Havre boys part of tough Eastern A Divisional

After several months of hard work, the Havre High boys basketball team finally begins the postseason with the Eastern A Divisional this week. Down at the Metra in Billings, the Blue Ponies will look to do well in order to qualify for the Class A State Tournament in Bozeman next month. But HHS head coach Walynn Burgess knows there will be many tough teams between the Ponies and a state berth this week.

"I just think it's going to be a really good tournament from top to bottom," Burgess said. "We're just excited for us all to get down there and to be able to see how we've developed over the year and have that chance to go to the state tournament."

The Ponies will start the tournament with a game against Billings Central Thursday at noon. The Billings Central Rams finished the regular season with a 12-6 record. Back in December, the Rams defeated the Ponies, 58-49, in Havre to start their season.

If the Ponies want to get revenge and start the tournament on the right foot, they will need to slow down the Rams' best players. Kyler Northrup leads the Rams this season averaging 18.2 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. Kaden McMinn has made an impact with 7.8 points and 5.6 boards a contest this year, so the Ponies will have a challenge to start the tournament.

"They're a really tough team, really well coached and always play the hardest at the end of the year," Burgess said. "We've gotten better throughout the year and we're just excited for the opportunity again to go play a good team like Billings Central."

The Ponies will look to get their best players on a roll this week. Xavier Butler has had a strong season for the Ponies averaging 18.7 points and 7.8 rebounds a game this season. Tre Gary will also look to make some plays as he averaged 10.2 points and 4.1 assists a game this season.

The Eastern A Divisional will have many exciting games with tough basketball teams over the course of the week. The tournament will start Wednesday at noon with Laurel and Sidney facing off. Laurel went 5-12 during the season while Sidney had a 2-16 record.

The winner of that game will advance to face Lewistown Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The Golden Eagles are one of the top teams in the tournament as they went 18-0 during the regular season. If the Ponies defeat Billings Central, they would most likely have to face Lewistown in the semifinal Friday at 6:30 p.m.

On Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., Glendive and Livingston will play each other. Glendive finished 6-12 this season while Livingston had a 1-14 record this season. The winner of that game will then face Lockwood Wednesday at 8 p.m. Lockwood is another tough team in the tournament with a 13-5 record this season.

If Lockwood wins its opening game, it would face either Miles City or Hardin, who play each other Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Hardin finished the year with a 4-12 record while Miles City went 13-5 during the season.

All these exciting matchups will take place at the Metra in Billings, one of the greatest venues for basketball in the state of Montana. Because of severe weather, the Ponies were unable to play a neutral site game there against Lewistown earlier this season. Now that they finally get to step foot on this floor this week, the Ponies look forward to the opportunity to compete at this venue.

"We really enjoy that venue down there. It's a real cool atmosphere and place for the kids to play," Burgess said. "Being in a big arena like that, it's just an awesome opportunity for the kids."

The next three days will determine the rest of the Ponies' season. If they are able to win some games and finish in the top four at the tournament, they will advance to the Class A State Tournament in Bozeman. As they look to extend their season, Burgess believes the Ponies just need to stick to the basics of playing basketball.

"We just have to stick to what got us there. How hard are we playing? Are we giving it 110 percent?" Burgess said. "We're just hoping to stick to our basics and hope the things we've been teaching throughout the year have really stuck with the boys so we have to go out and put it to use."

The HHS boys basketball team will play Billings Central to start the Eastern A Divisional this Thursday at noon at the Metra in Billings.