Pony girls look to hold court against Red Devils, Rams

The Havre High girls basketball team has been on the road for a while now. So, there's no doubt the Blue Ponies will be happy to be back in the HHS gymnasium this weekend.

Off course, the road hasn't been unkind to the Ponies, who have had blowout wins over Glendive, Sidney and Fairfield in their last three games. But again, there's nothing quite like playing in the Corral, and this weekend will be a big one for HHS.

The Havre girls, who are 7-1 overall and unbeaten in the Northeast A, host Glendive tonight, then have a huge showdown with Eastern A rival Billings Central Saturday afternoon.

Of course, the Ponies won't look past the Red Devils tonight, but there's no denying the game with Central is a big one. The Rams (8-0) and Ponies have had some classic showdowns in recent years, both at the Eastern A Divisional, and the 2020 Class A state tourney, where Havre lost a heartbreaker to Central in the semifinals. And this meeting should be no different, as the Rams boast a powerful lineup that includes the dynamic duo of Mya Hansen and Solei Elletson, while Isabelle Erickson and Molly Melvin are also ones to watch.

Of course, Havre has some big guns too led by Sadie Filius, who berated 12 points per outing. Sophomore Yelena Miller is also coming off a 27-point outburst at Fairfield, while Loy Said averages nine points and eight rebounds per game, for a Havre team that has really blossomed this season on offense.

Yes, the Ponies have also been a superior defensive unit under head coach Dustin Kraske, and they are again this year, allowing well under 30 points per game. But, offensively, HHS has been explosive as they average nearly 60 points per game.

"This team shares the ball really well; they're very unselfish," Kraske said earlier this winter.

And that unselfishness will certainly help the Ponies battle the Rams. But, first thing's first, Havre will look to take care of Glendive tonight, and a win would all but wrap up another Northeast A title.

Speaking of Northeast A championships, the red-hot Havre High boys are also inching closer to achieving that goal, and a victory in Glendive tonight would be a big boost. Havre beat the Red Devils just last Friday, and while Micheal Murphy is a beast on both ends of the floor, as he scored 22 points in Havre, the Ponies can counter with the inside-out duo of Kellen Detrick and Josh Warp, who combined for 43 points in Tuesday night's home win against Fairfield.

The Ponies also have some good depth building, as the likes of Caden Jenkins, Isaac Pedraza and Josh Currie have been giving Havre excellent bench minutes. And that depth should help HHS this weekend, as the Ponies are not only geared up for tonight's game in Glendive, but also their trip to Billings Saturday.

At Billings Central, Havre will once again get to test itself against one of Class A's best. The Rams (6-2) are once again loaded with talent, including Brock Blatter and Marcus Wittman who both score in double figures.

So, with road games against two big Eastern A rivals, Havre head coach Walynn Burgess knows his team will get a pair of big tests.

"Glendive, we just played them, so we know they are very good, and now they get us at home, so that's going to be a challenge," Burgess said. "We've had some good battles with Central. We got them up here and they beat us down there the last two games, so we've had some good games with them. They're very talented, they're explosive, so it's going to be a challenge, but I know it's one the boys are really looking forward to."

The Havre boys will face Central at 3 p.m. Saturday, but first, the Ponies take on Glendive tonight at 6 in Glendive. Meanwhile, the Pony girls return to the HHS gymnasium tonight to face the Red Devils at 5:30, followed by the showdown with the Rams Saturday at 3.