It Begins: Ponies sweep in the Corral

The excitement inside the Havre High gymnasium Saturday afternoon was palpable. That's because the long-awaited start to the high school basketball season had finally arrived, and both the Havre High girls and boys teams wasted little time in taking advantage of that excitement.

The Blue Ponies opened their season with a home sweep of arch rival Lewistown Saturday in the Pony Corral, with both teams winning by double digits.

"The kids were just so excited to be out there," longtime HHS head girls coach Dustin Kraske said. "They were fired up and they played so hard. But it was really neat to just see how excited they were to be playing again."

The Havre girls turned that excitement into a dominant performance, too, as the Ponies began defense of their Northeastern A crown with a 60-29 win over the Eagles, a win that began with Sadie Filius kick starting the season with a game-opening 3-pointer.

"I thought we played really well," Kraske said. "I thought we shared the ball really well, we made the extra pass, and of course, everybody played so hard on defense. So I was really pleased."

Havre did indeed play well on both ends. Behind a hot start from Filius, the Ponies raced out to a 13-3 lead, then they ripped off a 13-0 run in the second quarter that carried them to a 35-9 halftime lead.

The start was exactly what Havre was hoping for, especially considering how different the Blue Pony lineup is this season after HHS graduated so many seniors last spring.

"We lost a lot of scoring from last year's team," Kraske said. "So this game was a new test for a lot of kids who are stepping into new roles this year. And I thought all those kids did a great job. They were aggressive and confident, and everybody who played, played really well."

Filius, a two-time All-Stater certainly did. She finished with a game-high 20 points as Havre dominated in the second half, as well. Sophomore Yelena Miller would add 11 points for what was a balanced Blue Pony attack.

"It's a really good start," Kraske said. "Very excited for our kids. They played really well."

The same could be said for the Havre High boys in the nightcap, too.

The Ponies, of head coach Walynn Burgess, came out firing on all cylinders in what turned out to be a 54-37 blowout of the arch rival Eagles.

"The kids had been waiting for this," Burgess said. "We had a bad taste in our mouths ever since the Laurel game at divisionals last year, and the boys have all put in a lot of hard work and dedication into preparing for this season, and I thought that showed today. They were ready for this moment."

Havre was ready from the get-go. And after a couple of early buckets from Kellen Detrick to give the Ponies a 10-7 lead, the Ponies clamped down defensively, holding Lewistown to just four points in the second stanza, while Josh Warp drilled a 3-pointer to propel HHS to a 21-11 halftime edge.

"The biggest difference was on the defensive end," Burgess said. "We have the dudes, the athletes to lock in on D. We came out with a very aggressive mentality defensively, so to hold them (Eagles) to 11 points in a half, it shows how well we played defensively, because they're a very good offensive team."

The Eagles did prove that, too. After Max Olson and Isaac Pedraza hit back-to-back threes for the Ponies, the Eagles would carry a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter that pulled them to within six at 32-26. From there, however, it was all Havre.

On the strength of an old-fashioned 3-point play from Detrick, a triple from Warp and a fastbreak layup by Nolan Lotton, Havre went on a 10-0 run, ultimately going back ahead by 18 points, and putting the Eagles away for good.

Warp wound up pacing a balanced Havre attack with 12 points, while Detrick finished with nine and Olson, Josh Currie and Clint Owens each had eight.

"It's a good start," Burgess said. "It's definitely a marathon and we have a long way to go, but I was really excited about our effort and the way we came out ready to go today. The boys were ready."

The Blue Pony boys will now head out on the road for games at Miles City Friday and Hardin Saturday. Meanwhile the Pony girls will be back in the HHS gymnasium, hosting Miles City Friday night and Hardin Saturday afternoon.

Havre Girls 60, Lewistown 29

Havre 13 23 13 11 0 - 60

Lewistown 3 8 10 8 - 29

Havre - Sydney Wilting 5, Lacy Preeshl 2, Loy Waid 6, Avery Carlson 7, Yelena Miller 11, Sadie Filius 20, Quinn McDonald 5, Britton Paulson 4.

Lewistown - Taylin Trafton 2, Brooke Werjheimer 2, Riley Anderson 5, Anyia Roos 8, Rylee Armstong 6, Elise Crouse 3, Aspen Montgomery 3.

Havre Boys 54, Lewistown 37

Havre 10 11 11 22 - 54

Lewistown 7 4 10 16 - 37

Lewistown - Isaiah Maruet 1, Luke Clinton 4, Jalen Robinson 20, Bryce Graham 5, Christian Karhi 2, Ray Robinson 6.

Havre - Josh Warp 12, Max Olson 8, Josh Currie 8, Isaac Pedraza 3, Kellen Detrick 9, Caden Jenkins 2, Clint Owens 8.