Ponies clobber Eagles, again

It has been a pretty exciting season for the Havre High girls basketball team, as the Blue Ponies have been adding wins to their record on a consistent basis, and clinched its first Northeast A conference title.

With a lot of things going right for the Blue Ponies, there will be many things to look forward to once again this year.

Even with the conference title clinched, HHS still looked to fight tough against the Sidney Eagles Saturday. The Ponies achieved that goal and grounded the Eagles 72-34 in the Havre High Gymnasium Saturday to stay undefeated in the Northeast A.

It was another big win for Havre and players like sophomore Sadie Filius were excited to grab another win, while sweeping Sidney for the season, too.

"I feel like our team played well together," Filius said. "We got the job done."

And what a job the Ponies did. The first quarter opened with Filius dropping a quick field goal and seniors Kyndall Keller and Kadia Miller going on a 5-0 run to start off with a 7-2 lead. Sidney thinned that lead to 9-8, but Katie Wirtzberger, Keller and Filius put forward a 12-0 run that capped off the quarter with a Wirtzberger 3-pointer to lead 21-8.

The second stanza started with another Blue Pony run, with Keller, Filius and Miller dropping more baskets, and senior Jessa Chvilicek and junior Loy Waid adding more points to Havre's score. The Eagles saw Maddie Peters put up baskets alongside Olivia Schoepp to go on a short 4-0 run, but Havre answered and still lead 42-21 at the half.

The first half went really well and was just the beginning of a great game for the Ponies. Miller was very happy to see her team making another big impact this year.

"I feel great," Miller said. "We're conference champs, It's awesome. I love it."

The third period continued to see HHS dominate, with Miller, Waid, Filius and Keller all combining for a 10-0 run to give another boost to their lead. Sidney responded with a couple baskets, but senior Sam Oliver closed off the quarter with a score.

The final eight minutes saw Havre go on another big 12-0 run to kick it off, including Chvilicek and Miller dropping some treys. From there, Quinn McDonald and Britton Paulson added some more points to the score.

Havre's defense was a big part of the game, with multiple turnovers and rebounds throughout the game. Filius put up a great performance in that regard, forcing turnovers and grabbing rebounds, both offensive and defensive. The defense was intense and Filius explained just how tough her team is defensively.

"Our defense is really get-up-in-your-face and can make you uncomfortable," Filius said. "I feel like we executed it very nicely and we got it done."

Filius led the Ponies with 19 points in the game, followed by Keller with 17 points and Miller putting up 11 on the day.

Next up, HHS (14-1) will have two home games, starting with a non-conference matchup against the Browning Lady Indians Friday and a senior night showdown Saturday versus the Fairfield Eagles. Both games will take place in the Havre High Gymnasium.

Havre 72, Sidney 34

Sidney 8 13 6 7 - 34

Havre 21 21 13 17 - 72

Sidney – Zoe Morrill 2, Lexi Nelson 3, Maddie Peters 12, Sophie Peters 2, Karissa Martinez 3, Olivia Schoepp 4, Cassidy Larson 4, Ali Merritt 4.. Totals: 10 11-14 34.

Havre – Sam Oliver 3, Kyndall Keller 17, Loy Waid 5, Kadia Miller 11, Jessa Chvilicek 9, Sadie Filius 19, Katie Wirtzberger 3, Quinn McDonald 3, Britton Paulson 2. Totals: 25 14-19 72.