Havre boys fall on senior night, girls roll against Browning

After a tough loss to Fairfield Tuesday night, the Havre High boys basketball team was hoping to bounce back with a return home to Havre High Gymnasium. The Blue Ponies hosted Browning for their senior night Thursday and were hoping to turn that energy into a win. However, the Ponies were unable to keep up as Browning won 71-62.

"We knew coming on, they're going to play hard," HHS head coach Walynn Burgess said. "I thought our kids matched it for the most part but they just did a couple little extra things down the stretch."

Things looked promising early on for the Ponies. Josh Currie knocked down a 3-pointer to give them a lead on their first possession. After a score from Joe Bullshoe, Caden Jenkins knocked down another three for the Ponies. Bullshoe knocked down a three for the Indians but Currie made a basket and a free throw to stretch the lead to 9-5.

After a bucket from Justice Johnson, Jenkins knocked down another three to give Havre a 12-7 lead halfway through the opening frame. Burgess believes the Ponies got things going early because they were sharing the ball.

"When these kids start sharing the ball and working around together, the energy just turns different for us," Burgess said. "I thought we came out really inspired, ready to rock and roll and just knocked some extra shots down that weren't falling the last couple games."

The Ponies continued to play well in the first quarter. Jenkins knocked down three free throws and Currie nailed another three to stretch the lead to 18-11. But the Indians found some momentum with a 5-2 run to cut the deficit to 20-16 to end the quarter.

Isaac Pedraza converted an offensive rebound into a bucket to start the second quarter. The Indians responded with a 6-0 run to tie the game 22-22. The Ponies tried to recapture momentum with scores from Pedraza and Caleb Spangler for a 26-22 lead. But the Indians came back to tie it again. Jenkins made another three to give Havre the lead again but Browning just responded with a 9-4 run to take a 35-33 lead into halftime.

Through most of the third quarter, the Ponies and Indians continued to exchange buckets. With three and a half minutes left in the quarter, the game was tied 46-46. With a chance to take momentum, the Indians went on a 10-4 run to take a 56-50 lead heading to the fourth.

Currie made a three to start the fourth, cutting the deficit to three, but the Indians just took control of the game to pull away for the win. Along with Browning's offensive tenacity, Burgess believes their offensive rebounding led them to victory.

"They hit the glass really hard and got a lot of extra attempts at the hoop," Burgess said. "They just got us into uncomfortable situations where we're just trying to scramble to make it work and when you play on your heels, it's never a good thing."

Jenkins led the Ponies with 17 points while Butler scored 14 and Currie scored 12. With this being senior night, it was the final home game for Jenkins, Currie and Spangler for their careers.

"It's always great to see these fans here," Currie said about his final home game. "Four years came and went really fast so definitely a lot of emotions going on tonight."

It was an especially bittersweet senior night for Burgess as this class was his first group of freshmen when he took over the program.

"I'm just really proud of the young men they've turned into," Burgess said. "It's just been a real joy to have those guys around. I know I'm going to miss them and I know as a program, we're going to miss them when it's all said and done.

The loss dropped the Ponies to 7-10 this season. They now only have one more game before they compete in divisionals in a few weeks. While the Ponies have faced adversity this season, Burgess believes their character is something they can hang their hat on.

"As bad as it can get and as good as it can get, those guys just showed up every day and want to go to work and that's something you can appreciate as a coach," Burgess said.

The Ponies will finish the regular season next Thursday on the road at Browning.

Havre girls take it to Browning

With the divisionals coming up in a few weeks, the Havre High girls basketball is right where it wants to be. The Blue Ponies have won 13 straight games and they just kept things rolling with a 71-47 victory over Browning at Havre High Gymnasium Thursday night.

"I thought our kids played fantastic," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "Browning's a wonderful basketball team, that's obvious with how they played tonight. They're very good and physical. It was a lot of fun and our kids responded to some adversity."

The Ponies started strong with back-to-back buckets from Yelena Miller and Sadie Filius. Even after a Browning bucket, Miller and Jade Wendland continued to make plays to stretch the lead to 9-2. The Ponies continued to make plays through the opening quarter but Mecca Bullchild made a three to cut the deficit to 16-14 at the break.

But the Ponies did not let Browning wrestle away momentum from them as they kept their offense rolling in the second quarter. With about two minutes left in the half, Havre held a 31-19 lead. But the Indians did find a rhythm with a 9-3 run to cut their deficit to 34-28 by halftime.

Early in the third quarter, the Indians kept with it as they cut the deficit to 38-33 just under two minutes into the frame. But the Ponies ended the quarter on a 14-2 run to take a 52-35 lead into the fourth. Kraske credited the Havre defense for creating opportunities to score and pull away.

"I would like to think maybe our pressure caused them some issues," Kraske said. "I thought we wore them down."

In the fourth quarter, the Ponies coasted to victory. Wendland led the Ponies with 17 points and Miller scored 16. While the Ponies held their senior night this past weekend, it was the final home game for seniors Wendland, Filius, Lacy Preeshl and Alyssa Oliver. Even though the seniors tried their best to not think about it, eventually the emotions came through.

"I tried not to focus before the game and during the game," Filius said. "But as soon as I got pulled out and Kraske hugged me, all the emotions hit and I got pretty sad because playing here is really special."

Kraske appreciates this group of seniors for their contributions to the program over the years and for what they can still accomplish before they leave.

"They're just great kids," Kraske said. "The sky's the limit with what we want to do here with this team. They control the tempo and how we play so if they can continue to have that be a positive influence on our program, we're going to be pretty good down the stretch."

The Ponies improved to 16-1 on the year and have now won their 14th straight game. While things have looked easy for the Ponies lately, there is still room to improve before the postseason.

"Press offense needs some adjustments," Kraske said. "We'll have to continue to work on that. There's all kinds of things passing and catching, catching to score. We got some details we got to work on."

The Ponies end the regularseason on the road at Browning next Thursday.

Havre girls 71, Browning 47

BRW - 12 16 7 12 - 47

HAV - 14 20 18 19 - 71

BRW - Mecca Bullchild 11, Jerel Whitegrass 8, Lish Spoonhunter 7, Amari Calfrobe 6, Natalee St. Goddard 4, Kinsley Bird 3, Cara Guardipee 2, Brailey Racine 2, Tashlynn Lazyboy 2, Kalcie Connelly 2.

HAV - Jade Wendland 17, Yelena Miller 16, Avery Carlson 15, Sadie Filius 13, Kyanna Jarvis 6, Lacy Preeshl 4.

Browning 71, Havre boys 62

BRW - 16 19 21 15 - 71

HAV - 20 13 17 12 - 62

BRW - Tayron Burdeau 15, Tommy Running Rabbit 15, Joe Bullshoe 14, Brayds Vielle 11, Maurice Redhorn III 7, Justice Johnson 4, Jesse Carlson 3, Ty'Shay Bear Medicine 2,

HAV - Caden Jenkins 17, Xavier Butler 14, Josh Currie 12, Isaac Pedraza 9, Crawford Terry 3, Shane Patascil 3, Jevin Jenkins 2, Caleb Spangler 2.