News you can use

Streaking Sidney knocks HHS boys out of the Eastern A

Despite losing to Billings Central in the quarterfinals of the Eastern A Divisional, the Havre High boys basketball team just needed to beat Sidney to keep going.

Unfortunately for the Blue Ponies, the Sidney team that won one game during the regular season was vastly different than the one Havre faced in the Rimrock Auto Arena at the Metra last Friday, and thanks to an outstanding effort from big man Bridger Larson, who poured in 23 points, the Eagles upended the Ponies with a 54-49 victory, eliminating Havre from the tournament.

The loser-out game, which had huge implications, seeing as the winner would basically get to take part in a play-in game for the state tournament Saturday morning, was close throughout. Sidney jumped out to a 14-13 lead thanks to some hot shooting early from Larson, who buried five 3-pointers in the first half. In the second quarter, the two teams went back and forth, but the Eagles were able to extend their lead by two and took a 27-24 lead into intermission.

“The big Larson kid hit five threes in the first half and we were stuck trying to claw back after that,” HHS head coach Walynn Burgess said. “It’s just hard to get over that hump when you get down. But we never stopped fighting, there was no quit in any of them.”

After a solid start with double figures in both the first and second quarters, Havre picked a bad time for a cold streak offensively, when, in the third quarter, a cold spell struck and the Ponies managed only four points in the eight-minute stanza.

“We just had trouble finishing,” Burgess said. “We just couldn’t get any shots to fall.”

Sidney had a 36-28 advantage going into the fourth and even though the Ponies scored 21 points in a furious finish, it wasn’t enough to overtake the Eagles, who held on as Larson and Cooper McGlothin combined for 40 points.

Larson was the game’s top scorer with 23, but Kellen Detrick of Havre also had a stellar night finishing with 21 points. McGlothlin also wound up with 17, the same as Tommy Brown of Havre. Tysen Sangrey added five and Austin Delarosa had three as they wrapped up their Havre High careers along with Brown in the loss.

While Havre’s season came to an end, Billings Central wound up winning the Eastern A championship again following a victory over Hardin Saturday night. The other teams that made it state were Livingston and Laurel. Havre wrapped up its season at 7-13 overall.

“The end of the season is always the hardest, especially saying goodbye to those three seniors who completely bought into what we were doing,” Burgess said. “But the progress these kids made this season, that is how you know there is a bright future, and we can’t wait for it.”

Sidney 54, Havre 49, LO

Sidney 14 13 9 18 - 54

Havre 13 11 4 21 - 49

Sidney - Bridger Larson 23, Cooper McGlothlin 17, Alex Lee 6, Trev Stewart 3, Ian Jurgens 3, Boston Peters 2.

Havre - Kellen Detrick 21, Thomas Brown 17, Tysen Sangrey 5, Austin Delarosa 3, Jake Huston 3.

 

Reader Comments(0)