Blue Ponies take care of business to start Eastern A Divisional

On Wednesday afternoon at the Metra in Billings, the Havre High girls basketball team began the Eastern A Divisional with a game against Sidney. As they began their quest to win a third straight Class A State championship, the Blue Ponies got off to a strong start with a 70-40 win over the Eagles.

In their opening game of the postseason, it was an all-around team effort for the Ponies. Ariana Gary and Amaya Jarvis led the way with 15 and 11 points respectively. Kyanna Jarvis, Yelena Miller and Tierra Parker each recorded eight points for the Ponies in the win. Leah Entz led Sidney with 10 points in the loss.

The game started with a layup from Miller. After some Sidney free throws, Miller scored again to give Havre the lead. Sidney responded with another pair of free throws to tie the game at 4-4.

The Ponies took momentum with a 6-0 run with another bucket from Miller and a pair of buckets from Gary. After a Sidney free throw, Havre took control of the game with an 11-0 run to push the lead to 21-5. Tierra Parker led the way with five points during this stretch.

Sidney scored late in the period, but still trailed, 21-7, to end the first quarter. After Sidney cut the deficit to 23-10 to start the second, the Ponies went on a 6-0 run. Amaya Jarvis led the way with four points as the Ponies built their lead out to 29-10.

Over the rest of the half, the Ponies held a steady lead as the Eagles were unable to take momentum. At halftime, the Ponies looked strong with a 35-20 lead. The Ponies continued to play well in the second half as they stretched their lead to 55-29 heading to the fourth. With the game in hand, the Ponies put in their reserves down the stretch.

The Ponies now advance as they will play in a semifinal game Friday against either Laurel or Lewistown, who played each other earlier this morning. The Ponies have already played both teams this season.

In the Northeast A, the Ponies defeated Lewistown twice by scores of 60-52 and 48-30 over the course of the season. The more likely opponent would probably be Laurel, who defeated Havre, 54-51, in the first game of the season this past December. However, the Ponies were not at full strength in that game and will be looking for revenge and a spot in the Eastern A Divisional title game on Saturday night.

The HHS girls basketball team will continue the Eastern A Divisional with its semifinal game Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Havre 70, Sidney 40

SID - 7 13 9 11 - 40

HAV - 21 14 20 15 - 70

SID - Leah Entz 10, Ave Norby 9, Savanna Anderson 8, Ella Norby 5, Sophie Peters 4, Rhett Rossol 2, Lily Tranquil 2.

HAV - Ariana Gary 15, Amaya Jarvis 11, Kyanna Jarvis 8, Yelena Miller 8, Tierra Parker 8, Avery Carlson 5, Sierra Parker 4, Kenzie Kallenberger 4, Lizzi Haney 3, Danni Wirtzberger 2, Molly Huse 2.