Havre girls survive Dillon to advance to state title game

Outside a couple losses to Billings Central, the Havre High girls basketball team have rolled through the season. Early on Friday night at the Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, things looked no different as the Blue Ponies controlled most of their Class A State Tournament semifinal game against Dillon. The Beavers did battle back as they were able to cut the deficit to single digits, but the Ponies held on to win, 48-39, to advance to the state title game on Saturday.

"I'm so proud of our kids. I thought defensively we were really good," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "We just played with poise and handled it."

It was sure a team effort as three different Ponies reached double digits in scoring. Both Avery Carlson and Jade Wendland finished the night with 13 points. Both players made their biggest impact from deep as they accounted for all five of Havre's 3-pointers. Sadie Filius also played well scoring 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the field and 4-for-5 shooting from the free-throw line. As a team, the Ponies shot 44.7 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep.

"I think we were just being patient on offense and running what we do," Wendland said. "I think just taking control of the floor is a big part of our offense."

The Ponies scored on their first possession of the game as Carlson brought down an offensive rebound and converted it into a basket. About a minute later, Halle Fitzgerald responded for Dillon with a basket to tie the game. The Ponies retook the lead with a bucket from FIlius and a 3-pointer from Wendland. The Beavers got a free throw to go down but they could only muster three total points in the first quarter.

"We were just communicating on defense and not taking any plays off," Filius said about Havre's efforts early in the game.

To end the opening quarter, Filius knocked down a layup and one free throw to give Havre a 10-3 lead. Carlson then opened the second with a three to stretch things further. Over the next few minutes, the Beavers and Ponies exchanged buckets but the Ponies eventually found momentum again with an 8-3 run. Wendland and Carlson continued to make plays during this stretch as Carlson's three free throws gave Havre a 23-11 lead late in the half. But Ainsley Shipman was able to knock down a prayer from deep at the buzzer to cut the deficit to single digits at the half.

Despite the three, the Ponies continued to control the game in the second half to stretch the lead to 38-22 heading to the fourth. Early in the fourth, it looked like the Ponies would coast to victory as they built a 45-26 lead.

But the Beavers were not done yet as they stormed back in the fourth. They were able to cut the deficit to 45-33 with three minutes remaining thanks to multiple free throws. Fitzgerald and Lauryn Petersen then knocked down a pair of threes to cut the Havre lead to 45-39 with less than 40 seconds remaining.

"They made some shots and they made us turn it over. We played a little faster than we wanted on that press," Kraske said. "They're very good, they're very athletic and they're very quick."

But the comeback fell short as Filius was able to knock down some free throws to put the game out of reach. The Ponies now head to the state title game on Saturday night at 8 p.m. where they will face a familiar foe in Billings Central. In last year's state title game, Havre defeated Billings Central in overtime to win the championship. But so far this year, the Rams have gotten the better of Havre in two games, including the Eastern A Divisional title game.

"We know each other for the most part fairly well. We'll be ready to go," Kraske said about the matchup. "It'll be a good game. I'd like to think they're a very good team and we're a very good team."

The Rams are the only team the Ponies have not defeated this year, so if the Ponies want to call themselves the best in the state, they will need to rectify that with it all on the line this weekend. If they are going to do that, the Ponies will need to play at their pace and be ready for a tough night.

"We're just going to be patient and play our game," Wendland said. "I look forward to a physical game and I look forward to how it's going to be with how loud the fans are going to be and the atmosphere."

The Havre boys basketball team also played in the Class A State Tournament on Friday. However, the Blue Ponies' season came to an end with a 74-58 loss to Polson in a loser-out game.

The Ponies played well early on as they had a 19-18 lead at the end of the opening frame. But the Pirates took control and pulled away to put an end to the Ponies' year. In his final game of the year, Havre's Xavier Butler led the team with 23 points. While it was a disappointing end to the year, it was an impressive run by the Ponies making it to the state tournament despite a losing record in the regular season.

Havre 48, Dillon 39, SF

DIL - 3 11 8 17 - 39

HAV - 10 13 15 10 - 48

DIL - Sydney Petersen 9, Halle Fitzgerald 7, Jordyn Walker 7, Ainsley Shipman 7, Lauryn Petersen 4, Kylie Konen 3, Zoey Morast 2.

HAV - Avery Carlson 13, Jade Wendland 13, Sadie Filius 12, Lacy Preeshl 5, Alyssa Olibver 4, Yelena Miller 1.

3-pointers: DIL 5-12 (Halle Fitzgerald 1, Jordyn Walker 1, Sydney Petersen 1, Lauryn Petersen 1, Ainsley Shipman 1); HAV 5-12 (Jade Wendland 3, Avery Carlson 2). Fouls: DIL 15, HAV 12. Fouled Out: None.

Polson 74, Havre 58, LO

POL - 18 24 19 13 - 74

HAV - 19 15 13 11 - 58

POL - Colton Graham 19, Jarrett Wilson 17, Trent Wilson 15. Xavier Fisher 15, Brauson Henriksen 8.

HAV - Xavier Butler 23, Isaac Pedraza 9, Caleb Spangler 8, Shane Patascil 7, Tre Gary 5, Caden Jenkins 4, Crawford Terry 2.