Blue Ponies head to Malta for a doubleheader

Both Havre High basketball teams opened their seasons with tough wins over Laurel this past weekend. And things will not get any easier for the Blue Ponies tonight as both teams will head to Malta.

"We are heading east to be in for a battle. Malta will be a good test for us on the road," HHS boys basketball head coach Walynn Burgess said. "We are looking forward to the challenge."

Tonight's games will be the season openers for the both Malta teams who are coming off strong seasons. The Malta boys basketball team finished 13-7 last year, won the District 2B and took fourth in the Northern B Divisionals.

The Mustangs return several strong players from last year. Rex Williamson returns for his senior year after being named first team all-conference in the District 2B. Burgess also believes the Ponies will need to contain senior Connor Tuss who returns after a second team all-conference season last year. Malta is always a strong Class B contender, but last year, the Ponies swept the Mustangs in the season series.

The Ponies are coming off a 52-42 road win over Laurel to open the season. The Ponies are a young team this season but their seniors Carter Spangler and Caden Jenkins led them to victory Friday night.

The HHS girls basketball team should also have a tough outing with the Mustangs. Last season, Malta had an impressive run with a 19-4 record and fourth-place finish at the state tournament.

The Mustangs bring an experienced team into the game as they return many players from last year's run. Allison Kunze and Maddie Williamson return for the Mustangs after all-state seasons last year. Justine Lamb and Addy Anderson also return after all-conference years so the Ponies will have their hands full tonight. Havre did sweep the M-Ettes last season.

The Ponies had to grind it out against Laurel for a 50-47 victory Friday night to open the season. In their first game since winning the state title, the Ponies fell behind early but were able to pull out the victory thanks to the play of returning upperclassmen such as Avery Carlson and Yelena Miller. Carlson poured in a game-high 22 points in Havre's win over Laurel last Friday night in the Armory Gymnasium.

This week marks the start of a big one for the Ponies, who will also challenge arch rivals Billings Central Saturday. The Pony boys host the Rams Saturday afternoon, while the HHS girls have a state championship game rematch with the Rams Saturday afternoon in Billings.

Both HHS teams will look to improve to 2-0 when they head to Malta tonight. The HHS boys basketball team will play Malta at 6 p.m. and then the HHS girls basketball team will play at 7:30 p.m.