Havre boys basketball sweeps conference games on the road

If this past weekend was any indication, the Havre High boys basketball is set up well to compete in the Northeast A this season. In their first two conference games of the year, the Blue Ponies defeated Glendive, 52-47, Friday and then beat Sidney, 45-36, Saturday. With both wins coming on the road, HHS head coach Walynn Burgess was proud of how the Ponies played.

“Just going on road trips in conference play and getting two wins on the road is just really big for the team,” Burgess said. “We know how hard they are to win on the road and we love the way that we came out and competed.”

The Ponies started the weekend with their tough win over Glendive Friday night. The back and forth got started early as the Ponies and Red Devils exchanged points and the lead throughout the first quarter. In the closing moments of the frame, Reid Kato made a layup to give the Ponies a 12-10 lead.

The Ponies then took momentum to start the second quarter as they went on a 6-0 run. Carter Spangler got the run started with a pair of free throws and Shane Patacsil kept it going with a bucket. Tre Gary made a basket to give Havre an 18-10 lead.

But the Devils did not relent as they responded with a 10-2 run. Michael Murphy made the biggest impact during this run as he scored six points, including four free throws. Thanks to his efforts, the Devils tied the game, 20-20, with about three minutes remaining in the half.

Gary put an end to the run with a layup that also gave the Ponies the lead. Jackson Headdress then made a free throw to make it a three-point lead. After Carter Amsler scored for Glendive, the Ponies ended the half on a 6-0 run. Patacsil led the way with four points while Xavier Butler scored in the closing seconds to give Havre a 29-22 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the Ponies looked to put some distance on the scoreboard. After the Devils cut Havre’s lead to 33-27 halfway through the third, the Ponies went on a 6-0 run. Jevin Jenkins got the run started with a layup and Butler added onto it with a bucket. Gary then made a layup to make it 39-27 with just under three left in the quarter.

Over the next couple minutes, the Devils responded with a 5-2 run to decrease their deficit. But in the closing moments, Butler made a layup to give the Ponies a 43-32 lead heading to the fourth.

Looking to get back in the game, the Devils went on a 6-0 run to start the fourth. Chase Crockett got the run started with a bucket and Levi Eaton scored himself to keep it rolling. Murphy then made a layup to cut Havre’s lead to 43-38 with about five minutes left in the game.

After Butler made some free throws to add onto the Ponies’ lead, Murphy continued to roll as he made back-to-back plays for Glendive to cut the lead to 45-42. After Jenkins made another pair of free throws, Amsler scored to make Havre’s lead, 47-44, with about three minutes left in the contest.

But the Ponies did not let the game get away from them. Jenkins made a layup to give the Ponies a five-point lead. He then knocked down a free throw to make it 50-44 with 35.3 seconds left. Murphy made a 3-pointer for the Devils to cut it to three, but Butler knocked down his free throws in the closing moments to secure the win for Havre.

Butler led the Ponies with 17 points as he shot 4-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Patacsil also played well with 11 points as he went 3-for-10 from the field and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe.

The Ponies had another battle on the road against Sidney on Saturday. Through the first quarter, the Ponies and Eagles exchanged points. The Ponies looked like they had a slim advantage, but the Eagles made a three to tie the game, 8-8, to end the quarter.

The Eagles started the second quarter strong as they took a lead and stretched it to 16-10. The Ponies battled back but late in the half, the Eagles had a 21-18 lead. In the closing seconds of the half, Gary took control for the Ponies. He first made a layup to cut the deficit to one. Then after a Havre steal, he made a layup in the final seconds to give Havre a 22-21 lead heading into the half.

The Ponies carried that energy into the second half as they held onto the lead. They were never quite able to put the Eagles away, but they held on to win the game and start 2-0 in the Northeast A.

Both Butler and Gary scored 16 points in the game to lead Havre to victory. Butler went 4-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line while also recording six blocks on the defensive end. Gary went 5-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe.

At the end of a tough weekend on the road, the Ponies are 3-1 on the season and 2-0 in conference play. They do not get much time to rest as they will have two more games this week before the holiday break. While the Ponies are happy to get these wins, Burgess also knows there will be plenty to learn as they move forward with the season.

“We’re going to keep taking steps every day just to get better. We want to get better everyday and we know that the film is going to really help us,” Burgess said. “We got to keep taking care of business with what’s in front of us and what’s in front of us is Malta on Tuesday night.”

The HHS boys basketball team will tip off against Malta this Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Havre High Gymnasium.

Havre 52, Glendive 47

HAV - 12 17 14 9 - 52

GLE - 10 12 10 15 - 47

HAV - Xavier Butler 17, Shane Patacsil 11, Jevin Jenkins 7, Tre Gary 6, Carter Spangler 6, Kash Keller 4, Jackson Headdress 1.

Havre 45, Sidney 36

HAV - Xavier Butler 16, Tre Gary 16, Shane Patacsil 6, Jackson Headdress 3, Reid Kato 2, Kash Keller 2.