Ponies hit the floor in Laurel, then host the defending champs

Tonight is the night Havre fans. Tonight, Havre High boys basketball returns.

The Blue Ponies have been ready to go another year. With all the excitement to be back on the hardwood, there will be a lot of anticipation to pick up some big wins against some big names, the Laurel Locomotives tonight on the road and the Billings Central Rams Saturday in the Havre High Gymnasium.

Havre will have its hands full early on this year. Not only will the games be against some tough competition among the Eastern A, but the Ponies will have to start the year on the road against Laurel. Then the Ponies aim to defend the home court against the defending Class A state champions, Billings Central Saturday.

Under second-year head coach Walynn Burgess, Havre is still in the early stages of a new era, but the team is excited to prove themselves as a contender in Class A. Burgess is glad to be playing the teams to start the year.

“They are going to be some good measuring sticks for where we need to be,” said Burgess. “We get to open against two high-end Class A squads who could make deep runs into the postseason.”

And it all will start on the road against the Locomotives.

Laurel has been a very tough team to play in recent years, with a very consistent squad full of skill and teamwork. The Locomotives have a lot of potential moving forward in the 2019-2020 season. With quite a few good postseason runs in the past decade, Laurel has not backed down from making noise on the court.

For Havre, it will be a battle, with Laurel using its stream of talent to take advantage of every opportunity on the hardwood. The Ponies will be dealing with a difficult Eastern A powerhouse tonight on the road.

And the tough competition does not end there. After playing the Locomotives on the road, Havre will be tasked with defending the Havre High Gymnasium against the defending Class A state champs, the Billings Central Rams.

The Rams were an electric squad last season, with a team that blew past multiple teams, including the Ponies. Central handed Havre its first of two losses in last year’s divisional tournament, then would go on the make it to state. On top of that, the Rams beat the talented Hardin boys team in the state championship.

One does not simply beat the defending champs so easily, but the Blue Ponies will get the chance to play them at home this year, which is always a nice confidence boost. Teams usually have a tougher time on the road, but that does not mean that the Rams will not be ready to give it all they have.

Havre will look to use its versatile squad to disrupt Billings Central. Senior leaders Jake Huston and Mason Rismon are returning starters for the Ponies, as is All-Conference star junior Kellen Detrick, who led the Ponies in scoring and rebounding a year ago, while junior Josh Warp will be another key player on the squad, boasting a lot of skill in making shots, while handling the point guard duties for the Ponies this season.

Junior Clint Owens is also back after gaining a lot of experience last season, senior Tyrel Kjersem should also be an impactful player for the Ponies this winter, as will junior Nolan Lotton.

So, while Havre looks to have a formidable lineup this season, with even more depth, that includes Max Olson, John South, Quinn Springer, Caiden Jenkins and Josh Currie, in the end, HHS will be tasked with two tough teams to face early on and to pick up a pair of wins against big names in the Eastern A like Laurel and Billings Central would be huge. But Burgess is prepared for the real takeaway from these games.

“It gives us a chance to see where our benchmark is,” said Burgess.

The Ponies open their season tonight on the road against the Locomotives in Laurel at 5., followed by a home game against Billings Central at 5 p.m. in the Havre High gymnasium Saturday.