State Champs Again!

Another year, another Class A State championship for the Havre High girl's basketball team. This past Saturday in Bozeman, the Blue Ponies defeated Hardin, 74-57, to win their third-straight state championship. While it has become a regular occurrence for the Ponies these past few years, the feeling of finishing the year on top is always rewarding. 

"It feels amazing. What better way to end our season?" HHS senior Avery Carlson said. "I thought about how if we came out on top, that would be great and we did so it's great and it feels really good."

The Ponies fell behind early in the championship game against Hardin. However, the Ponies battled back in the second quarter to take control. While the final score might indicate an easy win, HHS head coach Dustin Kraske knows that the Ponies worked hard for this championship. 

"It's unbelievable. Our kids are fantastic," Kraske said. "I love them. They're just warriors." 

Many Ponies had strong games to finish the season including Yelena Miller with 20 points in the final game of her career. It was not an easy year for Miller, as she missed most of the season with an injury. But once she returned, she made an immediate impact to help the Ponies win another state title. 

Several underclassmen made big impacts for the Ponies this season, especially Amaya Jarvis, who scored 18 points against Hardin in the championship game. As her role on the team became bigger, Jarvis was happy to see that rewarded with a state title. 

"It feels good because we worked really hard this season," Jarvis said. "I've worked really hard and we still have a lot more to accomplish."

While winning another state title is a great way to end the season, the Ponies will now have to say goodbye to their senior class of players including Carlson, Miller, Lizzi Haney, Molly Huse and Danni Wirtzberger. As these players get set to move on, their contributions are sure to be missed. 

"They're everything to our program," Kraske said. "They dumped their heart and soul into basketball. Just four years of all in for everything we did. They did every practice in the summer, every tournament in the summer all the time. We're fortunate to be a part of their lives through the last four years." 

While the seniors will be sad to see their careers come to an end, going out with your third straight state title is something they will always remember. 

"Three state championships isn't something you see very often and I just want to credit that to the program and the community that I've been blessed with," Carlson said. 

"It's pretty amazing because it is very hard to do because other teams don't get this chance that we get so you have to celebrate it," Miller said. 

While the Ponies will lose many impact players, several players will return for the Ponies. Both Amaya and Kyanna Jarvis should return while Tierra and Sierra Parker will look to continue to grow as players next season. Ariana Gary should also be an impact player for the Ponies next season. While the Ponies will look different next season, they should have the firepower to make another run. 

"We're just going to keep grinding it out and getting better. That's what we're hoping to do," Kraske said. "We're excited. We've got wonderful kids at Havre High School and we're fortunate to be a part of it." 

"We still have to work really hard but I think that we can still be a really good team for the next few years that I'm here for," Amaya Jarvis said.