Havre boys take fourth at divisionals

At the Eastern A Divisional Basketball Tournament in Billings this past weekend, the Havre High boys basketball team was looking to go on a run and qualify for the upcoming Class A State Tournament. It was not perfect, but the Blue Ponies finished fourth in the tournament to accomplish their goal.

The Ponies opened the tournament with a 67-55 win over East Helena Thursday. The Ponies raced out to a 16-11 lead in the opening frame. But the Vigilantes responded to cut the deficit to 31-29 heading into halftime.

Out of the break, the Ponies got right back to work as they took control to stretch their lead to 50-38. The Ponies then held steady in the fourth quarter to secure the victory and advance to the Eastern A Divisional semifinals.

Friday, the Ponies lost, 60-42, to Billings Central in the tournament's semifinal game. The Rams got rolling early as they jumped out to a 13-4 lead. By halftime, the Rams had stretched the lead out to a 35-18 lead.

With the big lead in the second half, the Rams held off the Ponies to secure the win and advance to the Eastern A Divisional championship game. With their loss, the Ponies fell into the tournament's loser-out bracket. Dax Ostwalt led Havre with 10 points.

After losing to Billings Central, the Ponies rebounded with an 83-58 win over Hardin in a loser-out game this past Saturday morning. The Ponies got off to a strong start as they took a 16-13 lead in the first quarter. By halftime, the Ponies extended the lead to 38-30.

In the third quarter, the Ponies continued to play well to stretch their lead to 61-48. The Ponies then dominated the fourth quarter to pull away for the win to stay alive in the tournament and advance to the consolation game.

In the consolation game this past Saturday, the Ponies' run came to an end with a 67-63 loss to Glendive in overtime. The Ponies had a strong start as they took a 15-9 lead in the first quarter. The Red Devils were able to keep pace as Havre took a 28-23 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, the Devils found some momentum to take a 41-40 lead heading into the fourth. The Ponies responded to tie the game, 57-57, to force overtime. But in the extra period, the Devils took control to pull away for the win.

Tre Gary led the Ponies with 23 points in the loss while his teammate Shane Patacsil scored 19 points. With their loss in the consolation game, the Ponies fell to 16-6 this season and they finished fourth in the Eastern A Divisional to qualify for the Class A State Tournament.

The HHS boys basketball team will begin the Class A State Tournament in Butte when it faces Hamilton March 7 at 5 p.m. 

Thursday

Havre 67, East Helena 55

EH - 11 18 9 17 - 55

HAV - 16 15 19 17 - 67

Friday 

Billings Central 60, Havre 42, Semifinal

BC - 13 22 15 10 - 60

HAV - 4 14 13 11 - 42

BC - Kyler Northrop 15, Howie Martin 14, Adam Balkenbush 11, Darcy Merchant Jr. 7, Ayden Salter 4, Vinnie Souza 3, Sam Jagodzinski 2, Maddox Roberts 2, Jack Debourg 2. 

HAV - Dax Ostwalt 10, Tre Gary 9, Kash Keller 6, Carter Spangler 5, Matt Huse 3, Drew Allen 3, Shane Patacsil 2, Jackson Headdress 2, Brayden Ereaux 2.

Saturday 

Havre 83, Hardin 58, LO

HAV - 16 22 23 22 - 83

HAR - 13 17 18 10 - 58

Glendive 67, Havre 63, OT-Consolation

GLE - 9 14 18 16 10 - 67

HAV - 15 13 12 17 6 - 63

GLE - Shann McPherson 12, Carter Amsler 11, Cy Eaton 10, Chase Crockett 10, Kohbe Smith 8, Levi Eaton 6, Ethan Rivas 5, Dylan Joliffe 3, Kooper Kutzler 2. 

HAV - Tre Gary 23, Shane Patacsil 19, Jackson Headdress 9, Dax Ostwalt 4, Brayden Ereaux 2, Carter Spangler 2, Reid Kato 2, Matt Huse 2.