Chris Peterson Column: Kraske and the Ponies continue the amazing ride

GREAT FALLS - There are a lot of reasons why the Havre High girls basketball team won their second consecutive state championship Saturday night, but one that can't be overlooked is the greatness of head coach Dustin Kraske.

When you look at his resume, it's easy to argue that he is one of the greatest coaches in the history of Havre High athletics. Following the Blue Ponies' 42-36 win over Hardin Saturday night at the Four Seasons Arena, Kraske has coached three state championship teams and with not a single starter graduating, more championships could certainly be on the way.

But even without another state title trophy, Kraske's record coaching the Ponies is extremely impressive. In addition to three state titles, Havre has been to the state tournament eight straight times and in six of the last seven years, the Ponies have played in the semifinals.

Obviously, Kraske has had the benefit of great talent, and truth be told, no coach can be successful without good players. In 2014, there was Brandy Lambourne, Peyton Filius and Lacey Waid, among many others. During last season's run, Kyndall Keller broke out along with Kaylee Nystrom, Marca Herron and Danielle Wallace. Saturday night, Keller starred again, scoring 17 points and drilling two second-half 3-pointers.

But some others emerged, too. One player who hit big shots all week for the Ponies was Katie Wirtzberger. She knocked down some key shots against Libby and made two threes in the first half that helped quiet down a raucous Hardin crowd, at least a little bit. Sadie Filius also had a memorable performance, scoring 13 points and tormenting Hardin with her tenacious man-to-man defense.

Nothing can be done without players but at the same time, great coaches put their players in a position to succeed and there is no doubt that Kraske does that as well as anyone.

A great example of that was how he coached the state championship game. Hardin's advantage was inside and while the Bulldogs got Havre into some foul trouble, Havre pressured the ball and forced Hardin to make difficult passes to get the ball in the paint, which led to a lot of turnovers and only a few buckets. The full-court pressure employed by the Ponies also prevented Hardin from ever getting into a flow offensively.

The dominating style of defense employed by the Ponies is another obvious reason for their success and that was on full display again last night. Yet another key ingredient to the Ponies championship recipe is the way they close out basketball games.

The fact they are able to do it over and over again is a big reason why over the past two seasons, Kraske's Ponies are 46-1. Protecting a lead isn't something every team can do, just look at the consolation games in the boys and girls Class A state tournaments. Teams mishandled the closing minutes and were forced into overtime.

That's something Havre just doesn't do and when Sadie Filius pushed the lead to eight points with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, the state championship felt inevitable because that eight-point lead felt like it might as well have been 20.

Hardin worked its way back within a few points but Havre didn't panic. It took care of the basketball, ran the clock, made free throws and got stops. It's not exciting but it is effective and the Ponies execute in winning time as well as anyone.

That's a credit to their coach. If the end of a basketball game is a chess match, then Kraske might as well be Bobby Fischer because he never seems to make a mistake.

Sometimes being a great coach is about making all the right moves and other times, it's about knowing when to let things ride and Kraske made another great decision by rolling with Filius after she made an immediate impact after entering the game.

It's not overstating it to say that Havre may not have won the game without her 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and stellar defense. Sometimes coaches have to trust players to be great, and he allowed the freshman a chance to do that with a state championship on the line.

It'd be incorrect and irresponsible to give Kraske all the credit. Players always deserve the lion's share of the recognition, and Kraske is always the first to acknowledge that. He's also the last one to compliment himself.

So I'll say what everyone else knows. Dustin Kraske is one of the greatest basketball coaches Havre High has ever had and as long as he is on the sideline for HHS, the Blue Ponies will continue to have a distinct advantage over the competition.