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2014 CLASS A
STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL CHAMPS
March 2014
www.havredailynews.com
Pony girls begin Central A title defense Daniel Horton
Havre Daily News sports writer gferguson@havredailynews.com Still in the beginning stages of the season, the Havre High girls basketball program knows it can still make some adjustments and improve. And going after two very important wins this weekend, the Central A Blue Ponies (00, 1-1) need those adjustments to take hold. Tonight marks the start of the conference portion of the schedule, and conference play continues for the Ponies on Saturday. And if the Ponies can build off what they did in their home-opener last weekend, they have a great shot at grabbing two wins and holding maintaining their spot at the top of the conference. Havre opens Central A play tonight at 6:30 against the Livingston Rangers, and the Ponies are home to host the Belgrade Panthers at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. “I am looking for our girls to keep defending like they did against CMR (Saturday),”
Havre High head coach Dustin Kraske said. “Our kids were fantastic and did a great job in that game, but offensively, we need our kids to continue to shoot with confidence. We have continued to work on spacing and playing together, and we are hoping that will lead into more offensive efficiency. We aren’t displeased with how we have played offensively, we can just be more efficient with what we are doing.” In two games last weekend, the Ponies scored 37 points in a loss to Malta, and 39 points in a win over CMR. But with the defense playing extremely well already, Malta was held to 47 and CMR was held to a dismal 23. Defense isn’t the issue this weekend either. The Ponies are confident they can continue to pester teams with pressure out of the man and zone. But if the offense get more production, a 2-0 start to conference play should be more than doable. Kraske likes how his team is reading screens well and getting open on offense. He said they are making good runs and cuts, and getting open looks, but the
shots just aren’t falling. If the shots do start falling, which they will eventually if not this weekend, soon, then the Ponies will be hard for any team to beat, especially with shooters like Peyton Gillman, Brandy Lambourne, Morgan Mazurkiewicz, Tori Mazurkiewicz amd Breck Don. And mix in Lacey Waid and Haley Ohm with the ability to score inside, and the Ponies should be ready to burst with offensive production. The defense will also have its hands full but should be able to continue to play well. Both the Rangers and Panthers have athletes that can score. The Rangers put up nearly 60 points in a loss, while the Panthers put up 54 in a win. Both teams will look to get rolling in Havre, but it should be difficult. Megan Schoenen is averaging 13 points a game already this season for the Rangers, and gets a lot of help from Meadow Ingram and Mariel Kelly. They are big and physical and will look to get inside. And the Panthers will attack the Ponies with a lot of jump shots and perimeter shots from the likes of Alexis Clingingsmith and Kindall Bethke.
“If we play how we are capable on defense, I would say we would be difficult to score against,” Kraske said. “Our hands are active, our feet are great, and our communication is one hiccup that we need to improve. Early in games we communicate well, late in games we communicate well, but in between we need to communicate better. Our kids understand that, and if our kids do that, we will be just fine. We know who the shooters are that we have to look out for, but we will have our hands up and do our best to make them earn everything they get.” As the two-time defending Central A champions, the Ponies are the favorite in both contests this weekend, but won’t be handed any easy wins. It will take two solid games to get any wins this weekend, but if the Ponies get rolling, they will be hard to stop all season long. Tonight’s game between the Ponies and Rangers will tip at 6:30 at the HHS gymnasium. Saturday’s game will pit Havre against Belgrade and it takes place at 3:30 p.m.
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com Havre High head girls basketball coach Dustin Kraske knew coming into the new season that his veteran, quick and athletic Blue Pony team could hang its hat on defense. But in their season-opening game in Malta, the Blue Ponies didn’t quite do that. However, Saturday night, in their home-opener, the Blue Ponies were the defensive team Kraske envisioned, and then some. After a difficult season-opening loss at Malta Friday night, the Ponies shut down the Class AA CMR Rustlers in a 39-23 victory at the HHS gymnasium. Havre’s suffocating defense held the Rustlers to just 21 percent shooting and an 0-of-6 performance from the 3-point-line. At one point, the Ponies had CMR so befuddled on offense that the Rustlers went 16 minutes without a field goal, including the entire second quarter. “I felt like we didn’t play with the kind of defensive energy that we were capable of in Malta,” Kraske
said. “Tonight was the complete opposite of that. “I thought we were very active, we were communicating very well, we talked, we helped on the ball, we pressured really well,” he added. “I thought they looked like they do in practice on defense. So it was very much appreciated to see that kind of defensive effort tonight.” Interestingly, CMR came out like gangbusters, taking a 6-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. But Havre chipped away slowly, and the outing was knotted at 6-6 at the end of the first quarter. But a stifling HHS defense would eventually allow the Ponies to take a 16-8 lead into halftime, as all the Rustlers could muster in the second period was a pair of free throws. Meanwhile, the Ponies got back-toback buckets from Breck Don and Tori Mazurkiewicz as their offense started to click a little better. In the third quarter, two more baskets by Don, and a Morgan Mazurkiewicz buzzer-beater, helped Havre hang on to its eight-point lead, and though the Rustlers played a little better in the second half, senior Lacey Waid scored eight of her game-high 10 points in the final eight minutes to help the Ponies win going away. The win over CMR was Havre’s first in quite some time, as the Ponies lost to the Rustlers twice in overtime last season. And though HHS didn’t play as well as Kraske would have liked on the offensive end, the Ponies did enough to bal-
ance out what was an incredible defensive effort. “I think that’s one of the really nice things of being a mature, older team,” Kraske said. “We’re not shooting the ball very good right now. We know that. But the kids understand that they can fix that. And they know that if we play good defense, and do all the other things correctly, then we’ll be fine. And tonight was a perfect example of that. We were aggressive on offense, we took the ball to the basket and we shot free throws, and that enabled us to be successful on offense even when we weren’t shooting it as well as we would have liked.” Haley Ohm scored seven points to add to Waid’s 10, while Don and Tori Mazurkiewicz each scored six off the bench for the Ponies. Havre was 13-of-24 from the foul line, while the Pony defense forced CMR into a hefty 25 turnovers. The win over CMR was a big one because it’s a Class AA program, and because it showed just how well the Blue Ponies can defend, which will go a long way toward their ultimate goals this season. But it was also important because Havre needed a bounce-back victory after a 47-37 loss in Malta Friday night. Against the M-Ettes, a perennial Class B power, Havre came out quickly, as did Malta. The game was tight throughout the first half, as the Ponies trailed just 23-20 at halftime. Malta extended the lead to six at the end of the third quarter, then, a couple of key buckets by
Sophie Stiles in the final minutes helped the M-Ettes pull away late. “Our kids were disappointed with how they played against Malta,” Kraske said. “And that’s not to take anything away from Malta, they have a nice team, and they did a great job handling our defensive pressure. They handled our fullcourt pressure really well and, once that happened, I felt like we got tired in our half-court defense, and they made shots in the half court. So credit Malta for doing that. They played a very good game.” In the season-opening loss, Peyton Filius scored 10 points and Morgan Mazurkiewicz added nine, while Brandy Lambourne scored seven. All three each made a 3-pointer for the Ponies. And though they were disappointed leaving Malta without a victory, the Ponies showed heart and resolve Saturday night by beating the Rustlers, which is something Havre teams don’t do all that often. The win Saturday night leaves Havre with a 1-1 start to the season, and some much-needed momentum heading into this weekend’s huge home stand with Central A rivals Belgrade and Livingston. “It was nice to see us come back and play the way we did tonight,” Kraske said. “I think that’s the sign of having a mature team, being able to come right back and play as well as we did after being disappointed in Malta. I’m proud of the kids for doing that.” Havre will open Central A play
STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL CHAMPS
March 2014
www.havredailynews.com
State champions
Blue Ponies bring first Class A girls state title back to Havre in 17 years George Ferguson
gferguson@havredailynews.com
whom have been playing together since middle school. “I’m very proud of this team,” Blue Pony head coach Dustin Kraske said. “And I’m very happy for these kids. This is a special group. They’ve worked very hard over the years, and they deserve this. I’m happy for our community and our school. I’m just very proud to be a Blue Pony. “I don’t think it has hit us all ye t , ” s a i d H H S j u n i o r To r i Mazurkiewicz. “It is amazing and is the best feeling I have ever had, and the feeling built up. We were all looking at each other, smiling, because we knew we finally did it. All the work finally paid off.” H av re wa s i n d e e d s p e c i a l against the Broncs Saturday night, led by Brandy Lambourne’s 25 points. Lambourne, who was easily the state tourney MVP, paced the Ponies in scoring in all three of their state tourney wins. S h e s t a r t e d w i t h 21 p o i n t s Thursday night against Frenchtown, and dropped 19 in Havre’s semifinal victory over Laurel Friday night. Against Hamilton, she hit three critical 3-pointers, including one just before the end of the first half, and another as time expired on the third quarter. That trey was a dagger as Hamilton had crept within to within five points just before she hit the shot. But as spectacular as
Lambourne played all weekend, she was just excited to be a piece of what turned out to be a great HHS team, a team which won its last seven games of the season, culminating with Saturday night’s state championship. “We are all really good friends, and that really helped us out late in the season,” the four-year starter said. “We just kept talking throughout the entire weekend, and we were always pushing each other during the timeouts. We peaked at the right time for sure.” Morgan Mazurkiewicz added nine points and five critical free throws for the Ponies, while P e y t o n F i l i u s a n d To r i Mazurkiewicz scored five each and sophomore Dani Wagner added four points in the historic victory. And a historic victory it was. Havre, led by Kraske, was playing in its third straight state tournament, had won three consecutive Central A championships and had reached the state semifinals one year ago. That was already a great list of accomplishments, but Saturday night, the Ponies and their five seniors put a final exclamation point on what had already been a tremendous ride. “They’ve put in hundreds of h o u rs i n t h e g y m , t h ey ’ ve worked hard individually and
Havre – Breck Don 2, Brandy Lambourne 7, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 9, Lacey Waid 6, Peyton Filius 10, Tori Mazurkiewicz 1, Haley Ohm 2. Totals: 11 12-18.
GREAT FALLS — State championships of any kind are hard to c o m e by. T h ey d o n ’ t h a p p e n e v e r y d a y. A n d t h a t ’ s w h y Saturday night in Great Falls will be a night the Havre High girls basketball team, and Blue Pony fans everywhere, will never forget. In front of a huge Havre contingent, with a raucous HHS student section, band and cheer squad, the Blue Pony girls won their first state championship in 17 years Saturday night at the Four Seasons Arena, defeating the Hamilton Broncs 52-43 in the 2014 Class A state championship game. The win was Havre’s fourthever state title in girls basketball, with the last one coming in 1997 when the Blue Ponies beat Dillon for the Class A state title. But Saturday night, in exciting fashion, HHS ended that drought, and the win over the Broncs was the culmination of a great journey for the Blue Ponies, many of
Malta – Marley Monoukian 4, Sophia Stiles 11, Hailey Nicholson 16, Mercedes Stiles 6, Kelsey Kuhn 2, Rebecca Smith 2, Darby Schye 6. Totals: 18 9-19.
Watching a special group of Ponies was a treat
Ponies wrangle Rustlers
Havre girls bounce back from loss at Malta by stifling Class AA CMR at home
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2014 CLASS A
Friday against the Livingston Rangers, and the Ponies also host the Belgrade Panthers Saturday afternoon. Malta 47, Havre 37
Havre 14 6 7 10 – 37 Malta 15 8 10 14 – 47
Total fouls: Havre 16, Malta 17. 3-pointers: Lambourne, M. Mazurkiewicz, Filius, S. Stiles, M. Stiles. Havre 39, CMR 23 CMR 6 2 8 7 – 23 Havre 6 10 8 15 – 39 CMR – Kaydee Parsons 1-3 1-2 3, Ashlee Atchison 1-3 1-2 3, Kirsten Kaste 0-2 1-2 1, Sammy Pietrykowski 1-4 1-3 3, Taylor Edwards 1-2 0-0 2, Kylie Otis 1-3 2-2 4, Maggie Reilly 1-1 0-0 2, Darby Gollaher 1-4 0-3 2, Courtney Schroeder 0-3 1-2 1, Maddy Watkins 0-3 2-2 2. Total 7 9-18. Havre – Breck Don 3-4 0-1 6, Brady Lambourne 1-1 0-0 2, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 1-5 2-5 4, Lacey Waid 2-6 6-10 10, Peyton Filius 2-2 0-2 4, Tori Mazurkiewicz 2-4 2-2 6, Haley Ohm 2-5 3-5 7. Totals: 13 13-25. Total Fouls: CMR 20, Havre 19. Fouled out: none. 3-pointers: none.
Kick the Beat... Daniel Horton Sports Writer The best part about seeing a local high school team win a state championship is that the excitement doesn’t fade or get lost in the shuffle. No matter how many times the accomplishment is reached by Havre High teams, and by surrounding schools, it never gets old. Just recently, I was somehow fortunate enough to watch the Blue Pony wrestling team win a Class A state title, the Box Elder Bears win a Class C boys state basketball title, and most recently, of course, the Blue
■ See State Champs Page 27
Pony girls win a Class A state basketball title. And being a part of the experience, I know I am a distant part, but being a part of the experience does not get old. It's hard to see a team that I have watched grow for the last several years come up short at the state tournament. I've covered sports long enough to have that happen a time or two. You know how the saying goes ... you can't win them all. But I didn’t have to go through that again this weekend in Great Falls when the Pony girls finished the season as the best team in the state. I know first-hand that this group of girls deserved this title, it wasn’t just a fluky weekend or an unseen hot streak. For many of the HHS seniors, it was four years of hard work, and literally, blood, sweat and tears at the varsity level under head coach Dustin Kraske. But I have been around this team long enough to know that each and every single
Havre Daily News/Daniel Horton The Havre High girls basketball team celebrates winning the 2013-14 Class A state championship Saturday night at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. The Blue Ponies won their first title in 17 years, beating Hamilton 52-43.
girl who was suited up during Saturday night’s championship has put in the time necessary to be crowned best of the best. Seniors Breck Don, Brandy Lambourne, Lacey Waid, Peyton Filius and Haley Ohm deserved this opportunity, and they took full advantage. But juniors Morgan and Tori Mazurkiewicz have also been at the varsity level for three years, and they too have put in the countless hours it took to hold the No. 1 trophy over their heads. Dani Wagner also played a key part part in the historic run, as did Naomi Terry, Lindsey Kudrna and Holly Purkett. I am not yet as familiar with some of the underclassmen, but if they learned anything from the veteran HHS girls, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were hoisting another trophy in the near future. For me, as a close observer of the Ponies, it was just a fun and exciting time for me in Great Falls this weekend. I enjoyed watching the once young and timid athletes like Lambourne grow into a dominating force on the hardwood. She
had one of the better three-game stretches I have seen out of a prep athlete, and I remember watching the likes of her, Filius and Waid as freshmen help carry the varsity load. They are the perfect example of hard work and dedication paying off. And, hopefully, Havre won’t have to wait another 17 years to bring home a state basketball title, boys or girls. I think it is safe to say that Havre is a sports town, and the community support was alive and well during the title game and even in the parade to follow on Sunday evening. The Blue Pony girls should be proud of their accomplishment, it is something that most prep athletes will never get to feel. I know I am proud of the effort that I saw, and am just happy that I could witness a great group of athletes and coaches achieve a common goal. And I'm excited that I got to see a Havre High girls basketball team, a very deserving one, achieve their dream Saturday night.