HHS girls trip up Browning, blow out Conrad at home

Havre's Chanel Standing Rock (middle) shoots over a Conrad defender during Saturday's girls basketball game at the HHS gymnasium in Havre.

The growth and good play continues for the Havre High girls basketball team, as the Blue Ponies grabbed two more wins against well rounded opponents this weekend.

The Central A Blue Ponies have been showing steady improvement this season. They entered the weekend 4-1 in their last five games, and added two more notches to the win column with a conference road win on Friday and a non conference home win on Saturday. Friday the Ponies defeated the Browning Indians 55-53 and Saturday the Ponies defeated the Class B Conrad Cowgirls 68-38.

With the two wins the Ponies improved to 4-0 in the Central A and 7-3 overall.

"We are starting to figure out the dynamics of a team game and that is really fun to watch," Havre High head coach Dustin Kraske said.

Friday on the road, the Ponies literally had to play to the final buzzer to get the conference win, and keep their undefeated conference streak alive.

Late in the game the Ponies held a 10-point lead. But in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the Indians went on an offensive run to take a one-point lead late. But the Ponies kept pushing, and hitting the game winner was Sammy Evans, as she got underneath the basket for a layup and foul shot opportunity. Evans hit the free throw and gave the Ponies the a 55-53 win.

"Browning is a darn good team and we were fortunate enough to come out of there with the win," Kraske said. "They gave us a chance to win the game. They had us beat, but we had a nice toss and catch from Peyton (Filius) to Sammy (Evans) for a layup at the buzzer. It was great how we fought through adversity."

Lacey Waid led the Ponies with 18 points, as her improved play continues to benefit the Ponies coming off the bench. Sammy Evans finished with 12 points and Filius finished with 10 to round out the double-digit scorers.

"We have all been working really hard and have all been working as a team." Waid said. "The better we play as a team, the better we will be."

The outstanding team play continued for the Ponies Saturday at home. HHS got solid production from their offense, and made another statement with their hardnosed defense.

The Blue Ponies came out and outscored the Cowgirls 21-9 in the opening quarter. HHS looked great on both sides of the ball and was showing great patience on the offensive side, as the tough game the night before showed no signs of wear on the Ponies.

"I was impressed that the kids were able to come off of an emotional win last night (Friday)," Kraske said. "And come into our game tonight (Saturday) and get after it and not have a let down. Conrad isn't in our league, so it is easy to not hold a game like this as important in our heads, and we haven't' been playing as well on our second night of play this season. It was good to see the kids come out and play well and be aggressive."

The remainder of the game continued to go in favor of the Ponies, as the defense limited the Cowgirls shots and points, and the offense continued to see steady contribution from all over the lineup. HHS outscored the Cowgirls 17-12 in the second quarter, 13-6 in the third and made sure to put the game away in the fourth with a 17-11 run.

Filius has led the Ponies off and on all season, and did so again Saturday with her 17 points. Brandy Lambourne followed with 11, and Neya Bischoff found her nine down low in the paint. Chanal Standing Rock also had nine points, while Morgan Mazurkiewicz finished with six. Waid came off the bench and grabbed five more points for the Ponies, continuing to improve and helping making the team around her better.

"Mostly I have just been trying to get my feet set for when I shoot," Waid said about her increased production. "And just driving to the hoop harder than I have been. I have been trying to be more aggressive, and when I don't have a shot I have been trying to look for my teammates and get everybody involved."

And everybody being involved is what has made this years' Ponies team successful. They are getting scoring from all over the lineup and playing team defense.

The Ponies will try to continue that solid play this weekend with two more conference games. Friday the Ponies will face Livingston on the road, and Saturday the Ponies will face Belgrade on the road.

Havre 68, Conrad 38

Conrad 9 12 6 11 — 38

Havre 21 17 13 17 — 68

Conrad — Makayla Barringer 1, Erica Grubb 5, Taylor Judisch 18, Morgan Van Dyke 3, Jayde Richardson 4, Rashelle Johns 7. Totals: 15 8-18.

Havre — Brandy Lambourne 11, Jaclyn Evans 5, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 6, Sammy Evans 4, Lacey Waid 5, Peyton Filius 17, Tori Mazurkiewicz 2, Chanal Standing Rock 9, Neya Bischoff 9. Totals: 22 16-27.

Total fouls: Conrad 22, Havre 21. Fouled out: Orcutt, Johns, J. Evans. Technical fouls: None. Three point goals: Lambourne 2, M. Mazurkiewicz 2, Filius 3, Standing Rock 1.

Havre 55, Browning 53

Havre 9 15 19 12 — 55

Browning 12 12 14 15 — 53

Havre —Brandy Lambourne 3, Jaclyn Evans 2, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 7, Sammy Evans 12, Lacey Waid 18, Peyton Filius 10, Neya Bischoff 3. Totals: 21 12-15.

Browning — Courtney Little Dog 4, Jessica Magee 2, Jordan Weatherwax 2, Julia Thomas 4, Brooke Carlson 6, Marti Eaglefeathers 18, Danelle Madden 8, Ashley Burd 5, Krystene DesRosier 4. Totals 23 7-17

Total fouls — Havre 14, Browning 16.

HHS's Lacey Waid (right) shoots over a Conrad defender during Saturday's high school basketball game in Havre.