Pony boys slow the Mustangs

After the tough loss at home to the CMR Rustlers, the Havre High boys basketball team was ready to make amends Saturday.

And the Blue Ponies achieved that goal with a 59-42 win over the Malta Mustangs Saturday in the Havre High Gymnasium. The win at home gave Havre the sweep over Malta for the season and improves the Ponies' overall record to 9-5.

The win over the Mustangs was hard-earned and HHS head coach Walynn Burgess was glad to see his team get the win.

"Malta came out and was ready to battle," Burgess said. "They played hard and scrappy just like I knew they were going to. We just got to challenge the kids that we know we can play hard and we got to match their energy. But I thought the boys responded really well and not just on the offensive end but on the defensive end, as well. They just really started to clamp up and did a really good job playing some team defense tonight."

The Ponies opened the game by going on a 7-0 run, with Kellen Detrick, Josh Warp and Jake Houston dropping dimes into the basket, but the Mustangs answered with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game. Warp and Detrick looked to keep Havre ahead, only for Malta to make two 3-pointers to lead 13-10 at the end of the first.

But HHS got right back in the game in the second stanza, going on a huge 16-0 run, with Huston and Detrick putting up a majority of the baskets, as the Ponies led 26-16. The Mustangs responded with two free throws, but Tyrel Kjersem, adding two from the foul line himself, and Warp with a field goal, kept the Blue Ponies up 30-20 at the intermission.

Detrick was a major part of the offensive front in the first half of the game and he was glad to see the team make some noise against Malta Saturday.

"I feel good," Detrick said. "Everybody is doing the little things. Tyrel is taking plenty of charges, our defense is stepping up and I just feel like everybody had a good overall game."

The third quarter saw the Ponies continue to extend their lead, starting off by going on a 9-0 run to open the period. Malta and Havre then went back-and-forth for the rest of the third, but HHS still led 44-27 going into the fourth stanza. The fourth quarter was where Havre put forward some of the other players on the team that usually do not see the court, including Josh Currie, Quinn Springer and John South.

The Ponies battled it out on the hardwood against the Mustangs and got the crowd excited. But it was a trey by South with 2:47 left in the game that got the Corral roaring. After that, Malta went on a 8-0 run, but the Ponies were up enough to win the game.

Overall, the game against the Mustangs was a great win for Havre. From the starters to the players that got some minutes to shine, there was a lot to watch in the game. Burgess was especially glad to see the non-starters put forward some hard work.

"Those guys come in and bust their butts every single day," Burgess said. "They deserve to be on the floor just as much as anyone else. I just love when they come in and the tempo doesn't change. They understand what we have to believe in and how we have to play. They play hard every time they step on the floor and they deserve to be out there. I was really proud to see Big John knock down the shot and just seeing those kids to that is really fun."

Detrick joined the 20-point club by leading the Ponies with 22 points, followed by Huston with 14 and Warp adding 10 to the total.

Next on the schedule, Havre plays against Northeast A conference rival, the Sidney Eagles, on Saturday in the Havre High Gymnasium, followed by an away game against the Browning Indians on Feb. 14 in Browning.

Havre 59, Malta 42

Malta 13 7 7 15 – 42

Havre 10 20 14 15 - 59

Malta – Kanyon Stiles 3, Kooper Oxarart 6, Darrow Messerly 3, Ben Costin 8, Tanner Smith 7, Connor Tuss 9, Pierce Mortenson 6. Totals: 15 7-12 42

Havre – Josh Warp 10, Jake Huston 14, Tyrel Kjersem 2, Nolan Lotton 2, Mason Rismon 4, Kellen Detrick 22, Caden Jenkins 2, John South 3. Totals: 22 10-18 59.