Daniel Horton Havre Daily News gferguson@havredailynews.com
The Malta M-Ettes are a tough team at the top of the District 2B, and in their previous meeting this season, the Havre High girls basketball team found out just how tough they can be. In their last matchup the M-Ettes defeated the Blue Ponies 49-40 at the Havre High gymnasium. But tonight the Ponies(6-1, 9-4) get a shot at redemption as they gear up to face the M-Ettes in Malta at 7. When the Ponies and M-Ettes meet up for nonconference play, it is safe to say that it’s going to be a competitive game. Both teams are coming from the top of their respective conferences and neither team is going to take this game lightly. “I expect another tough game.” Havre High head coach Dustin Kraske said. “I think that Malta has been playing really well and I think we have been playing really well also. It should be a great game to watch.” Senior Kylee Denham is just one of the many talented M-Ettes that will be doing her best to turn the Ponies away with another loss. And joining her will be Caitlin Smith, another standout player with the Ponies in her sights. Both Dehham and Smith played major roles in their win over the Ponies earlier this year. Denham was able to hang 12 points on the Ponies, while Smith went 4-of-4 from behind the 3-point-line to add to her game leading 13 points. “We have to make sure we know who we have and guard everybody.” Kraske said. “Every kid that they play can hit an open shot, we are going to have to get hand up, block out and limit them to one shot opportunities.” If HHS wants to come out on the winning end of things this time around, they need to have a better start. They can’t afford to let the M-Ettes offense get rolling early, because once they find their groove, it’s not likely they will come out of it. The shooting ability of the M-Ettes is no secret. The Ponies' offense is going to have to step up as well and keep some of the pressure off of the defense. Cassi Darrah, Karly Evans, Hayley Donovan, Sarah Blessum, Hope Hedges, Cali Freier and Madison Ruff have all been finding their way offensively for the Ponies. In recent games they have been able to score from both the inside and out, giving the Ponies a well balanced, successful offense. “I would like to think that we can defend Malta better than we did the first time that we played them.” Kraske said. “And I would like to think that our offense is a little more patient than the first time we played them. We are a month into the season and in think we did some good things against CMR and did some good things against Great Falls. And those things need to carry over into tonight.” Tonight the Blue Ponies are in Malta where they will face the M-Ettes at 7 for the second time this season.
