On to state for the Blue Ponies

The Havre High girls basketball team didn’t come away with the Eastern A Divisional championship this past weekend inside the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra, but the Blue Ponies did punch another ticket to the Class A state tournament.

The Ponies made their way into Saturday night’s championship game in Billings, but, ultimately, HHS didn’t have enough to take down a strong Hardin squad, which defeated Havre 50-39 to take home the title.

However, thanks to the Ponies' 48-37 victory over Laurel Friday in the semifinals, Havre will advance to the state tournament for the 10th time in 11 years under head coach Dustin Kraske.

As the No. 2 seed out of the East, Havre will play Butte Central, the No. 3 team from the Western A, Thursday in Butte at the Civic Center.

“It was a very successful weekend for our kids,” Kraske said. “We played pretty well. We would have liked to have played better against Hardin, but now we will get another chance to play better next Thursday (state tournament).”

Asked what his program’s run over the last decade mean, Kraske responded:

“I think it just shows the hard work that our kids have put in to have the success that we have had. I think it’s a tribute to that more than anything.”

After beating Miles City Wednesday in the quarterfinals, Havre took on Laurel in the semifinals for a berth in the championship game and the state tournament. The Ponies jumped out to a 13-6 lead after one quarter of play, but five straight points from the Locomotives trimmed the lead to 13-11 with just a few minutes before halftime. Yet HHS, which didn’t score in the first six minutes of the second quarter, managed seven points in the last two to take a 20-17 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Havre scored nine of the first 13 points to push its lead to nine at 30-21. Laurel rallied and midway through the fourth quarter, trimmed the lead down to six, but the Locomotives didn’t have enough to overcome the Ponies and fell by 11.

Naomi Terry, who hit a bunch of clutch free throws down the stretch, finished with a game-high 16 points, while Ceyara Plante added 13. Kyndall Keller also contributed with 11 points. Aspen Cotter scored 12 for Laurel.

“We didn’t play our best against Laurel,” Kraske said, “but we still found a way to win, and I think that is a sign of a good team, one that can win when they aren’t at their best.”

The win over Laurel put Havre into a title-game tilt with Hardin, but, right from the start, the Bulldogs grabbed the advantage, leading 13-9 at the end of the opening stanza.

The Ponies, who struggled to score all night, managed just eight points in the second quarter and at halftime, they trailed 26-17.

In the third, Havre was within six at 36-30, when Madisan Chavez buried a triple for the Bulldogs, putting them up nine with eight minutes left in the game. In the fourth, Havre never mustered much of a run and the final score was 50-39 in favor of Hardin.

Terry was the top scorer for Havre with 12 points. Danielle Wallace had eight and Keller pitched in with six. Chavez paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 15 points. Sharmayne Hardy had 13.

Joining Hardin and Havre in advancing to the Class A state tournament, which starts Thursday in Butte, were Laurel and Belgrade. The Ponies will take on Butte Central in the opening round Thursday at 2 p.m.

“I think that we are going back speaks to the quality of our program,” Kraske said. “It’s great; it’s been fun to be part of it.”

Havre 48, Laurel 37, sf

Laurel 6 11 4 16 - 37

Havre 13 7 10 18 - 48

Laurel: Rylee Clark 3, Aspen Cotter 12, Dakota Boehler 6, McKenna Robertus 4, Sammi Spitzer 4, Riley Chapman 2, Ellie Kildahl 6.

Havre: Ceyara Plante 13, Kyndall Keller 11, Kaylee Nystrom 2, Naomi Terry 16, Marca Herron 3, Danielle Wallace 3.

Hardin 50, Havre 39, 1st

Havre 9 8 13 9 - 39

Hardin 13 13 13 11 - 50

Havre: Ceyara Plante 1, RayAn VandenBos 1, Kyndell Keller 6, Kaylee Nystrom 3, Naomi Terry 12, Danielle Wallace 8.

Hardin: Madisan Chavez 15, Sharmayne Hardy 13, Trahnea Phelan 2, Karissa DuShane 9, Aubrey Meiwald 9, Arena Plenty 2.