UNBREAKABLE BONDS

There has been some special senior classes throughout the years of Havre High School, as well as some incredible moments for those seniors classes.

The Blue Pony tradition of excellence flows through the blood of every hard-working Havre athlete, no doubt, but this year's girls basketball class of 2020 is special in their own way.

Seniors Kyndall Keller, Kadia Miller, Jessa Chvilicek, Sam Oliver and Katie Wirtzberger have been making history for the Ponies for quite some time, but even before that, the girls were forging a strong friendship to last through the ages.

No matter where they were and what court they were on, these seniors made sure they were heard.

The five have been playing travel basketball and middle school basketball together, as well. Coaches and mentors like Kari Filius and Bill Keller and his family helped the girls start their journey early, while HHS head coach Dustin Kraske and his staff have been guiding them through their last legs of their high school careers.

Wirtzberger sees the bond she and the other seniors have developed into something special.

"It's incredible," Wirtzberger said. "There's nothing like it. Playing together for so long is kind of crazy. We've learned to just play together no matter what and no matter who's feeling down. We've learned to bring each other together, even through the ups and downs."

Meanwhile, Miller is glad to have met her friends since she came from a different town along the Hi-Line.

"I came from Chinook in my seventh-grade year," Miller said. "I come in and we have seventh-grade basketball tryouts for the middle school. I can remember each one of these girls being an influence on me. Katie stepped up and brought me into the group, Kyndall was on my team that year with Mrs. Filius coaching us, I remember Jessa and Sam were on the other team. I remember them all."

After all those years, the Pony seniors are primed to make one last piece of history before they go their seperate ways, as they set out on this weekend's Class A state tournament. But the girls have been through two other state title bouts, too. All five of the seniors were a part of the two-time championship runs, which has helped bring them even closer together, as well.

Fans can see their close friendship on the court as the girls put in work to make sure they all grow.

Oliver is proud to see her friends make some great moments over the years.

"We're really, really close and we share a lot with each other," Oliver said. "It's more of like a family. You have your ups and downs and you fight, but at the end of the day, you still love each other and you're just really close to each other. I loved traveling and going to tournaments to play with them. That was fun."

The friendship that the seniors live and breath is a shining example of Havre sports. The five compete hard every single second they are on the court. Even they have their downs, but they will always pick each other back up and get ready to go back out there.

Keller has been happy to share those moments with her friends, too.

"We are very close," Keller said. "We've been doing this for so long and we've grown up playing together. We were with each other all the time at practice, on the weekends and it's awesome. We love each other and we're like a family. Winning the state championship twice was something that we've worked for since we were younger in middle school. That was our goal. We've always wanted to win and now we've done it twice. To be able to share that with them is awesome."

Chvilicek feels the same way about her senior teammates.

"We all just get along really well and we work together really well," Chvilicek said. "It's really fun. The basketball season that we've had, what we've accomplished and all the hard work we've put in have been some of the best moments."

This season has been big for the class of 2020. Keller continues to prove her prowess on the court, Miller pushes to do her best every day, Oliver takes every opportunity to help her team be great, Chvilicek strives for excellence and Wirtzberger is her usual tenacious self. Overall, the five seniors know their strengths and help each other make up for the rest.

But the seniors have a great circle of motivation from their parents, too. After all, the parents have watched their seniors grow and improve every single year they have been on the court. With the immense support from their families, these girls have become stellar examples of wonderful athletes and people.

And the five young women have become so close that they can spot each other's strong points, as well. For example, Wirtzberger will always have faith in Keller when it comes to shooting the ball from a deep point on the court.

"I would say Kyndall," Wirtzberger said. "She can shoot really deep from the 3-point line, so maybe set her back a couple feet and maybe she could get it to go."

Meanwhile, Oliver sees one player as the most likely to pull off a basketball move not often seen in girls basketball.

"I'm thinking Jessa would be the one to most likely pull off a dunk, if she gets high enough," Oliver said.

But when it comes to sprinting down the length of the court to catch an opponent, Chvilicek sees it as a difficult choice, but knows that the gap can be closed by someone, too.

"That's hard," Chvilicek said. "Probably Kyndall Keller. She's a quick little girl for sure."

Keller feels the same way about which if the five is the hardest to defend, as well.

"I don't know," Keller said. "I'd hope me, but we're all pretty hard to defend and we all got our moves."

At the end of the day, the Pony girls will have each other's backs whenever they are on the court playing ball or off the court hanging out with one another. From two state chippers to working for a third, travel and middle school to senior year, these young ladies know how to band together and bring the noise to any court they step out.

The seniors are competitive, hard-working, passionate, supportive and will be a senior class to remember when they move on to the next part of their lives. Each of these extraordinary athletes have a bright future ahead of them, whether it is on or off the court. It has been many years of fun and excitement for this senior class.

Kraske is proud of how far these girls have come and looks back on just how much they make a difference.

"I think for me, the summertimes are the most fun," Kraske said. "The results of the game don't really mean too much and you just go and play. Traveling to Gonzaga and doing all that has been the most enjoyable for me and watching them turn into confident young women. That's a big part of it. Basketball is kind of the secondary part to being around these guys. Basketball gets us together and it's been fun."

When it comes to Miller's perspective, she has been thrilled to be a part of the memories her and her friends have made over the years.

"The closest memory that's fresh in my brain is playing together in the divisionals tournament," Miller said. "I think that we always have each other's back, are always positive towards each other and that's what counts the most, having each other's support."

And with the Class A state tournament this week, the Blue Pony seniors will be ready to step onto the court and make the most of every moment in Billings. And while it will be the last weekend they'll all play together, the five HHS seniors have a bond that will last a lifetime.