GREAT FALLS — For Havre’s senior class, Saturday night felt like the perfect ending.
The Blue Ponies finished their high school careers the same way they started — as state champions — defeating two-time defending champion and rival Billings Central 52-28 in the Class A girls basketball title game at Four Seasons Arena.
WATCH: Havre seniors bookend Blue Pony careers with state titles
Moments after celebrating with his players, Havre coach Tommy Brown made his way across the court to embrace former coach Dustin Kraske, the hall of famer who built the Blue Ponies into a perennial power and won six state championships with the program.
“Everything, man. That guy means a lot to me. He’s more than a mentor. The guy is like family to me,” Brown said. "So for him to trust me as an assistant and have my back when I take over — I mean he’s everything, man."
The championship was the first for the 25-year old Brown, who took over the program two seasons ago after serving as an assistant under Kraske, but it was also the culmination of years of work for a tight-knit senior group.
“It means everything. And it’s these kids. All credit to those kids putting in the work,” Brown said. “Not just this season — years in advance."
Havre’s defense dictated the game from the second quarter on, holding Central to just eight made field goals and steadily building a lead that grew to 19 points by the end of the third quarter.
Senior guard Amaya Jarvis powered the Blue Ponies on both ends of the floor, finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
“It feels great to come back, get our revenge. Everything we worked for — it feels good,” Jarvis said. “I think that we talked a lot about just executing on defense. If we get defensive stops carrying it into our offense."
For Havre’s seniors the victory was deeply personal. They also won a state title as freshmen in 2023 and spent the past several seasons chasing another championship — often running into Billings Central along the way.
“I feel amazing. I mean I’ve been with these girls my whole life and it’s like the absolute dream," senior Ela Harbor said. “I wouldn’t want to do it with any other people."
Teammate Ariana Gary said the emotions of the moment were overwhelming.
“State champions. It’s surreal. You live in the moment,” Gary said. “My tears are happy tears that we won … but also, I will not get to play with these girls ever again. And that’s hard to grasp right now.”
When the final buzzer sounded, the Blue Ponies gathered at center court, celebrating another title for one of Montana’s proudest girls basketball programs — and a legacy that this senior class hopes will continue.
“It’s crazy to think that we’d be here right now looking back on it, but it’s a journey that we went through together and I’m really proud of them,” Jarvis said. “And I’m glad that we ended on a win."
