Rivalry Weekend: Pony girls sweep

If there was any doubt about who is the best girls basketball team in the Central A Conference, the Havre Blue Ponies put it to rest this past weekend.

The Ponies, who had won three straight entering Friday’s game against Browning, took care of the Indians, in a battle of unbeaten Central A teams inside the HHS gymnasium. It was a back and forth battle but thanks to some outstanding defense and clutch shooting, HHS came out on top by the score of 61-52.

“It definitely puts us up a little bit and gives us confidence going into the second half of the season,” Havre High senior Morgan Mazurkiewicz said. “So that’s exciting.”

After beating Browning Friday, the Ponies hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Class B Rocky Boy Morning Stars. The game was close throughout, but again, Havre found a way to win and earned a 48-40 victory.

“With (Saturday’s performance,) and (Friday’s) performance, we didn’t play our best in the second half of either game,” HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. “But we played well enough, and we made plays down the stretch to be successful and win.”

In the early going Friday, Browning was determined to make a game of it, and after the Ponies jumped out to an 8-5 lead thanks to five points from Mazurkiewicz, the Indians responded with an 8-0 run that featured 3-pointers by Kaylea Skunkcap and a Tiara Gilham. The second by Gilham capped the run and gave Browning a 13-8 lead with 4:12 left in the opening quarter.

The Indians would not score again until the 5:51 mark of the second as Havre held them without a field goal for the next 6:57. While holding Browning without a basket, the Ponies made more than a few of their own.

Dani Wagner had two buckets sandwiched around a trey by Mazurkiewciz, then a score by Lindsey Kudrna as time expired in the first putting Havre up four. The run continued into the second quarter with three points from Naomi Terry and two free throws from Wagner that gave Havre a 22-13 lead, following a 14-0 run.

The Havre offense was impressive during the run but it all got started with the stifling Pony defense and its ability to hold opponents scoreless for long periods of time.

“I feel like when we set our mind to it and have a little more fire, when we say no more, that’s it,” Mazurkiewicz said following Havre’s win over Browning.

“When our kids are on, I mean they are constantly rotating and doing what we work on and do all that stuff with a sense of urgency they are really good,” Kraske added about his team’s defensive prowess. “So I think what allows our kids to do that is that they make the effort for all five of them. They come in and set the tone. I would like to think our seniors have a lot to do with that.”

After the big run, Browning found itself trailing by double digits, but got back within eight after a trey by Gilham that trimmed the Havre lead to 27-19. Yet, Havre answered again. This time, it was with 3-pointers by Ceyara Plante and Terry, the second of which came with 2:54 left in the first half. It gave HHS a 33-19 lead and finished off an incredible 25-6 run.

At halftime, the Ponies held a 41-25 edge and early in the third quarter Havre was looking to put the game away. On their opening possession, Terry buried another shot from beyond the arc and suddenly the lead was 19 at 44-25.

Facing a 19-point deficit, Browning could have caved, but the Indians did the exact opposite. Browning went on a 18-1 run to close the third that included seven points from Skunkcap, six from Gihlam and a triple from Jayla Wells as the buzzer sounded to get Browning within two at 45-43 going into the final stanza.

With the tension mounting, the Ponies turned to Terry. After going nearly an entire quarter without scoring, the sophomore connected again from deep to stop the Browning run and give Havre a 48-43 lead with 7:22 to play. Less than a minute later, Mazurkiewicz hit two free throws, then scored again after a bucket by Wagner to cap a 10-1 run that put Havre up 54-44 with 5:59 left.

Browning crept back within six with just over three minutes to go on a score by Gilham but four points from Mazurikiewicz increased it back to 10 and when Terry hit a two with 1:59 to play, it was all but over.

Mazuriewicz had 20 points to lead the way for the Ponies. Terry pitched in with 16 and Wagner added 15. Gilham was the high scorer for Browning and notched a game-high 22 points. Wells had 12 and Skunkcap had 11.

One night after beating Browning, the Ponies set their sights on Rocky Boy and in a game that went down to the wire, the Ponies did it with defense again holding the Morning Stars to 40 points en route to the 8-point win.

However, the win was hard to come by and after a trey by Jai-Lynn Day Child with 6:44 left in the game, the score was tied at 34-34. Yet, Havre came back with an 8-2 that consisted of four points from Holly Purkett and three from Mazurkiewicz to put HHS ahead 42-36.

The Morning Stars continued to fight and when Rosie Parker scored a deuce with 1:25 to go, they were within three at 43-40. But two free throws apiece from Mazurkiewicz and Terry, plus another from Purkett, who had seven of her nine points in the fourth, put the game on ice.

“I think Naomi is growing up, Ceyara is growing up, Holly Purkett is growing up,” Kraske said. “They are getting older right in front of our eyes and that will do nothing but make us better. So I am pleased with how they are playing along with our other guys. They are handling scenarios that down the stretch of the season they will need to handle and they will have practiced it.”

Mazurkiewicz managed a team-high 13 for Havre. Wagner had 10, while Terry along with Purkett contributed with nine. Day Child posted 11 to lead the Morning Stars.

With the two wins, the Ponies are now 7-2 on the season and more importantly, 4-0 in the Central A, putting them alone at the top of the standings.

Havre will put its perfect conference record on the line this weekend, when HHS hosts Belgrade and Livingston on Friday and Saturday, respectively inside the HHS gymnasium.

Havre 61, Browning 52

Browning 13 12 18 9 – 52

Havre 17 24 4 16 – 61

Browning – Melissa Flamand 1, Jayla Wells 12, Shelbi St. Goddard4, Kaylea Skunkcap 11, Terrine Whitcomb 2, Tiara Gilham 22. Totals: 20 6-16.

Havre – Ceyara Plante 3, Dani Wagner 15, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 20, Naomi Terry 16, MRachel Majeres 2, Holly Purkett 1, Lindsey Kudrna 4. Totals: 16 17-24.

3-point goals – Wells 1, Skunkcap 2 Gilham 3, Plante 1, Wagner 2, Mazurkiewicz 2Terry 3. Total fouls – Browning 23, Havre 16. Fouled out – None

Havre 48, Rocky Boy 40

Havre 12 10 10 16 - 48

Rocky Boy 9 13 7 11 - 40

Havre - Ceyara Plante 3, Dani Wagner 10, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 13, Naomi Terry 9, Holly Purkett 9, Lindsey Kudrna 4. Totals: 16 14-24.

Rocky Boy - Minnie The Boy 1, Jai'Lynn DayChild 11, L. Four Colors 5, S. Henry 2, J.The Boy 6, K. Cantrell 2, J. LaForge 2, Rosie Parker 9, J. Mitchell 2. Totals: 17 4-8.

3-pointers - Plante, Mazurkiewicz, DayChild, Parker. Total fouls - Havre 13, RB 18.