Avery Carlson signs with Montana Tech basketball

This past weekend, Havre High School star athlete Avery Carlson announced she will head to Montana Tech to play collegiate basketball for the Orediggers. As Tech head coach Jeff Graham looks to build up the program, Carlson wanted to join in on the effort.

“Tech has fantastic academics and I love Coach Graham. I think he’s really going to flip the program around for the better,” Carlson said. “The girls there, I don’t know all of them but I know a couple of them and they’re really awesome. It’ll be good and it’ll be a great place to be.”

Carlson heads to Tech after an excellent career in the HHS girls basketball program. In her last three seasons in the program, she helped the Blue Ponies capture three straight Class A state championships. With the success she has had in high school, Carlson believes she can bring with her to college a mentality that builds a winning culture.

“It’s really important to know how to be a competitor,” Carlson said. “I’ve really learned how to have a winning mentality. I’ve had a lot of opportunities from a lot of amazing people who have helped me get to that spot. I think I’m going to carry that over into the program at Tech.”

In her senior season that resulted in another state championship, Carlson averaged 10.3 points a game on 40.8 percent shooting from the field. She also played strong defense as she was second on the team with 38 total steals over the course of the season. For her efforts, Carlson earned All-State honors in Class A girls basketball.

“She’s a hard-nosed and hard-working kid,” HHS girls basketball head coach Dustin Kraske said about Carlson. “She’s fundamentally sound and a good student. Obviously a great athlete and a great kid. She’s the real deal for Tech and we’re excited for her.”

Carlson has also had excellent careers for the HHS volleyball and softball teams. In her final two years in the volleyball program, she helped the Ponies take second at state in back-to-back years. In softball, she helped the Ponies win their first divisional title in her junior season.

Carlson will look to help a Tech women’s basketball program that went 7-19 this past season. Along with helping the Orediggers compete in the Frontier Conference, Carlson plans on studying pre-medicine and pre-professional health at college. Along with pursuing further athletic and academic success, Carlson is excited about what the future holds for her in Butte.

“I’m looking forward to the new experiences and meeting some new people,” Carlson said. “I love basketball and it’s going to be really fun to continue to play that collegiately.”