MISSOULA—Make it another repeat for the Blue Ponies.
It didn’t take two overtimes this time around, but the end result was the same. The Havre girls beat Billings Central, 37-30, in the State A girls championship on Saturday in a rematch of the 2021 title game.
It was Havre's eighth state championship, and fifth since 2014. The Blue Pony girls also went back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
Senior Blue Pony guard Sadie Filius scored a game-high 13 points and tallied eight rebounds. Billings Central's Mya Hansen, who was named Gatorade player of the year on Wednesday, was largely held in check, scoring just 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Neither team scorched the net, as they both shot an identical 10-for-32 from the field. Havre led 15-14 at halftime and broke away in the second half, forcing a few turnovers and converting on the other end. A Filius triple with six minutes left, which ended up being Havre's last field goal, extended Havre’s lead to eight points,
But then Hansen took over, going on a personal 7-0 run to close it back to 28-27. That would be as close as Central got, however. With Havre clinging to a six-point lead with a minute to go, Maria Stewart connected on a deep three to bring things closer, but Havre, despite missing nine free throws, made them when it mattered down the stretch.
State A girls consolation game
Hardin 61, Dillon 46
