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So Close: Ponies lose heartbreaker

Belgrade clips Havre in epic last Central A championship game in Great Falls

GREAT FALLS - The Havre High boys basketball team didn't win the final Central A divisional championship, but in spite of that, they still ended up giving the Blue Pony faithful a night to remember

That's because the Ponies' 75-70 loss to Belgrade Saturday night in Great Falls at the CMR Fieldhouse will be remembered not for the loss, but by the incredible performance of Havre's Dane Warp, which helped force two overtimes before the Panthers finally prevailed.

Warp, a two-time All-State performer, was at his absolute best against Belgrade and came within inches of willing the Ponies to victory. With Havre facing a 13-point deficit late in the third quarter, Warp put the Ponies on his back.

The Havre junior started a stretch where he scored 21 of his team's 27 points, with a 3-pointer to beat the third quarter buzzer, which got HHS within 10 at 40-30. In the fourth quarter, Warp hit a coupe buckets to get Havre within seven and after back-to-back scores by Nate Korb and Michael Bakke, the Belgrade lead had been trimmed to 44-41.

Following a basket by Belgrade, Warp pulled Havre even closer with a three-point play that made the lead just two at 46-44 and 2:19 to in regulation. Yet, Belgrade tacked on a two field goals and a free throw and with 42 seconds in the game, the Panthers were ahead 51-45.

That's when Dane Warp became superman. First, he buried a three with 28 seconds left to get the Ponies within three. Then after a free throw by Belgrade Warp drew a foul from beyond the arc and made three free throws to trim the Belgrade lead to one.

After a Havre foul, Belgrade added to its lead with a free throw but when the second attempt was missed, the Ponies' Michael Bakke got the rebound and was fouled. Bakke missed both of his free throw attempts but on the second one, Warp grabbed the rebound, got fouled and sunk the free throws to tie the score at 54-54 with 14 seconds remaining. That free throw capped a run by Warp of eight points in 14 seconds, including going 5-for-5 from the free throw line when it mattered most. Belgrade missed a shot on its ensuring possession and the game went to overtime.

"Our guys never put their heads down," HHS head coach Curt Leeds said. "The last 12 or 14 minutes, I didn't sub anybody, that's tough on those kids to do but if we play hard like that we are going to have some good things happen for us."

A couple minutes into overtime, Nate Rismon nailed a trey to give Havre its first lead since the five minute mark of the first quarter. Then, Jacob LaBrie hit another three after a Panther score that gave the Ponies a 61-59 lead with under a minute to play.

But Lamb scored on the next possession for Belgrade to tie it. Havre held for the last shot and with time running off the clock Rismon ended up with the ball in his hands. He drove to the lane and laid it up as time ran out and looking like it was about to fall, it hung on the edge of the rim and fell off, sending the two teams to a second overtime.

In the second extra frame, the Panthers opened on a 9-0 run that the put the game out of reach. Havre got back within three just seconds remaining after a trey by Warp and two free throws from Jase Kato. But, Koby Ruff hit two free throws of his own to finish the five-point win for the Panthers.

When it was over, Warp finished with 41 points. He connected on four three's and scored 25 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined.

"He just understands the game so well offensively," Leeds said. "He has a great ability to score. He hit a big three, got fouled on a three because he got the guy to jump, he just knows numerous ways to score."

In addition to Warp's 41-point outbreak, the Ponies also got 10 points from Rismon and eight from LaBrie. Lamb scored 26 to lead Belgrade. Brayden Konkol added 14 and Koby Ruff pitched in with 11.

In order to get into the championship game on Saturday, the third-seeded Ponies needed to take care of business against second-seeded Browning in the semifinals and HHS did just that knocking off the Indians 64-51 Friday also at the CMR Fieldhouse.

Warp was again outstanding for the Ponies, and despite sitting out a good chunk of the third quarter with foul trouble, Warp scored a game-high 27 points and knocked down a pair of treys.

One of those 3-pointers came at a pivotal point in the game late in the third quarter. Like he did Saturday night, Warp beat the buzzer with a triple that extended an eight-point Havre to 11.

In the fourth quarter, Warp made even more of an impact and after getting a steal, he threw down a slam dunk to put the Ponies up 15. And at the midway point of the final stanza, with Browning down 12, Warp cashed in on a three-point play that put Havre up 15 again and the game out of reach.

No other Havre player reached double digits in scoring but Jerod Boles had a solid game with nine points, LaBrie had eight and Bakke had seven. Josh Monroe had 22 points to pace Browning.

With the loss in the championship game to Belgrade, the Ponies will return to the CMR Fieldhouse tonight and take on Livingston in a challenge game for the right to go to the state tournament. Tip-off will be at 8 tonight in Great Falls.

Havre 64, Browning 51 (sf)

Browning 15 10 11 15 -- 51

Havre 17 19 11 17 -- 64

Browning — Desmy Singer 3, Joe Bremner 4, Alonzo Skunkcap 4, Emmette Dusty Bull 5, Josh Monroe 22, Tristen Red Horn 9, Ryan Loring 4. Totals: 18 12-17.

Havre — Jerod Boles 9, Nate Rismon 5, Nate Korb 1, Dane Warp 27, Jacob LaBrie 8, Michael Bakke 7, Jase Kato 7. Totals: 19 20-28.

Fouls — Browning 25, Havre 17. Fouled out: Skunkcap, Monroe. 3-pointers: Dusty Bull 1, Red Horn 1, Monroe 1, Boles 1, Rismon 1, Warp 2, LaBrie 2, Kato 3.

Belgrade 75, Havre 70 2OT (1st)

Belgrade 13 12 15 13 8 14 - 75

Havre 12 7 11 23 8 9 - 70

Belgrade - Dawson Fowler 3, Brayden Konkol 14, Koby Ruff 11, Ethan Turner 6, Keldon Lamb 26, Morgan Eitel 9, Daniel Tanascu 6. Totals: 25 24-38.

Havre - Nate Rismon 10, Nate Korb 2, Dane Warp 41, Jacob LaBrie 8, Michel Bakke 5, Jase kato 4. Totals: 24 14-21.

3-pointers - Ruff, Rismon 2, Warp 4, LaBrie 2. Total fouls - Belgrade 21, Havre 26. Fouled out - Tanascu, Jerod Boles (H), LaBrie, Bakke.

 

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