Blue Ponies come up short at Billings Central

The Havre Blue Pony volleyball team had a short turnaround in the new Eastern A playoffs. And, as tough as they played, the Ponies came up short in Billings.

One night after clincing a Class A state tournament berth with a win over Laurel at home, Havre traveled to Billings to play the Billings Central Rams in an Eastern A semifinal. But, it was the Rams who came away with a 3-1 win.

Central dominated the first set with a 25-13 victory, and while Havre charged back in the second, Central was still able to stay ahead 25-20. Havre did respond with a well-played third set in which the Ponies won 25-19, and they went up 14-11 in the fourth set before Central rallied to win 25-18.

The win pushed Billings Central into the championship match with Hardin Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Blue Ponies will play Glendive in the third-place match Thursday night in Glendive. All four teams have now qualified for the state tournament next week, which is still to be determined. The Eastern A was changed to a playoff format because Lewistown was unable to host the tournament due to COVID-19 concerns. The Western A is also playing a playoff format this week, where the top four teams also advance to next week's state tourney.

Havre and Glendive will meet Thursday at 6 p.m. in Glendive. The Ponies and Red Devils split their Northeast A series during the regular season, each winning on their own home floor.

Billings Central def. Havre

25-13, 25-20, 19-25, 25-18