Ponies leave Kats Black and Blue

GREAT FALLS - Columbia Falls played like a juggernaut throughout the season. They finished the regular season undefeated and won the Western A Divisional. They had the highest-scoring offense in Class A and played strong defense. They looked like a team that would challenge Havre in the semifinalS of the State Class A Girls Basketball Tournament Thursday night.

Instead, the Blue Ponies put an end to the undefeated season in a dominant performance as they defeated the Wildkats, 59-38, at the Great Falls Four Seasons Arena.

"We had a game plan on offense. They executed it very well," Havre head coach Dustin Kraske said. "Defensively, I thought they were solid, especially out of the locker room. They were just studs."

The dominant win over Columbia Falls was the second double-digit win in a row to start the state tournament as they defeated Hamilton, 54-37, to open the tournament Wednesday. It also launched Havre into the state championship game Saturday night, where the Ponies will face arch rival Billings Central for the third time this season.

But before reaching the title game, Havre was laser-focused on Columbia Falls.

"I think that speaks a lot to their mental prep," Kraske said. "They've been ready for two weeks. They're playing great together. They're just doing a wonderful job."

The offense started early for the Ponies as they outscored the Wildkats 18-11 in the first quarter. Every Havre starter scored in the opening frame, including Kylie Walker who led the Ponies early on with six points.

Sadie Filius then took control of the game as she scored the first six points of the second quarter to push the Ponies' lead to double digits. Havre's defense focused in on the Wildkats, as they only allowed them to make two baskets in the first seven minutes of the second quarter. Columbia Falls did get a couple of layups to go in right before halftime, but Havre still had the 34-21 advantage heading to the break.

The Ponies put the game away in the third quarter as they continued to play well on both ends of the court. As their offense continued to produce, they also shut down the Wildkats as Columbia Falls only managed to score three points in the third quarter. The Wildkats played better in the final quarter, but it was not enough to make a significant impact on the final results.

Walker and Miller led the Ponies with 11 points each. Walker hit her shots from the perimeter as she went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Miller got it going inside as she went 3-for-4 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds to lead the team. Miller also went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.

"Keep playing our game, play together and pass the ball" Miller, who leads Havre in scoring as a sophomore, said about the team's mentality.

Other contributors to the Ponies' offense include Filius and Loy Waid. Filius scored nine points after she shot 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep. Waid scored 10 points as she went 5-for-11 from the floor. As a team, the Ponies shot 42 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from the 3-point line.

LaKia Hill led Columbia Falls with 13 points on 6-for-13 shooting. The Wildkats finished the night shooting 31.1 percent from the floor and 10 percent from the 3-point line. They also struggled from the free-throw line as they went 9-for-22.

"We were trying to force certain kids to drive and go left," Kraske said. "They're tremendous with their transition so we had to take that away, which our kids did well, and we were trying to speed them up just a little bit to make them uncomfortable."

Columbia Falls came into the game after defeating Glendive, 37-21, to open state play. They will next play in a loser-out game against Whitefish today at 1 p.m. as they try to keep their chance at the consolation trophy alive.

Havre will now advance to the championship game Saturday where they will play Central for the second time in as many weeks. Havre lost a heartbreaking 44-43 decision to the Rams just last Saturday in the Eastern A championship game. The Ponies also fell to the Rams in the regular season in the HHS gymnasium.

On Thursday night, the Rams completed setting up the rematch with a 50-37 thrashing of rival Hardin. Of course, the Ponies know just how good the Rams are, led by standouts Mya Hansen and Isabelle Erickson among others.

And while Central has gotten the better of the Ponies recently, Havre is red-hot and has won three state championships in Great Falls since 2014.

"The next game's going to be a whale of a game," Kraske said. "We're going to play hard defensively, understand the game plan, block off, rebound, push the tempo, play our game that we've been playing all year."

Havre and Billings Central will meet for the 2021 Class A state championship at 5 p.m. Saturday night inside the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.

Havre 59, Columbia Falls 38, SF

Columbia Falls 11 10 3 14 – 38

Havre 18 16 15 10 – 59

Havre – Kylie Walker 11, Yelena Miller 11, Loy Waid 10, Sadie Filius 9, Quinn McDonald 5, Kennedy Hampton 4, Sydney Wilting 3, Avery Carlson 3, Lacy Preeshl 2, Lizzi Haney 1.

Columbia Falls – LaKia Hill 13, Grace Gedlaman 7, Maddie Robinson 4, Hannah Schweikert 4, Lauren Falkner 4, Clarissa Erb 3, Hope McAtee 2, Madysen Hoerner 1.