Blue Ponies roll past Northeast A rivals

On their home floor, the Havre High boys basketball team expected to get a stern challenge from the Glendive Red Devils. As it turns out, though, head coach Walynn Burgess' club was up to the test.

Friday night in the HHS gymnasium, the Ponies opened a two-game homestand with an impressive, 56-47 Northeast A win over the Red Devils, as part of a weekend sweep at home.

And while it wasn't easy, the Ponies did what was needed to finish the Red Devils off when it mattered most.

"I was really proud of the effort tonight," Burgess said. "The boys were really locked in, they were focused. The intensity was there. We had really good energy all night."

The Ponies were indeed, fired up, as Caden Jenkins hit an early 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 run and give HHS an 11-7 lead after eight minutes. Jenkins and Isaac Pedraza would hit threes in the second quarter as well, but the Red Devils' Michael Murphy hit a long triple at the buzzer to help keep things close, 23-18 at intermission. Murphy would add back-to-back triples in the third stanza to get Glendive even closer, but Kellen Detrick went to work in the paint, scoring on an old-fashioned three to give Havre a double-digit lead with eight minutes left.

The Ponies would then open things up, leading by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter, and while Glendive did mount a charge, Havre stood up to it with key defensive plays by Nolan Lotton, Josh Warp and others, as well as timely free-throw shooting down the stretch.

"Our defense was a key tonight," Burgess said. "We talked all week about how good of an offensive team Glendive is. But our guys were really locked in on defense. They were really good on that end, and it was a big reason why the outcome was what it was. I was really proud of how hard the boys played on defense tonight."

Havre was good on defense. Murphy did score 22 points, but the Ponies forced 24 turnovers and won the battle of the boards. On the other end, Detrick finished with 19 points, while Jenkins continued his outstanding play with 14 points off the bench.

And as well as the Ponies played Friday night, they weren't done. Saturday, Havre crushed Sidney for the second time in as many weeks. In the HHS gymnasium, the Ponies won 72-32, as they started the game on a 16-8 run, then led 35-12 at halftime in a game in which they were never threatened.

Isaac Pedraza was stellar for the Ponies with a game-high 16 points off the bench. Detrick added 14 points, while Warp chipped in with nine in a victory that lifted the Ponies to a 5-0 record in the Northeast A and 5-2 overall.

Havre will be right back at home Tuesday to host the Class B Fairfield Eagles, before heading to Glendive and Billings Central this weekend.

Havre 56, Glendive 47

Glendive 7 11 12 17 - 47

Havre 11 12 17 16 - 56

Glendive - Rhett Hoffer 2, Michael Murphy 22, Parker Buckley 13, Max Eaton 6, Taven Coon 2, Jentz Scarpott 2.

Havre - Josh Warp 3, Max Olson 6, Nolan Lotton 2, Crawford Terry 2, Isaac Pedraza 7, Kellen Detrick 19, Caden Jenkins 14, Clint Owens 3.

Havre 72, Sidney 32

Sidney 8 4 13 9 - 32

Havre 16 19 24 13 - 72

Havre - Josh Warp 9. Max Olson 4, Nolan Lotton 4, Crawford Terry 2, Josh Currie 6, Isaac Pedraza 16, Xavier Butler 3, Kellen Detrick 14, Caden Jenkins 6, Clint Owens 3, Caleb Spangler 4.

Sidney - Thompson 6, Peters 3, Waters 3, Jackson 2, Sinks 8, Leory 9.

Pony girls cruise on the road

It looks like, once again no one can challenge the Havre High girls for the Northeast A championship. Taking to the road this weekend, the Blue Ponies easily won games at Glendive and Sidney.

Friday night, Havre was in Glendive for a game against the Red Devils, and, the Blue Ponies rolled to a 54-27 win. The Ponies were good on both ends of the floor, but especially on defense, as they led 15-5 after the first quarter, and also held Glendive to just two points in the third stanza.

Havre continued its dominant road winning ways with a 61-19 win at Sidney Saturday afternoon. The running clock victory was the second over the Eagles in a week, as the Blue Ponies stayed undefeated in the Northeast A. Loy Waid scored 14 points in the dominating win for Havre.

Havre (5-0, 6-1) will head to Fairfield for a non-conference game Tuesday night, before finally returning to the Corral to host Glendive this Friday night, and arch rival Billings Central Saturday afternoon.