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2014 CLASS A
March 2014
STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL CHAMPS
www.havredailynews.com
31
2014 CLASS A
March 2014
STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL CHAMPS
www.havredailynews.com
HHS girls made all of us Blue Ponies proud Tipoff: Pony girls host Rustlers in home debut From the Fringe... George Ferguson Sports Editor I’ll just get this off my chest right now. Saturday night at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, I wasn’t a very good journalist. No, I’m not ashamed to admit it. Now, I’m not saying I didn’t do my job to the best of my abilities because, in a not-overconfident manner, I feel like I knocked my coverage of the Havre High girls basketball state championship out of the park. I feel like I, along with Daniel Horton and his outstanding basketball photography skills, did a stellar job of covering the Blue Ponies’ run to their first state title in 17 years. Cocky? No. Just confident in my skills, kind of like how the Blue Ponies were certainly confident in beating Hamilton Saturday night. But, as confident and as happy as I am with my coverage of this weekend’s emo-
They Did It! Havre 52, Hamilton 43 (1st) Havre 10 11 9 22 — 52 Hamilton 6 11 5 21 — 43 Havre – Brandy Lambourne 10-15 2-4 25, Dani Wagner 2-3 0-0 4, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 2-8 5-6 9, Lacey Waid 1-4 0-0 2, Peyton Filius 1-7 2-2 5, Tori Mazurkiewicz 2-3 1-4 5, Haley Ohm 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 19-42 10-16. Hamilton – McKayl Rothie 1-1 0-0 3, Taylor Goligoski 4-13 4-6 13, Ellie Hurlbert 1-2 0-0 2, Jaylee Albert 5-12 3-4 13, Kloie Nye 1-1 0-0 3, Kali Hayes 2-4 0-0 6, Brianna Huggans 0-2 1-2 1, Sami Kratofil 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 15-38 8-12. Total fouls: Havre 14, Hamilton 16. Fouled out: None. Three pointers: Havre 4-11 (Lambourne 3-4, M. Mazurkiewicz 0-2, Filius 1-5); Hamilton 5-14 (Rothie 1-1, Goligoski 1-4, Hurlbert 0-1, Albert 0-3, Nye 1-1, Hayes 2-4). Rebounds: Havre 22 (Lambourne 7); Hamilton 22 (Albert 8). Assists: Havre 15 (M. Mazurkiewicz 6); Hamilton 13 (Albert 9). Turnovers: Havre 7 (Filius 3); Hamilton 12 (Albert 5). Steals: Havre 3 (Lambourne 1, Wagner 1, Ohm 1); Hamilton 3 (Goligoski 1, Albert 1, Hayes 1).
Havre 43, Laurel 28 (sf) Laurel 8 4 5 11 — 28 Havre 14 5 7 17 — 43 Laurel – Lexi Lewis 1-3 0-2 2, Allie McGrath 4-13 8-10 18, Taylor Ludwig 1-1 0-0 2, Dalayna Christenson 1-5 0-0 2, Paige Hodges 0-2 0-0 0, Abbie Lohof 1-4 2-2 4. Totals: 8-28 10-14 28. Havre – Brandy Lambourne 5-8 5-8 19, Dani Wagner 1-1 0-0 2, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 3-5 7-9 14, Lacey Waid 1-6 0-2 2, Peyton Filius 1-6 1-2 4, Haley Ohm 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 12-28 13-21 43. Total fouls: LAU 18, HAV 12. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. 3-point goals: LAU 2-7 (McGrath 2), HAV 6-13 (Lambourne 4, M. Mazurkiewicz, Filius). Rebounds: LAU 26 (Christenson 7), HAV 17 (Waid 3, Filius 3). Assists: LAU 4 (Lewis 2, Ludwig 2), HAV 11 (Filius 3, M. Mazurkiewicz 3). Turnovers: LAU 15, HAV 6. Steals: LAU 1 (McGrath), HAV 2 (Waid, Filius). Blocked shots: none.
tional Class A state tourney run, I still fell short as a journalist, and quite frankly, for one night, I don’t really care. Where I came up short was in my bias. Yes, I can admit, here and now, I’m biased when it comes to Havre High. Even though I was there to cover the game for the Havre Daily News, I can fully admit, I wanted the Blue Ponies to win, and I was as happy as anyone in that building when they did. Did I cross the lines of journalistic integrity that night? No. I did my job. I didn’t cheer, I didn’t say a word during the game, and as always, I didn’t wear any Havre High gear of any kind. On the outside, I was just another reporter there to cover the last game of the Class A high school girls basketball season. But on the inside, it was a whole different story Saturday night. I was a nervous wreck for 32 minutes, I was jumping up and down in my brain every time Havre made another big shot, got a huge steal or forced Hamilton into a tough shot that didn’t fall. In my head, I was up in the Four Seasons Arena bleachers with the other 1,000 or so Blue Pony fans going nuts. And when that buzzer sounded, and Brandy Lambourne threw the ball high into the air, when the Ponies rushed the floor and erupted into a wild celebration, I felt the same emotions that every other Blue Pony fan in the building or listening on the radio did. I felt the same joy the rest of Blue Pony nation did. For me, that’s really rare. Probably the last time I was overcome with a biased emotion like Saturday night was when the MSU-Northern men’s basketball team captured the Frontier Conference championship in Havre in 2011. Before that, it was probably when MSU-N beat Carroll in football and before that, it was probably when Havre High beat Billings Central for the Class A football state championship in 2004. That’s only four times in the hundreds and hundreds of games I’ve covered over my career, so you know what, I’m just fine with that. I won’t, and didn’t, lose any sleep over feeling so much joy and pride at Saturday night’s championship game. And why did I feel the way I did? Because like most of you reading this, I’m from Havre, I’m a Blue Pony, and I will always believe one of the reasons I’m good at my job is because I got a solid education from Havre High School. And there’s another reason Saturday night felt so good for me. I know these kids, and I know these coaches. I’ve covered them, and I’ve coached them in tennis, and I’ve watched them grow up and I know how hard they work and how much they deserved to hoist that championship trophy. My job allows me the insight into the world of these kids and these great coaches, and I know and get to see just how special this Havre High girls basketball team is, and has been for a long time. When you get to see it from that perspective, you can’t help but be overjoyed when you see them do something as remarkable as what they did this past weekend in Great Falls. I might be a sports writer, but I’m still a person with a heart, and my heart was bursting with happiness Saturday night.
I was happy for Dustin Kraske, who I’ve known for a long, long time. I was happy for his assistant coaches, who put in the long and hard hours to help these kids realize their potential and their dreams. I was happy for the town of Havre and for the entire Havre High community, because these moments are rare. Moments like Saturday night don’t happen that often, in Havre or Box Elder or Great Falls or Billings or anywhere else. State championships don’t come often, and when they do, they are truly great. But most importantly, I was happy for every player wearing a Blue Pony uniform Saturday night. Every basketball player dreams of winning a state championship, but not all of them work hard enough or become a team that can get the job done, and even some that do those things, still don’t get to achieve it. But this Blue Pony team did work hard enough. They were devoted enough. They did form the kind of team chemistry and bond that it takes to be great. And when that happens, when night’s like Saturday night roll around, you’d have to not have a heart in order to not feel the emotions of the moment. No, Saturday night was one of those very rare and very special moments. It was a night where you feel nothing but elation and happiness, no matter what your profession is. Saturday night was about a great group of kids, coming together to do something extraordinary. And it just so happened, it said Havre on the front of the jersey. For me, Kraske summed it up best, short and simple not long after the game ended. “I’m really proud to be a Blue Pony,” he said. Me too, Dustin. Me too.
Daniel Horton
Havre Daily News sports writer gferguson@havredailynews.com
Havre Daily News/Daniel Horton Twin sisters Morgan, top, and Tori Mazurkiewicz embrace as the buzzer sounds on Saturday night's Class A state championship game in Great Falls. For full coverage, see today's sports pages.
Housing maybe the strongest overall roster in years, the Havre high girls basketball team will finally get the long awaited season underway this weekend. But it won’t be the easiest start to a season, as the Blue Ponies have to open with two very tough nonconference opponents. Tonight, the Central A Blue Ponies will be in Malta to take on the Class B Malta MEttes. And Saturday the Ponies will make their debut at the Havre High gymnasium when they host the Class AA CMR Rustlers of Great Falls. CMR and Havre will tip off at 5 p.m. A year ago, the Ponies started the season with the same two opponents. Malta defeated the Ponies 47-44 and CMR defeated Havre 52-48 in overtime. But the 0-2 start to the season did not hinder the Ponies who would eventually take their season into the State A semifinals. And winning or losing isn’t the most important thing this weekend either, as the Ponies still continue to worry about themselves and gearing up for the conference portion of the schedule. “We aren’t preparing for Malta or CMR,” Havre High head coach Dustin Kraske said. “We are just trying to get better at what we do. The kids have been playing well and had a really good practice this week. The kids are excited for a game finally, and are tired of beating on each other. I am excited to watch them play, and I think they are such a great group that this will be a good weekend for us. Win, lose, whatever, we are just looking to execute our game and get better every time we are on the floor.”
The M-Ettes are down, but not out, in the Class B ranks. Under the guidance of the new head coach Nate Hammond, the M-Ettes return key players like Mercedes Stiles, and should push the Ponies like they have so many times over the years. “(Hammond) is a good head coach,” Kraske said. “His teams always play well, and he is always very well-prepared. I would expect Malta to play well, they have good kids and are a great basketball community. But we are preparing for a little bit of everything from Malta.” HHS is not only preparing, but also hoping for a little bit of everything from both Malta and CMR. The Rustlers also have a new head coach, but return Taylor Edwards, a very talented guard who will test the Ponies’ offense and defense. And just like the M-Ettes, the Rustlers should show the Ponies zone and man looks on defense, as well a fast pace and physical play with their offense. But no matter what each opponent throws at Havre, the Ponies should be equipped to handle it and have a counter. Havre is led by a very talented guard group including starters Peyton Filius, Brandy Lambourne, Lacey Waid and Morgan Mazurkiewicz. Add in Haley Ohm’s ability to run the floor from the post position, and the Ponies have the ability to slow down and chip away at a defense, or speed up and run the floor. The defense can also run a very aggressive press, as well settle in and take away the passing lanes and limit shots. No matter what the Ponies see, they should be able to handle it this weekend, and moving forward this season.
“We haven’t spent hardly any time talking about Malta or CMR,” Kraske said. “It is my opinion that it is too early in the year to be focusing on the other team. We are spending all of our time trying to figure out who we are, how we play, and how we can play better every day. These should both
be good games. It is nice we are playing at home, we are pretty happy about that. Three of our first four games are at home and that is always good for our kids.” The Ponies are in Malta to take on the M-Ettes tonight at and will return home to host the CMR Rustlers at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Broncs
■ Continued from page 6 row night. We’re all really excited to get to play Laurel again. They beat us last year so we’re excited to play them again.” “Very pleased with the way we played tonight,” Kraske said. “And this puts us in a unique position. It will almost be a year to the day that we played Laurel in the semifinals and now they get a chance to play them again. “We will have our hands full,” he continued. “Laurel is a very good team. They are well coached and have some really nice players. But our thoughts will be the same going into that game. We just want to come out and play very hard and play well on the defensive end. That’s our goal every time we play.” Havre and Laurel (17-4) will tip off in tonight’s second semifinal at 8 in the Four Seasons Arena. In Thursday’s other opening games, Columbia Falls bested Belgrade 70-29 and Hamilton beat Miles City 46-42. Columbia Falls and Hamilton meet in tonight’s first semifinal at 6:30.
Havre 60, Frenchtown 41 Havre 14 21 12 13 — 60 Frenchtown 11 11 6 13 — 41 Havre — Breck Don 0-1 2-2 2, Brandy Lambourne 5-10 1112 21, Dani Wagner 2-4 2-2 6, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 1-4 2-4 4, Naomi Terry 0-1 0-0 0, Lacey Waid 3-4 2-4 8, Peyton Filius 2-9 8-13 12, Tori Mazurkiewicz 1-1 1-2 3, Haley Ohm 2-2 0-0 4. Totals: 16-36 28-39 60. Frenchtown — Emma Pyron 0-1 0-0 0, Haley Cyr 1-3 0-0 2, Vanessa Stavish 4-16 7-12 15, Kayla Blood 2-9 2-3 7, Alli Moe 0-1 0-0 0, Brooke Yarnall 0-3 2-4 2, Krista Hebnes 0-0 1-2 1, Keegan Wickman 1-3 6-6 8, Lacey Hochhalter 3-9 0-0 6, Laci Willett 0-2 0-2 0. Totals: 11-47 18-29 41. Total fouls: HAVRE 21, FRE 29. Fouled out: Blood. 3-point goals: Havre 0-3, FRE 1-8 (Blood). Rebounds: HAVRE 32 (Wagner 8), FRE 31(Stavish 8). Assists: HAVRE 11 (Filius 4), FRE 8 (Blood 3). Turnovers: Havre 17, FRE 18.
Big Blue
■ Continued from page 4
Havre Daily News/Daniel Horton The Havre High state champion girls basketball team poses for a photo aboard a city of Havre fire truck Sunday afternoon at Havre High School.
and scored the final point for the Ponies. “The community is amazing, and I didn’t know if I expected this much support (this weekend), but it is really awesome. This is a huge goal I can check off my list; it really was a huge goal of all of ours.” Lambourne finished off a spectacular performance at the state tournament by averaging 22 points per game. She also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds against Hamilton, while her teammates came up big in the clutch. Morgan Mazurkiewicz scored nine, while Filius and Tori Mazurkiewicz each added five. Goligoski and Albert each scored 13 for the Broncs, who finished 19-4 on the year. “I thought we were very, very poised tonight,” Kraske said of the Ponies, who ended the dream season with a 17-6 overall record. “It just felt like when we really needed to make a play, or make a big shot we did it, and we did it with confidence. We executed really well in important parts of the game tonight. “And that’s something that really speaks to the hard work and effort this team has put into this for a long time,” Kraske added. “They’ve put in hundreds of hours in the gym. They’ve worked hard individually and together. We have kids who bought into and believed in what we were doing and they all
accepted and played their own role and did it all very well. It’s just a really special group, and I’m so happy for them that they get to experience this.” Indeed, Saturday night was a dream come true for the Ponies, a team with five seniors, three three-year starters and a group who has spent years together building for what happened Saturday night. It started with an impressive opening performance against Frenchtown, and continued with Friday night’s defensive gem against Laurel, a game in which Lambourne hit four treys and scored 19 points, while Morgan Mazurkiewicz added 14. But the culmination was Saturday night’s win over Hamilton. It was historic, it was emotional and it was a night that will never be forgotten, a win executed by a team that will never be forgotten. “This is a bittersweet ending because I am leaving Havre High,” Filius said. “But this is the best possible way to end a career.” “I am overjoyed right now, it feels better than I thought it would,” Ohm added. “I didn’t think I would be bawling after, but I am. All I could think (at the end) was that ‘we are going to get this, we are the champs.’ I am just so happy and this is amazing.”
Havre Daily News/Daniel Horton Havre senior Lacey Waid drives around a Hamilton defender during Saturday night's Class A state championship game in Great Falls. The Ponies won 52-43.