Daniel Horton Havre Daily News gferguson@havredailynews.com
Seven out of the nine games the Havre High boys basketball team has played this season have been on the road. But this weekend, the Blue Ponies will get a much needed break from the road and host two Central A Conference opponents. Tonight the Ponies (2-3, 4-5) face the Belgrade Panthers (2-3, 4-5) at 6 and on Saturday the Ponies return to the Havre High gymnasium to face the Livingston Rangers (0-5, 1-9) at 3:30 p. m. The Ponies have faced both the Rangers and Panthers once already this season, and are looking for similar results. In two road victories, the Ponies defeated the Panthers 65-59 and the Rangers 60-45 back in December. “We feel like we have continued to improve every week.” Havre High head coach Andy Smith said. “I guess we will see how far along we really are from the beginning of the season.” Game one between the Panthers and Ponies went down to the wire before a winner was decided. And tonight’s matchup should be just as close with the way both teams have been improving and finding their way. “I think they (Panthers) have started playing a whole lost better.” Smith said. “They could have a lot better record than they have right now. I think they have a nice team and I don’t think their record says how good they really are.” HHS ran into problems with the Panthers' Jimmy Hook and Bobby Hirsch and will have to watch out for them again. Hook is averaging 12.7 points per game, and Hirsch isn’t far behind with his 9.1 points per game. The Panthers are a big and physical team and look to score a lot of points down low. The Ponies are going to have to keep big bodies on them, and keep the Panthers from getting rebounds that lead to second chance points. That falls on the likes of Kaden Keto, Jordan Van Voast, Tucker Parman and others in the paint. “We have to do things a little more fundamentally sound.” Smith said. “We need to be crisper on our passes, take better care of the ball, be more effi- cient at the free-throw-line and bring a lot of hustle and enthusiasm in on defense.” But in preparation for this weekend's tough conference rivals, the Ponies are looking at two completely different teams. The Rangers bring more of an uptempo style of offense to the table Saturday, and are much smaller and quicker in comparison to the Panthers. The Ponies have struggled against teams with a good outside shot, and will be tested on defense against the Rangers. With not a lot offense coming from their big men, the Rangers love to push the ball down the floor with their speed and pull up and shoot. Buddy Neuville scored 17 points against the Ponies in their first meeting and is their main concern on Saturday, averaging 8.3 points per game on the season. In recent games, the Ponies' guards have been shooting very well, but they are still looking for a good mix between the guards and post players on offense. Keto, Parman and Thane Gray have also been playing very well down low, but Smith would like to see them get more opportunities in the key. HHS is coming off a win over Conrad a week ago and is hoping to use that momentum to get two more wins this weekend. Before Conrad, the Ponies dropped four straight games, and are hoping that win was what they needed to get back on track. “These games are big.” Smith said. “The fact that they are conference games make them a little bit more important, plus we are playing them at home. We are ready to turn the corner, and I feel like we have done some things that show we are moving in the right direction. It’s time to step up and turn that corner.” Tonight the Ponies host the Panthers at 6 and return to the Havre
