb tossed in a game-high 21 points for the Indians, who also got 14 points from Rylee Spoonhunter.

The Ponies will return to the floor Friday night with the first of two critical Central A conference games against Livingston at 7 p.m. Havre will also host Belgrade Saturday. Tip-off time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Browning 80, Havre 54

Havre 8 17 7 22 - 54

Browning 18 15 27 20 - 80

Browning: Tyree Whitcomb 21, Deion Mad Plume 4, Derek Sharp 8, John Deroche 2, Rylee Spoonhunter 14, Brant Bremner 2, Trevon Fisher 5, Latrell Bullchild 9, Justin Burd 8, CJ Smith 7.

Havre: Josh Warp 2, Jake Huston 10, Nolan Lotton 3, Clint Owens 5, Mason Rismon 15, Kellen Detrick 8, Thomas Brown 11.