Blue Pony girls basketball continues to roll

The winter season keeps trudging along and the Havre High girls basketball team just keeps taking care of business. The Blue Ponies have not lost since December and they kept things rolling this past weekend at Havre High Gymnasium with a 56-17 win over Miles City and a 59-44 win over Hardin.

"I thought our kids were ready to go," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "I thought they played very well together, moved the ball around, made some plays and defensively I just thought they were so good."

The Ponies started their homestand Friday night with a conference win over Miles City. Alyssa Oliver got the game started with a layup to give Havre the lead. After Heidi Phalen scored to tie the game, Oliver banked in a 3-pointer to give the Ponies a lead that they would never relinquish.

Over the last six minutes of the opening quarter, the Ponies went on a 15-0 run. Avery Carlson led the Ponies on offense with nine points in the quarter. The defense also shut down the Miles City offense the rest of the frame, allowing the Ponies to take a 20-2 lead into the break.

Veronica Turck scored a bucket to start the second quarter but the Ponies responded with a 12-0 run to stretch the lead to 32-4 halfway through the quarter. Alli Glasscock scored to break up the run, but the Ponies just started another run to take a 42-6 lead into the break.

"We were just ready to play with each other," Oliver said about the Ponies' hot start. "We had a pretty good week of practice and a pretty good week of team bonding."

The Cowgirls were unable to put much together on offense in the second half as the Ponies cruised to victory. With the win, the Ponies finish their conference schedule with an 8-0 record to win the regular season Northeast A title.

"If you put yourself in the best position at divisionals, you need to win your league," Kraske said. "We're really excited about what these guys might want to become here at the end of the year. They're learning together, growing together and we're working on a lot of things to help us continue to be together."

Carlson led the Ponies with 13 points while Miller scored 11. Glasscock led the Cowgirls with five points. With the win, the Ponies sweep Miles City in the regular season. The Ponies won, 55-35, on the road at Miles City last month, so winning by a larger margin this time shows that the Ponies were just on it from the opening tip-off Friday night.

"Our kids had a ton of energy. Really focused defense. I thought they did a tremendous job," Kraske said. "I thought everybody played well."

The Ponies followed that up with a win over Hardin Saturday. Kylee Old Elk got the scoring started with a basket and Jade Wendland scored in response. Evelyn Old Coyote scored to give Hardin the lead but Miller responded with a personal 9-1 run. She got the run started with a 3-pointer to take the lead. She followed that up with a layup and a free throw. After a free throw from Old Elk, Miller made another three to give Havre a 11-5 lead with three minutes left in the opening frame.

Kamber Good Luck broke up the run with a basket but Wendland and Carlson scored a couple buckets to give Havre a 16-7 lead to end the quarter. The Bulldogs opened the second quarter with a bucket and a free throw to cut the deficit to 16-10.

The Ponies did not let the Bulldogs crawl their way back as they went on a 14-0 run to pull away. Lacy Preeshl started the run with a personal 6-0 run for the Ponies. Carlson and Kyanna Jarvis continued the run with some scores and Miller made a pair of free throws to give Havre a 30-10 lead with less than two minutes in the half.

"Our kids continued to play hard," Kraske said about the second quarter. "Hardin rushed a bit and they turned it over and then we're able to get easy transition baskets."

The Bulldogs were able to end the half on a 7-0 run but they still trailed, 30-17, at halftime. Miller and Sadie Filius opened the second half with a pair of buckets to stretch the lead. The Bulldogs kept fighting and they were able to cut the deficit to 38-26 late in the third. But the Ponies responded with a 7-1 run to end the quarter and give themselves some breathing room.

The Bulldogs continued to keep their hopes alive in the fourth quarter. They started the final frame with a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to 13 points. But the Ponies played well down the stretch to close out the win.

"After halftime, I think we just need a little bit of a rest," Preeshl said about the team holding on for the win. "We were more relaxed and ready to go that second half so it was easy to keep that lead up because all of our teammates worked hard."

Miller finished the game with 20 points while Wendland scored 10. Old Elk led Hardin with 18 points. The win improved the Ponies to 14-1 on the season and extended their winning streak to 12 games in a row. The Ponies have made quick work of most of their opponents during this run, showing that the Ponies are a strong contender to make another run at a state title.

"I say it's looking pretty good for a state championship. I'm pretty excited for divisionals and state," Preeshl said about the potential of the team.

The Ponies have three more games left in the regular season before the postseason begins. While the Ponies are looking good, Kraske believes there is still room for improvement.

"We have to continue to develop the mindset of possession basketball," Kraske said. "It means we're going to be patient, we're going to work the basketball around and get a good shot."

The Ponies next play Tuesday night at Fairfield. They then return home to play Browning at HHS Gymnasium on Thursday night.

Havre 56, Miles City 17

MC - 2 4 8 3 - 17

HAV - 20 22 10 4 - 56

MC - Alli Glasscock 5, Veronica Turck 2, Alora Baker 2, Reagan LaPlante 2, Jillian Kanduch 2, Lainey Smith 2, Heidi Phalen 2.

HAV - Avery Carlson 13, Yelena Miller 11, Jade Wendland 10, Sadie Filius 7, Alyssa Oliver 5, Kyanna Jarvis 4, Lizzy Haney 2, Danni Wirtzberger 2, Lacy Preeshl 2.

Havre 59, Hardin 44

HAR - 7 10 10 17 - 44

HAV - 16 14 15 14 - 59

HAR - Kylee Old Elk 18, Evelyn Old Coyote 7, Diamond Amyotte 6, Kamber Good Luck 5, Katerena Morrison 4, Carlei Plainfeather 3, Breanna Old Elk 1.

HAV - Yelena Miller 20, Jade Wendland 10, Avery Carlson 8, Sadie Filius 7, Lacy Preeshl 6, Kyanna Jarvis 5, Molly Huse 2, Kenzie Kallenberger 1.