BLUE DYNASTY

GREAT FALLS - After 38 minutes of basketball, the Class A state championship game was still anybody's for the taking. Havre and Billings Central had battled to double overtime and were tied at 55-55 with just over two minutes remaining in the second overtime period.

That's when Sadie Filius took over the game.

With everything on the line, Filius gave the Blue Ponies a three-point lead when she grabbed an offensive rebound, made a layup while getting fouled and then hit the ensuing free throw.

The Rams responded when Molly Molvig made a layup while being fouled. However, with a chance to tie the game, she missed the free throw. Filius then made two free throws for the Ponies to increase their lead and the Ponies held on for the 64-60 victory over Billings Central to win the state title Saturday at the Great Falls Four Seasons Arena.

The victory gave Havre its third state championship in the last four years, and its fourth since 2014, with all of them coming in Great Falls. And it was also fitting that Filius helped clinch the title.

"I was just in my head thinking every possession matters like coach Kraske always tells us in practice," Filius said.

Not only did the Ponies win their third state title in four years, but they did it against a Billings Central team they had lost to twice this season. HHS lost, 48-43, at home to the Rams in the regular season Jan. 30. In the Eastern A Divisional championship game Feb. 27, the Ponies lost a 44-43 heartbreaker to Billings Central.

HHS head coach Dustin Kraske believes that his team didn't do anything different this time around to finally defeat the Rams, but that things finally went their way.

"I don't know if it's anything different. It's a funny game, we made more shots," Kraske said.

Havre struggled with their shots early in the game as Billings Central built themselves a 12-4 lead by the end of the first quarter. Mya Hansen scored the Rams' first seven points of the game to get things started.

The Ponies finally got something out of their offense in the second quarter. Around halfway through the period, Filius scored six straight points for the Ponies to cut their deficit to four points. Havre also turned up the defensive pressure on the Rams, and that, too, helped the Ponies stay close at 20-14 going into halftime.

The Ponies went on to dominate the third quarter as they took their first lead of the game. During one stretch, Yelena Miller outscored the Rams herself, 10-2, to tie the game at 26-26. HHS ended the quarter with a layup from Avery Carlson to take a 30-29 lead with just eight minutes left.

The teams traded baskets throughout the fourth quarter. Neither team could hold onto a lead and put the game away. The closest either team got to such an opportunity came when HHS had a four-point lead with just over a minute remaining in the game. However, a basket from Hansen, a Pony turnover and a layup from Molvig tied the game at 48-48 and sent it to overtime.

The first overtime was, again, a defensive slugfest. The Rams only made two baskets while HHS did not make any of their shots. The Ponies were able to keep up as they went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. Miller hit two clutch free throws with just over a minute remaining in the period to tie the game at 53-53, and Havre did a great job on defense as Central held on for a game-winning shot, but the Pony defense was up to the task, and another overtime was needed.

In the second overtime period, Havre finally took a lead that they would not relinquish. Kraske credits his seniors and bench for giving his team the energy to keep it going through two overtime periods.

"I think it speaks to our senior leadership. We got a lot of them on the bench over there cheering and going crazy," Kraske said. "I think that speaks a lot to them."

Despite a slow start on offense, HHS shot 46.3 percent from the field for the game. Miller led the Ponies with 27 points as she went 7-for-11 from the field and 13-for-15 from the free-throw line. Filius scored 18 points on 4-for-12 shooting from the field and 10-for-12 shooting from the free-throw line. Senior Loy Waid chipped in 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor. The Ponies were clutch at the free-throw line as they shot 12-for-15 during the overtime periods.

The Rams shot 39.7 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from the 3-point line for the game. Billings Central's offense was carried by Hansen, who led the Rams with 35 points after she shot 12-for-24 from the field and 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.

The state title caps off another incredible run for Havre. The Ponies went 12-2 and finished first in the Northeast A. They then finished second in the Eastern A Divisional before going on a run at state. Players such as Miller and Filius will be returning, but the Ponies will lose seniors Waid, Quinn McDonald, Kylie Walker, Sidney Wilting, Kennedy Hampton and Britton Paulson. While their careers may be coming to an end, they're happy to be going out on top.

"It's awesome," Waid said. "All of the hard work paid off. All the time we spent in the gym together and it really pays off at the end."

Havre 64, Billings Central 60, 1st

Billings Central 12 8 9 19 5 7 – 60

Havre 4 10 16 18 5 11 – 64

Billings Central – Mya Hansen 35, Molly Molvig 7, Solei Elletson 6, Belle Erickson 4, Katie Smith 4, Hailey Euell 2, Maria Stewart 2.

Havre – Yelena Miller 27, Sadie Filius 18, Loy Waid 10, Kylie Walker 3, Alyssa Oliver 2, Avery Carlson 2, Quinn McDonald 2.