BOZEMAN — Dustin Kraske received his third consecutive Gatorade bath Saturday night, and this one, after Kraske's Havre Blue Ponies sped away from Hardin 74-57 at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, was every bit as satisfying as the previous two.
Truth is, they never get old, especially when a new crop of seniors gets to do the honors for the perennially powerful Blue Ponies.
"It was awesome," said senior post Yelena Miller, who had 20 points during the game and, like many of her teammates, a mix of cheers and tears afterward.
For the five seniors, providing the dousing after hoisting another trophy in front of the blue-clad faithful felt every bit as emotional as the previous two — perhaps even more so.
"I think this one was more emotional because we're seniors," Miller said.
Echoed senior guard Avery Carlson, whose 13 second-quarter points turned the tide after Hardin fashioned a blazing start: "It was our last time out. It was really special for us."
And the tears?
"When you're that tired and you know it's your last year and it just comes out that perfect you can't do anything but cry," Carlson said.
The Blue Ponies (20-4) were simply too crisp, precise and relentless for a youthful Hardin (17-7) squad that was hitting stride entering the tournament and then hit its first seven shots on the way to a 17-9 lead.
"Yeah, wasn't that neat?" Kraske said with a laugh. "They came out just ready to go. They're such a good program that it surprises you when they make seven in a row but then it doesn't because they're just ready and those kids are zoned in."
Said Carlson: "We knew they'd come out like that. You just have to keep it confident. You know the waves are going to come. We trusted each other and rode the waves out."
The Blue Ponies never panicked and began to tighten the screws, scoring the final eight points of the quarter for a 17-all tie. Havre took the lead for good midway through the second quarter and never let up.
Amaya Jarvis was another key piece for the Blue Ponies, hitting for 18 points. Twelve came from beyond the 3-point arc. Carlson scored 14.
Dierra Takes Enemy had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead Hardin. Katerena Morrison added 14 points for the Bulldogs, who were in their first title game since sharing the crown with Billings Central in the 2020 COVID-19 season.
Havre, meanwhile, has now won the last five actually played, adding these last three to 2018 and 2019.
"Three in a row, that's its own thing, because each team had to do their own thing, right?" Kraske said. "This group of kids worked really hard all season long and we really turned the corner about a month ago, I'd say."
A big part of turning the corner was the return of Miller, who missed the first 13 games with an injury, With her back on the court, the Blue Ponies won 11 straight.
And on a night where Kraske had his team dump the ball into Miller in the interior, she got to dump the Gatorade jug inside the locker room on him.
"I've been lucky enough to have a few of them," Kraske said with a smile after dusting away the drops.
Laurel 54, Billings Central 49
Consolation? You'd never know it by the hoots and hollers in the Laurel locker room Saturday evening after the Locomotives held off hard-charging arch-rival Billings Central or third place.
The Locos' cheers echoed across the arena from the moment they left the court, then as they sprinted down a hall to their locker room with star senior Alyse Aby carrying the trophy, and finally again and again in the locker room.
And why not? They'd finally gotten the best of the Rams after three previous misses this season and received some hardware to boot.
Third place never felt so good.
"Obviously beating our rival Central to get third place after losing to them three times ... and also overcoming that we were the fourth-place seed coming into the tournament," explained Aby, who sported a wide smile as she emerged from the locker room, her teammates skipping along behind her.
"Winning third is really awesome for us. I mean, we didn't really even think we'd make it to state. To overcome all those obstacles just feels really good."
Just a few hours after scoring 15 points in a 62-58 nail-biter over Hamilton to advance, Aby scored 17 points and hit two free throws with 18.7 seconds remaining to turn a precarious two-point lead into a decisive four-point cushion. The Locos (20-7) led by 11 at halftime and fended off charge after charge from the Rams, who were runner-up the past two seasons and shared the championship in the 2020 COVID-19 season.
Billings Central (20-5) pulled within a point with 6:15 and then again with 1:38 to go on a driving shot by Jessa Larson. The Rams were then back at 51-49 with :47 to go before Aby hit her free throws.
The game-winners seemed a fitting culmination for a 5-foot-11 player who quarterbacked the team from end to end throughout, adding nine rebounds and four assists to her gaudy stat line.
"She definitely shouldered and wanted to win, and everybody supported her," Laurel coach Buddy Windy Boy said. "But she's been our player for the past two years and for her to get a win at the end of the year is pretty special."
That support started with guard Kaitlyn Dantic, who scored 14 points and was 4-for-6 from 3-point range to help Laurel get its early cushion. Windy Boy's daughter, Sannah, hauled down 11 rebounds.
Kamryn Reinker had 17 points and four rebounds for Billings Central. Larson scored 11 points.
Laurel took a 10-9 lead with 2:28 to play in the first quarter and never relinquished it. The 11-point halftime lead was the Locos' largest.
The Rams came out in the second half with their intensity ratcheted up, but Laurel "weathered the storm", as Windy Boy put it.
The Locos did it after overcoming a tough five-point semifinal loss to Hardin the previous night. They had to regroup for the 9 a.m. game against Hamilton if they had hopes for a trophy.
"It was really hard," Aby said. "It was such a close game. We were disappointed but we knew we had a chance -- and we always want to beat Central, so that's what motivated us."
It showed.
"Only two teams finish with a win," Windy Boy said outside that happy locker room. "We'd like to have been in that title game but this one is a pretty good receipt for our team. They got us three times during the year and we finally got them when it counted."
Laurel 62, Hamilton 58
Aby scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Laurel secured a spot in the third-place game and helped improve Eastern A's record against Western A to 6-0 in the tournament.
Kaiya Graves had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Emma Timm backed her teammates with 10 points for the Locomotives (19-7), who led 49-37 entering the fourth quarter. The teams were knotted 27-all at halftime before Laurel dominated the third quarter 22-10.
Layne Kearns led four scorers in double figures and fashioned a double-double of her own with 17 points and 16 rebounds for Hamilton (15-8). Taryn Searle added 11 points and four assists, and Taylor McCarthy and Ashlynn McKern each scored 10 points for the Broncs in their season finale.
Billings Central 64, Frenchtown 44
Coral Old Bull dominated the interior with 27 points for the Rams (20-4), who jumped to a 31-16 halftime lead and cruised past the Broncs.
Annika Stergar did her part for Billings Central with 11 points. Mason Quinn scored 12 points and Madison Kaufman 11 for Frenchtown (17-6).
The third-place game will be the fourth meeting between the Rams and Locomotives. Billings Central has won all three: 68-43 on Feb. 25 for the Eastern A championship, 51-37 at Laurel on Feb. 14 and 64-49 at the Metra in Billings on Jan. 13.