For the Dolores Lady Bears, Mancos Lady Blue Jays and Mancos Blue Jays – it’s do or die time.
Three of the four teams from last week’s Class 2A District 3 tournament advanced to the regional tournament, but there is no consolation bracket in this week’s Class 2A Region 1 tournament.
So winning teams advance, and losing teams go home.
Dolores Lady Bears
The Lady Bears (12-8) begin the action on Friday at noon at Monte Vista High School against the Sargent Farmers (14-8).
The two teams played early in the season – in just their second game – with the Farmers pulling out a 46-36 win in the Thunderbird Shootout.
Both teams have changed since their December 4 meeting, but the introduction gave Dolores head coach Larry Schwartz information to game plan.
Offensively, Schwartz said his team needs to limit its turnovers. The Lady Bears had 34 turnovers against Ignacio in the district championship game on Saturday, but the Farmers’ defensive pressure is nothing like that of the Bobcats’, so Schwartz believes his team will be able to handle it.
“If we take good care of the ball and we rebound and our presses are doing the job, then we should be in good shape by the end of the game,” he said.
Defensively, the Lady Bears will focus on junior point guard Quincy Lester. Schwartz said that she’ll get her points, but that the Lady Bears will look to control her and shut down the supporting cast.
“The girl to worry about is number five, Quincy Lester,” he explained. “She’s really feisty, physical and tough to stop. She likes to penetrate to around 15 feet for a jump shot. And the rest of the starting five are pretty good ball handlers and they post up pretty well, so we’ll have our hands full.”
Per usual, the Lady Bears will also employ their “thunder” and “lightning” full-court presses to try and force the tempo and pressure Sargent into turnovers. Schwartz said that the Bears’ pressure didn’t work very well against Sargent in their first meeting, but that his team is much better at their full-court presses now.
“We’ll throw our full-court presses at them and we’ll throw our half-court presses at them,” he said. “Like we told the girls last night, we’re going to throw everything we’ve got at them and hope for the best.”
The Lady Bears and Farmers tip-off at noon on Friday, with the winner advancing to play either Ignacio or Custer County on Saturday at 4 p.m.
“If we win we’ll stay Friday night, if we end up getting defeated we’ll come back home,” said Schwartz. “So hopefully we’ll be staying through the weekend.”
Mancos Lady Blue Jays
The Mancos Lady Blue Jays (10-10) also play at Monte Vista High School on Friday, taking on the Sanford Indians (14-8) at 4 p.m.
The two teams have not seen each other yet this season, but they do have a common opponent in the Center Vikings.
The Lady Jays fell to Center, 41-33, early in January, while the Indians have beaten the Vikings twice this season.
However, it’s difficult to measure two teams based on one common opponent.
“You do have to look at it, because we’ve never seen them play,” said head coach Mallory Morgan. “You have to compare it somehow.”
But Morgan also noted that it was early in the season when the Lady Jays played Center, and they have improved.
“When we went to Center, we did not play well at all, for one,” she said. “We should have beaten that team.”
So by just looking at scores from games against their common opponent, Morgan believes her squad will match up well against the Indians.
And to prepare, she is focused on getting her team to do what they do best.
“Run the offense and slow things down,” she said.
The Lady Jays and Lady Indians play at 4 p.m. on Friday, with the winner advancing to play either Del Norte or, coincidentally, Center.
And Morgan likes her team’s chances.
“I think we’re ready for anything,” she said. “We just have to do what we do.”
Mancos Blue Jays
The Mancos Blue Jays (9-12) also start regional play on Friday, just up the road at Adams State University in Alamosa, against the Ignacio Bobcats (19-2) at 6 p.m.
It will be the third meeting between the two squads, with the Bobcats winning the previous two contests, 78-42 and 70-44.
The teams are familiar with each other, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll be making any drastic changes prior to their third matchup.
“We’re doing a few things different, but not a whole lot,” said Mancos head coach Rodney Cox. “We’re still working on taking care of the basketball.”
The Jays turned the ball over 16 times in their first game against Ignacio and 20 in the second, but even more concerning is the Bobcats’ ability to knock down shots from outside.
Ignacio is shooting 50-percent from three against the Jays after going 11-of-22 in their first meeting and 13-of-26 in the second.
And it’s something that Cox and the Jays are working on stopping, or at least limiting.
“We’re not going to let them shoot 14 threes on us,” Cox said before correcting himself. “We’re not going to let them make 14 threes. They might shoot 14, but they’re not going to make them. We’re going to really defend the 3-point-line.”
Cox also mentioned fouls as a key in the matchup. And while the Bobcats certainly have a deeper bench, the Jays may be able to take advantage inside.
At 6-foot-5, Ignacio senior Nicholas Herrera is a load to handle down low. But if Mancos seniors Andrew Plunkett and Ro Paschal can get him into foul trouble – and stay out of it themselves – the Jays should be able to get good looks in the paint.
Mancos is 0-2 against Ignacio this year, but they’re hoping the third time is the charm. The two will tip-off on Friday at 6 p.m., with the winner advancing to play either Center or Sargent on Saturday.
