Blue Ponies stave off Browning

Winning isn't always pretty and when it comes to the Havre High girls basketball team's 53-41 win over Browning Thursday night, there wasn't anything pretty about it.

But a win is a win, especially when the win for Havre comes against a state championship contender like Browning.

"Not to take anything away from anybody," HHS head coach Dustin Kraske said. "Winning by 25 doesn't teach you anything. You can play with bad habits and still be successful. Tonight taught us that the one-handed, slow, bounce pass isn't acceptable. Moving the ball slowly doesn't work. You don't get an open shot unless you work hard for it. You have to be crisp with your cuts and crisp with your passes. You have to sit down and defend and in game's like this one, everyone has to do it. Teams like Browning and Billings Central do that and that gets you ready for a tournament."

And of all the games Havre has played this season, maybe only Billings Central felt more like a state-tournament feel than Browning did Thursday night when the Blue Ponies and Indians met inside the HHS gymnasium. But when it was all said and done, the results were the same.

For the fourth time in the last two seasons, Havre beat Browning and it did so by double digits.

The Ponies got a scrappy 18 points from Kyndall Keller and another 11 from Katie Wirtzberger in a hard-fought win over their old Central A conference rival.

"It feels awesome," Keller said. "That was a big win. They are a tough team and I think that we will see them later this year. Right now, we are just trying to take it game-by-game."

Havre may have pulled away in the end but in the beginning, the game felt very much like a heavyweight fight and in the early going, both teams took some time to feel each other out. Halfway through the first quarter, Browning led 4-3 before Kadia Miller scored inside to give the Ponies a 5-4 edge. Yet, the Indians responded with a 5-0 run that put them in front by four, before a bucket by Lauren Kato and a 3-pointer from Keller gave HHS a 12-9 lead after the opening stanza.

Early in the second quarter, Sam Oliver hit from deep, making it 10 straight points for Havre, which led 15-9. Yet, four points from Tatum Running Crane helped Browning reclaim the lead at 16-15. Another hoop from Running Crane kept the Indians in the lead at 19-18, before a Miller triple made it 21-19 and a three-point play by Loy Waid gave the Ponies a 24-20 halftime edge.

"Early on, I think both teams were feeling each other out a little bit," Kraske said. "Ray (Augare) does a pretty good job and they were doing pretty well defensively too and when both teams are doing that, it's tough to score."

In the third, Havre finally started to create some distance. Keller opened the second half with a three-point play that put the Ponies in front by seven. Then, five straight points from Keller later in the period pushed the lead to 38-26, before a steal and score from Oliver made it 14, which was the margin entering the fourth quarter, with Havre in front 42-28.

Just over a minute into the final stanza though, Keller knocked down her second triple of the game, extending the lead to 17 points. Browning wouldn't get within single digits again as the Ponies went on to win by 12.

On top of the 18 scored by Keller and the 11 from Wirtzberger, Oliver also contributed with seven points, while Waid added six. Tamika Guardipee, Chalissa Kipp and Walker Running Crane each scored 10 to lead the way for the Indians in the loss. Browning also got nine from Tatum Running Crane.

With the win, the Ponies improved to 9-0 on the season. They also secured their 33rd straight win. Havre will look to keep its winning streak alive Saturday when it will host Fairfield inside the HHS gymnasium.

"It was a great game," Kraske said. "Browning was ready to go, they did a nice job. Our kids just responded really well. I was really happy with how we played."

Havre 53, Browning 41

Browning 9 11 8 13 - 41

Havre 12 12 16 13 - 53

Browning - Chalissa Kipp 10, Chaslin Kipp 2, Kelsey Mad Plume 2, Walker Running Crane 10, Dulci Skuncap 3, Tatum Running Crane 9, Tamika Guardipee 10.

Havre - Kyndall Keller 18, Loy Waid 6, Sam Oliver 7, Kadia Miller 5, Jessa Chvilicek 2, Sadie Filius 2, Katie Wirtzberger 11, Lauren Kato 2.