Havre High basketball teams wrap up regular season

It seems like just yesterday both the Havre High basketball teams hit the court for the first time this season. Fast forward a few months later, the Blue Ponies are set to wrap up their regular seasons as they both head on the road to play Browning Thursday night.

The HHS girls basketball team will be looking to win its 14th straight game to end the regular season as they play Browning. But HHS head coach Dustin Kraske expects Browning to give everything they got against the Ponies.

"It'll be a dogfight over there. It's always fun to play in Browning's gym. Their crowd is incredibly supportive," Kraske said. "Our kids are going to have to handle it and work on having some poise and some patience, so it'll be really fun."

The Ponies are coming off a 71-47 win over Browning last week at Havre High Gymnasium. The Indians played competitively early on but the Ponies pulled away in the second half to take the game. Jade Wendland led Havre with 17 points while Yelena Miller scored 16 for the Ponies.

The Ponies' 13-game winning streak has led to a 15-1 record this season, their lone loss coming to Billings Central in overtime back in December. Miller has been dominant down low for the Ponies as she leads the team averaging 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest.

The Browning Indians come into the contest with a 13-3 record. Mecca Bullchild leads the Browning offense this season as she averages 16.3 points on 44.8 percent shooting. Against the Ponies last week, she led Browning with 11 points.

While the Ponies played well against Browning last week, a road game should be a good test for them. If they want to pass it, Kraske believes the Ponies will need to play disciplined.

"We'll have to take care of the basketball for sure," Kraske said. "We'll have to keep our hands off and not foul them to put some pressure on them and try and turn them over. Maybe have them play a little faster than they would like."

The HHS boys will then wrap up the regular season against Browning Thursday night.

The Ponies have gone through many ups and downs this season, so if they want to go into the postseason on a high, they will have to do it in a tough venue.

"It's going to be a hostile environment. It's going to be real loud and it's going to be senior night. They're going to be rocking, and we know we're going to need to bring a whole different energy," HHS head coach Walynn Burgess said.

The Ponies will look to end the regular season on a strong note as they have a 7-10 record this year and are currently on a two-game losing streak. Last week, the Ponies lost to the Indians 71-62. The Ponies had a lead at halftime, but Browning played well in the second half to win the game.

If the Ponies are going to get revenge, they will need their best players to step up. Senior Caden Jenkins leads Havre averaging 10.4 points a game on 38.2 percent shooting. Against Browning last week, he led the Ponies with 17 points. Xavier Butler will also look to make his presence felt as he averages 10.2 points a contest on 55 percent shooting.

The Browning Indians enter the game with a 13-3 record and are currently riding a nine-game winning streak. Maurice Redhorn III leads the Browning offense with 11.9 points a game on 43.2 percent shooting. Tommy Running Rabbit has also been playing well with 11.5 points a contest on 47.7 percent shooting. Tayron Burdeau will look for another strong performance as he led Browning with 15 points against Havre last week.

With divisionals coming up next weekend, the Ponies will want to have some momentum going in. If the Ponies are going to do that by defeating Browning this week, they will need to compete hard and execute as well as they have all season.

"We got to do the little things. Got to keep them off the glass. That team rebounded the ball really well and it caused problems," Burgess said. "They're coached real well, they play really hard and we know we're going to be in for another battle."

The HHS girls team will play Browning Thursday at 5:15 p.m. and the boys team will follow them up with their game against Browning at 6:45 p.m. Both Havre teams head to the Eastern A Divisional next Wednesday.