Blue Ponies get the sweep in Malta

After the matchup against Class AA Great Falls High last Thursday, the Havre High basketball teams turned their attention to an old Class B rival, where the Blue Ponies hoped to grab some wins on the road Saturday.

Havre swept Malta Saturday in Malta, starting with the boys winning big, 66-47 over the Mustangs, followed by a win for the Pony girls 39-30 over the M-ettes. The wins will improve both records for HHS, with the boys now 2-4 and the girls 5-1.

The Pony boys picked up their second win of the season, as well. For HHS head coach Walynn Burgess, the game against Malta was a great showcase for the Ponies.

“Overall, it was a good night for us,” Burgess said. “Good team effort on both sides of the ball. I felt like we shared the ball really well and the boys came out, played as a team and with a purpose.”

Havre started off hot in the game after being down 6-5 early. After tying the score, the Ponies and Mustangs battled back and forth. As the first quarter deepened, Havre went on a 10-0 run to take the lead 19-9 going into the second quarter.

HHS followed with a big 22-point quarter in the second, pulling off multiple quick runs to stay ahead in the contest. An 8-0 run late before the half pushed the Ponies further ahead, with the run including two 3-pointers in a row. After the Mustangs dropped a few more points, Havre led at the half 41-20.

The third quarter saw a run from Malta, who put up 17 points compared to the Ponies’ nine points in the quarter. Havre still had enough of a lead, though, to stay ahead in the half but the drive the Mustangs brought in the third was enough to keep HHS on its toes. Still, Havre led 50-37 going into the fourth.

The final eight minutes included a quick 6-0 run by Havre and continuous baskets on both sides, but Havre’s defense kept Malta from adding too much to the scoreboard, leading to the Blue Ponies adding another victory to the season and a good confidence boost going forward.

Havre put together a big team-oriented game against the Mustangs with 16 assists on the day. The Ponies had three quarters in double-figures, too. The great performance over the Class B rival is one to be proud of. But for Burgess, this week will be even better.

“Best part of it all is we start back at zero come Monday (today),” Burgess said. “And get ready for a big week of conference games.”

Junior Clint Owens led three Ponies in double figures with 18 points. Josh Warp continued his strong offensive play with 13 points and Jake Huston added 12.

After the boys grabbed a win over the Mustangs, the girls came out onto the court and battled with the M-ettes.

The Blue Ponies had a rough first quarter against Malta, with the M-ettes capitalizing on offense and defense, which kept Havre without a score for some time, and taking an early lead, but the Ponies closed the lead to 8-5 going into the second.

The second quarter was a big improvement for the Ponies. Havre put up some good baskets on quick runs to tie the game 12-12, then kept going back-and-forth with Malta. Luckily, some free throws gave Havre some cushion and its first lead of the night was 17-13 at the half.

The Ponies continued to fight in the third quarter, adding 13 more points and holding the M-ettes to six. HHS ended the third quarter with a quick 6-0 run to lead 30-19. The big third quarter, was a boost for the Ponies.

But, the final eight minutes proved to be somewhat tense, as the M-ettes put up 11 points to try and stay in the game. The Blue Ponies added nine more to the scoreboard and managed to keep Malta at bay in the end, taking another victory.

HHS had two quarters with a score in double figures, the second being 12 points and the third being 13 points.

Havre basketball will be in a great mood going into its next pair of games, which will be against tough conference opponents. The HHS boys (2-4) and the Pony girls (5-1) will face off against the Lewistown Golden Eagles in a home game Friday night in the Havre High Gymnasium, followed by road games against the Sidney Eagles Saturday.

Havre 66, Malta 47, Boys

Havre 19 22 9 16 - 66

Malta 8 12 17 10 - 47

Havre - Josh Warp 13, Jake Huston 12, Tyrel Kjersem 4, M=Nolan Lotton 3, Mason Rismon 6, Kellen Detrick 13, John South 3, Clint Owens 18, Quinn Springer 4.

Malta - Kooper Oxarart 11, Ben Costin 19, Rex Williamson 4, Connor Tuss 6, Pierce Mortenson 7.