Blue Ponies prep for big rivals

The Havre High boys basketball team has made some noticeable strides this season under first-year head coach Walynn Burgess. But with two wins this weekend, the Blue Ponies could also start to make some noise in the Central A standings.

Currently, the top three teams are separated by a game and a half, as Livingston is sitting at 2-0, followed by Lewistown at 2-1 and Havre at 1-2. But with Livingston invading the Pony Corral tonight, with Belgrade to follow Saturday, the Ponies have a chance to be 3-2 by Saturday night, which could get them within a game of first place. Tip-off time for tonight's game with Livingston is set for 7:30. Havre will then host Belgrade Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Both games will be held inside the HHS gymnasium.

"Whenever you play conference games, especially when you only have six of them, it's big," Burgess said. "We talk about that all the time how all conference games are important. We have been stressing how we need to be at the top of our game this week because we know what's at stake."

Havre dropped the first meeting, on the road, against Livingston (4-5, 2-0) 72-60. However, it didn't help that the Ponies finished the game with 28 turnovers, a number that is hard to win with, no matter where you play, but it's particularly hard to overcome that many turnovers on the road.

"We have been watching a lot of film and trying to tighten up on some things," Burgess said. "We need to cut down on some of the turnovers and offensive boards - you know the mental errors. We have to do well in the areas that we can control."

In order to rectify that mistake this time around, the Ponies will need to find a way to slow down Brendon Johnson, who is one of the top scorers in all of Class A and leads the Rangers with 18.6 ppg. While Johnson is also the Rangers' leading rebounder (6.2 rpg), his best attribute might be his 3-point shooting, which doomed the Ponies in the first meeting. For the season, he has connected on 21-of-45 attempts from beyond the arc (45 percent).

Yet, outside of Johnson, the Rangers have limited options offensively. Johnson accounts for roughly 33 percent of Livingston's points but two guys account for a big chunk of the rest and that's Morgan Rosberg, who is second on the team with 8.9 ppg, followed closely by John Waddell, who averages 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds.

"(Brendon) Johnson might be the best player in our league," Burgess said. "We have to tighten up and make sure that we are fundamentally sound. If we can do that, we should have a shot to win the game."

Livingston has a dynamic offensive threat but so do the Ponies in sophomore Kellen Detrick, who averages 13.9 points and seven rebounds, both team highs. Detrick is also 4-of-6 from 3-point range, showing he can hit from deep when the opportunity arises. Beyond that, Havre has a number of other reliable scoring options starting with Tommy Brown (9.2 ppg) and Jake Huston (8.2 ppg). Mason Rismon (7.8 ppg) is another player who has come on recently, scoring 15 points or more in two of his last three games.

"I have always liked having a bunch of guys that can score in double figures on any given night," Burgess said. "And we have really bought into that. It makes it a lot harder to prepare for us because we have six or seven guys that are capable of going out and having a good night."

After going head-to-head with Livingston Friday, Havre will host Belgrade Saturday night. The Panthers (2-9, 0-3) are looking for their first win in Central A play and will try to avoid being swept by the Ponies, who won in Belgrade 67-55 in December. Easton Page (13 ppg) headlines a Belgrade offense that scores 43 points a game. Tate Bowler (9.9 ppg) is another name to watch for the Panthers offensively.

"Belgrade is going to be tough," Burgess said. "They are well-coached. Mike (Deming) has been there a long time and he knows what he's doing. They get a lot out of the Easton Page kid and Bowler can make some shots. They will be tough. We have to make sure we bring it for both of these games."

Havre and Livingston will meet tonight at 7:30. The Ponies will then host Belgrade Saturday at 5:30 p.m.