Pony girl's title defense starts tonight

With three starters and another key player gone from last season, it's easy to wonder just how good the Havre High girls basketball team will be this season, but with Billings Central coming into the Pony Corral tonight, it shouldn't take long to find out.

That's because while the Blue Ponies are certainly among the favorites to contend for the state championship this season, the Rams are a team many consider a contender too and with their entire back from a squad that won the Eastern A regular-season title, they should provide a stern test in the season-opening game for the defending Class A state champions. Tip off inside the HHS gymnasium is set for 6 p.m.

"We are going to get to play another really good team," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "I think that is the exciting part. I think it will be one of our better games this season. If I were a fan, I would go to this one for sure. I think it's going to be pretty good."

While the Rams have a number of key players back from last season, it would be a mistake to sleep on the Ponies. Havre did lose three starters and another huge contributor off the bench in Kyley Verploegen, but the cupboard is far from bare and if history has taught us anything, it's that under Kraske, the Ponies don't rebuild, they reload and this year they have certainly done that with some up-and-coming talent.

Of course, when it comes to talent, one doesn't need to look any further than Kyndall Keller, a two-time All-State performer who might just be the best player in Class A girls basketball. Heck, she might have been last season as a sophomore when she was second in the state with a scoring average of 17.36. She was narrowly edged out for top scoring spot in the state by Dillon's Brynley Fitzgerald, who scored 17.96.

But Keller is not the only impact player. Kadia Miller, another junior, didn't earn All-State last season, yet she did earn Honorable Mention All-Conference and is poised to have a breakout campaign after starting every game for the Ponies a season ago when she averaged 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. The other starters for Havre tonight against Billings Central will be Loy Waid, Kylie Walker and Katie Wirtzberger. Others who will see time on varsity for Havre this weekend will be seniors Kassidy Compton, Abbey Morse and Lauren Kato; juniors Sam Oliver and Jessa Chvilicek as well as freshman Sadie Filius.

"Everyone is talking about what a great game it's going to be," Kraske said. "And there will be some nerves that will set in but, hey, that's the fun in this. Let's go play."

Havre might have the best player in Class A girls basketball back this season, but Billings Central has an All-State returner in its own right and that's Olivia Moten-Schell, who was among the top post players in all of Class A last season, averaging 14.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. She has also averaged a blocked shot and one steal per outing. Zoie Altolf and Isabelle Erickson also earned Honorable Mention in the Eastern A after both averaged more than seven points a game, Altolf as a sophomore and Erickson as a freshman.

"Moten-Schell is a very good player," Kraske said. "She's a junior and she's very good. Erickson and Altof are both very good, too. They have a good program and it's going to be a really good test for us."

After hosting Billings Central tonight, Havre will hit the road to take on Glendive, a team that, unlike the Rams, qualified for the state tournament last season, despite finishing fifth in the Eastern A regular season standings. Like Billings Central, the Red Devils team is an experienced group that returns all of its key players, including Karsen Murphy, a junior who made First-Team All-Conference last season and junior Savannah Toms, who was named Second Team All-Conference.

"I think the game against Glendive will be pretty good, too," Kraske said. "I am excited for our first three games. (Glendive) is a solid team and after that we play Livingston. But I like that challenge and I think our players do, too. I think they want to play at a high level. Defensively, we have some work to do. Offensively, we look pretty good for December. I think they want to figure out what kind of team we are going to be."

The Blue Pony girls kick off their new season at home tonight at 6 against the Billings Central Rams. Havre will travel to Glendive to battle Red Devils Saturday at 5 p.m.