Daniel Horton Havre Daily News gferguson@havredailynews.com
The Havre High girls basketball team knew going into Great Falls was going to be tough, but the Blue Ponies were able hold their ground, and earn the sweep over the Bison. On Saturday, the Central A Ponies were in Great Falls where they defeated the Class AA Bison 47-41. With the win, the Ponies advanced their overall record to 9-4. “We need to keep chugging.” Havre High head coach Dustin Kraske said. “And I think we made some strides this weekend. Great Falls is never an easy place to play, and our kids handled that very well.” The Bison dropped to 2-10 with their loss, but they didn’t play like a 2-10 team. They had improved immensely since the last time the Ponies saw them, and the Bison didn’t make things easy for them. “For us to go down there and play the way that we played in their gym and do what we did, I feel real pleased.” Kraske said. “Our kids did a nice job.” HHS came out and opened up the game with a 10-6 lead after the first quarter of play, and extended their lead to 19-9 heading into the half. The Ponies were clicking on offense, moving the ball very well and scoring from all areas of the floor. But in the third quarter the Bison made a run at the Ponies, cutting the margin to five after they managed to score 18 points. And the Bison continued to give the Ponies a scare through the end of the game by outscoring the Ponies 32-28 in the second half. “Honestly I think they might have came out and played a little bit harder than us.” Kraske said. “They made some good adjustments at halftime and we didn’t respond maybe as well as I would have liked. That’s all part of playing the game.” The Ponies kept their cool, and though it may have taken longer than planned, they were able to fend off the Bison long enough to get the win. Their defense stepped up and made some key stops down the stretch, and the offense was able to put up 15 more points, returning to the balance they found in the first half. “We didn’t play our best, but we played well enough to get the win on the road.” Kraske said. “And quite honestly that doesn’t matter, we’ll take a victory on the road anytime we can get it.” Erika Jenkins and Beki Schultz both scored in double figures for the Bison, but the Ponies' balanced offense was too much for them. Cassi Darrah led the Ponies on offense with 10 points, but every Pony played a role. Karly Evans clocked in with nine points, while Sarah Blessum finished with eight more. Hayley Donovan and Hope Hedges both added seven points and Madison Ruff rounded things off with her six. “Everybody who played chipped in.” Kraske said. “It was good to see.” HHS has a short turnaround this week. On Tuesday they return to the road to face the Malta Mustangs at 7 p. m.
