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Pony girls host Rustlers

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After drubbing two straight Class B schools, the Havre High girls basketball team will face another non-Class A opponent tonight as they play host to the Class AA CMR Rustlers at the Havre High Gymnasium.

The Ponies improved their record to 6-6 this season after trouncing the Harlem Wildcats and Glasgow Scotties in consecutive nights this past weekend. Havre won both of those contests by thirty-plus point margins.

However, tonight's opponent will prove a much more formidable foe for the Blue Ponies. The Rustlers are struggling in the Class AA ranks, but already own an easy victory over the Ponies to their credit. CMR comes into tonight's contest with a 5-6 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the Eastern AA Conference.

And like the last meeting between the two teams, CMR is looking to rebound from a defeat by their cross-town rivals, the Great Falls High Bison. Back in December the Rustlers trounced the Ponies 64-34 in Great Falls. That game was preceded by a tough CMR loss to Great Falls High.

This time CMR travels to Havre three days after being downed by the Bison for the second time this season. The Bison knocked off the Rustlers 59-49 at the CMR Fieldhouse on Saturday night.

In the first meeting between the two teams, the Rustlers used early up-tempo defensive pressure to frustrate the Ponies into 18 first-half turnovers. Defensive pressure is something Havre has struggled with all season long and they will most likely have to face the same type of defense pressure tonight against the Rustlers.

CMR also boasts strong post play with the likes of Erin Goodman, who is averaging 17.3 points per games as well as 10.1 rebounds per game. Goodman is second in Class AA in scoring and tops in rebounding. Goodman has help in the interior with 6-0 Joslin Swartz as well as sixth-man Emily Loehr.

Havre will try to counter Goodman's offensive output with the Central A's leading scorer in senior Carrie Flatau, who is averaging just over 15 points per outing and is also second in the conference rebounding. Teammate Renessa Briere is leading the Central A in rebounding at just over seven boards per game.

Tonight's tipoff between the Ponies and Rustlers is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Havre High Gymnasium. The game can be heard locally on 610-KOJM-AM.

 

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