BILLINGS — The Billings Central girls left little doubt Saturday night.
The defending state champion Rams ran past Havre 58-26 in the Eastern A divisional title game inside First Interstate Arena to claim their first divisional championship since 2022.
“They came to play. They didn't play their best (Friday) night and they knew that," Central head coach Jetton Ailes said. "We break this season down into three chapters and they wanted to write Chapter 2 the way they wanted to write it."
Central, now with a 21-0 record came out of the gates red hot, building a 21-11 lead after the opening quarter and extending that to 32-13 by halftime. The Rams hit six 3-pointers in the opening half, while Havre (18-3) made just four field goals total.
“We take pride on that end," Ailes said of her team's defense. "We don't work on it every day and be 60 practices in for it not to pay off. We take pride on that end and the girls were locked in and ready to go. It's exciting for what's to come."
Central’s lead continued to grow in the second half, ballooning to 24 after three quarters.
Kam Reinker posted another massive double-double, racking up 16 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. Lyssa Peterson added 15 for Central on 6-of-7 shooting. Amaya Jarvis led Havre with 10.
Central will enter the Class A girls state basketball tournament as the East's top seed. Joining the Rams and Havre at the state tournament will be Lockwood and Lewistown. Lockwood topped the Eagles in Saturday afternoon's consolation game.
