The Ponies are just so much fun to cover

MISSOULA - When I began covering the Havre High girls basketball team near the end of the 2020-21 season, I did not yet appreciate how great a program it is. But I quickly learned how good the Blue Ponies are as they went on to win the state championship that year. With the addition of another state title after defeating Billings Central, 37-30, this past Saturday night, I now know I am witness to one of the best programs in the state.

While they retained several core players from that team, I initially was not sure how good they would be coming into this season. The Ponies started the year with close wins over Laurel and Malta and then an overtime loss to Billings Central. But the Ponies quickly found their footing over the rest of the regular season.

Over the next couple months, the Ponies dominated all their opponents. The Ponies' strength was their defensive intensity that often forced their opponents into mistakes. Their hustle was often shown as several Ponies went after every loose ball throughout the year. Every conference foe struggled to get their offense going as the Ponies often pulled away for easy wins. It was a rare occasion when the Ponies entered the fourth quarter without a double-digit lead.

The story stayed the same through the first two games of the Ponies' postseason. But in the Eastern A Divisional title game, the Ponies again fell to the Billings Central Rams. The final result was a 49-37 loss, making it the worst score of the season for the Ponies. But it would wind up being their lone hiccup of the postseason.

The Ponies again returned to their dominant form as they defeated Browning, 66-37, to open the state tournament. Even against a tough opponent in the Dillon Beavers, the Ponies played strong defense as usual to pull out a win and advance to the championship game on Saturday night.

While the Ponies have dominated throughout the year, they never backed away from adversity. Heading into the state title game, they were not afraid to face Billings Central again, a team they had not defeated yet this year. Coincidentally, the Ponies finished the title game with 37 points, the same number of points they scored in their Eastern A loss to the Rams.

But as usual, the Ponies' season came down to their defensive intensity which limited the Rams this time out. As a team, the Rams only shot 31.3 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from the 3-point line. Billings Central star player Mya Hansen finished the night with only 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting from the field.

The Ponies' hustle and toughness was also on display throughout the night. The Ponies had the edge on the boards as they outrebounded the Rams 27-23. The Ponies were not afraid of contact as they went to the free-throw line 23 times. Even with their intense defense, they played clean, only sending the Rams to the charity stripe 10 times.

The Ponies' state title this past weekend came at the Dahlberg Arena on the University of Montana campus in Missoula. On a court that has been home to some of the best college basketball players in the state of Montana, it was fitting that the Ponies used that court to once again show why they are the best high school team in the state.

The Ponies will lose the likes of Sadie Filius, Jade Wendland, Lacy Preeshl and Alyssa Oliver who will move on from the program. But the Ponies will also see the return of key players in Yelena Miller and Avery Carlson. While the Ponies' starting lineup will look much different next year, they have proved that they should remain in the conversation for another postseason run.

And I know on that quest for another title, I will be witness to more great high school basketball.