Havre boys basketball set for a tough road trip in the Northeast A

The Havre High boys basketball team is back on the court this weekend with a road trip to Glendive and Sidney. These will be the first games for the Blue Ponies in the Northeast A this season, so HHS head coach Walynn Burgess expects adversity this weekend.

"Anytime you go on a conference road trip, especially early in the season, there's a lot of growing that's going to happen for us," Burgess said. "Being on these road trips, we always know that it's hardest to get off the bus and be 10 points down just because you're somewhere else. We're going to have to fight the good battle."

The Ponies start the road trip tonight with a game at Glendive. The Red Devils are off to a 1-1 start this season as they have been led by Michael Murphy, who is averaging 23.0 points and 5.5 rebounds this season. The Devils also have Chase Crockett, who is averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 boards a game so far this year, so the Ponies will have their hands full to start the road trip.

"We know going into Glendive Friday night, that's a pretty tough team," Burgess said. "They got a little bit of height on us but that's alright. We like the way we play, we understand the way they play and we're going to have to match their energy."

The Ponies will continue their road trip with a game at Sidney Saturday night. The Eagles are off to an 0-1 start this season, but Burgess believes as a more experienced squad this winter, the Eagles could give the Ponies some trouble if they are not prepared.

"Anytime you go on the road in a conference game, you're going to expect the best out of people and we can't take any team lightly," Burgess said. "We understand that we're going to have to come in fully focused and get ready to play on a quick turnaround after a Friday night."

The Ponies will be looking to start conference play on the right foot while also improving on their 1-1 record so far this season. The Ponies started the year with a dominant 72-44 win over Laurel before falling, 58-49, to Billings Central on the road last weekend.

Several Ponies will be looking to continue their strong starts to the season. Xavier Butler leads the team averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds this season. Shane Patacsil is averaging 11.0 points on 37.5 percent shooting while Tre Gary is averaging 10.0 points through two games this winter.

While the Ponies have shown promise so far this season, Burgess believes they can let their emotions get away from them too often. So when they head on the road this weekend, Burgess hopes to see his team control the emotions better in order to play more consistently.

"(We want to improve on) just not riding the wave so much. Not too many highs or too many lows. We're trying to keep it right in the middle," Burgess said. "We understand that the further we get along in the season, it's going to take us 32 minutes to win basketball games."

In the regular season, these conference games will be the most important for the Ponies. With every win they pick up against a Northeast A team, the Ponies will improve their seeding in the Eastern A Divisionals in February, so the Ponies will be focused this weekend.

"You only get eight (conference) games and everyone of them counts," Burgess said. "It's a different feel when you get into conference games and being able to knock out three of them before Christmas break is a task but I think we're up for the challenge."

The HHS boys basketball team will tip off on the road against Glendive tonight at 7:30 p.m. The Ponies will then tip off on the road against Sidney Saturday at 4 p.m.