Blue Ponies take on Eastern A powers

The opening night of the Havre High basketball season was a rousing success, as the Blue Ponies swept arch rival Lewistown last Saturday in the HHS gymnasium. Week two, though, will be a little different.

That's because both Blue Pony teams will take on one of Class A's biggest powerhouses, the Hardin Bulldogs.

The Havre High girls will get to play Hardin at home Saturday afternoon, but first, head coach Dustin Kraske's team will square off with Miles City tonight in the Blue Pony Corral. The game is a Northeast A showdown, but one the Ponies should be heavily favored to win.

Kraske was more than pleased with how the Ponies, led by junior Sadie Filius' 20 points, played against Lewistown last Saturday, and he said afterward that the Ponies will make even more progress moving forward.

"I think you'll see us continue to improve as the season goes on," Kraske said. "We have a lot of players in new roles, and that will take time for that all to come together. It will be a work in progress, but it was a really good start."

The Ponies will be favored tonight, but then they'll have their hands full with Hardin, who is a familiar foe. Havre met the Bulldogs in back-to-back state championship games in 2018-19, and the Bulldogs are coming off a run to the chipper last season, before the remainder of the state tourney was canceled. Although graduation did hit the Bulldogs hard, they still have plenty of firepower, which will make Saturday's game a fun one to watch.

The Havre High boys will also play Hardin Saturday. However, it will be on the road. And it will be a tough one as Hardin is technically the two-time defending Class A state champ. The Bulldogs won the 2019 title, and reached the title game back in March before it was called off due to the growing coronavirus emergency.

But, like the Hardin girls, the Bulldog boys were hit hard by graduation, and while they're still a Class A favorite, the Ponies definitely look like a team that can narrow the gap. Havre clobbered Lewistown last Saturday, and with veterans like Josh Warp, Kellen Detrick and Clint Owens leading the way, the Ponies look poised to be a team on the verge of big things.

"There's a long way to go," cautioned Havre head coach Walton Burgess. "The season is a marathon and not a sprint. But I like where we're at. These boys have been working hard to prepare for this season, to be in this moments we're going to be in this season."

Havre will be in a big moment in Hardin Saturday night, but first the Ponies have to deal with Miles City. The Cowboys are also a talented group, and have been coming on strong as a basketball program in recent seasons. So, Havre can't afford to look ahead to Saturday's big night in Hardin.

The Ponies will face off against Miles City today at 3 p.m. Havre and Hardin will meet in Hardin Saturday at 4 p.m. Meanwhile, the HHS girls will host Miles City tonight at 6 p.m., while they host Hardin Saturday at 4 p.m.