OFF TO STATE

The Havre High girls basketball program can only be summed up as a living dynasty. Since 2014, the Blue Ponies have won four state titles and are hoping to win their second in a row when they head to the Class A State Tournament in Missoula this week. With a chance to add to the program's legacy, the Ponies have high hopes.

"We're super excited," Havre junior Avery Carlson said. "Nothing's guaranteed but we've worked pretty hard and we're pretty confident in what we can do."

The Ponies will start the tournament Thursday at 3 p.m. with a game against Browning. The Browning Indians are a familiar opponent for Havre as the Ponies swept them in the regular season. The Indians have a 17-5 record and they finished third in the Western A Divisional to qualify for state.

On offense, the Indians have been led by Mecca Bullchild who is averaging 15.1 points a game on 40.2 percent shooting. Jerel Whitegrass can also make noise as she is averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest this year. While HHS head coach Dustin Kraske believes their experience against Browning to help them, he still expects a tough outing from the Indians in postseason play.

"They play hard defensively, they're pretty good at rebounding and I think that they're more patient on offense than in years past," Kraske said. "They gave us some fits over in Browning that we'll be making adjustments for, but it's going to be a great game."

After winning the state title last year, the Ponies have played at a high level throughout this season. They went 19-2 during the season and finished second in the Eastern A Divisional. However, the Ponies are coming off a 49-37 loss to Billings Central in the Eastern A title game, which snapped a 17-game winning streak for the Ponies. But the Ponies plan on using that loss as further fuel for a run this week.

"If anything, that's just motivation for us to get a little better. We know we have to get better to win it all," Carlson said.

If the Ponies want to repeat, they will need their best players to keep it rolling at state. Yelena Miller has had another excellent season for the Ponies as she leads the team averaging 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds a game this year. In her first year with the program, North Star transfer Jade Wendland has made the most of it as she has averaged 10.8 points a game on 36.5 percent shooting. Senior leader Sadie Filius, a soon-to-be four-time All-Stater has been ultra-steady for the Ponies as well, as has Carlson, who is a dynamic scorer.

Before the Ponies play Thursday, the Class A State Tournament will begin Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. between Miles City and Butte Central. The Miles City Cowgirls qualified for the tournament after finishing fourth in the Eastern A DIvisional and going 12-9 during the season. The Ponies would not mind meeting them this week as the Ponies swept the Cowgirls in both conference games this season.

On offense this year, the Cowgirls were led by Lainey Smith who averages 9.4 points a game on 34.6 percent shooting. Alli Glasscock has also contributed for Glendive this season as she is second on the team averaging 6.2 points and is first with 4.4 rebounds a contest.

The Butte Central Maroons have a 15-10 record and they finished fifth in the Western A Divisional to make it to state. Brooke Badovinac has been having an excellent season for the Maroons averaging 23.6 points on 48.2 percent shooting. Ella Moodry has also played well this year with 10.7 points and 6.2 rebounds a contest.

The winner of that contest will then play Dillon Thursday at 5 p.m. The Dillon Beavers are a potential semifinal matchup for the Ponies and they would be a tough opponent. The Beavers are coming off a Western A Divisional championship and have a 21-2 record heading into state. Ainsley Shipman has been the driving force for the Beavers this year averaging 13.3 points and 7.1 boards a game this season.

The tournament will continue Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. with a meeting between Hamilton and Hardin. The Hamilton Broncs went 17-4 this year and finished second in the Western A Divisional. Layne Kerns has led the Broncs this year with 14.9 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. Taryn Searles has been a key player for the Broncs this year with 11.8 points a game on 31.9 percent shooting.

The Hardin Bulldogs have an 18-4 record and are coming off a third-place finish in the Eastern A Divisional. They are another tough team in the tournament, but the Ponies did go 3-0 against them this season. On offense, Kamber Good Luck has averaged 16.7 points a game on 45.1 percent shooting. Kylee Old Elk and Aiyanna Big Man have also played well this year as they both average double digits in scoring.

The Wednesday slate will end at 8 p.m. with a game between Billings Central and Columbia Falls. The Billings Central Rams should be a favorite to make it to the state title game after winning the Eastern A Divisional and going 18-3 during the year. They also have gotten the better of Havre this year with a 2-0 record against the Ponies.

Mya Hansen has been reliable for the Rams this year as she averages 17.8 points a game on 45.3 percent shooting. Alaina Woods has made her presence felt down low with 7.4 boards a game this year.

The Columbia Falls Wildkats have a 16-6 record and are coming off a fourth-place finish in the Western A Divisional. Maddie Robison has led the Wildkats this year with 13.6 points a game on 35.8 percent shooting. Hope McAtee and Grace Gedlaman have also been steady for Columbia Falls this year as they both average north of 10 points a game.

The Class A State Tournament should provide an exciting week of basketball in Missoula. The venue should provide an electric atmosphere as well as the games will be held at Dahlberg Arena on the University of Montana campus. Kraske believes it will be an honor for the Ponies to play for a state title on the home court of the Lady Griz, which former Pony great Kyndall Keller currently plays for.

"For our kids to be able to share the same locker room and share the same floor with some of the best women's basketball players in the history of the state of Montana, that's a special feeling," Kraske said.

There are several tough teams in the tournament that can make a run. As they head into the tournament, the Ponies have the added incentive of defending their title and adding to their legacy. They have the manpower to do it, but Kraske believes execution will be the key to a repeat.

"Our kids are going to have to play well, they're going to have to be incredibly focused and really focus on the details of basketball," Kraske said. "I thought our kids were incredibly patient (at divisionals) but we could have been a little more aggressive so that'll be the focus of our communication with them as we try to move forward to finish the year."

The Ponies will begin the tournament against Browning on Thursday at 3 p.m. at the University of Montana. The Class A State Tournament runs through Saturday night's championship game, which is scheduled for 8 p.m. The semifinals are set for Friday night, while the consolation game is at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.