The Dolores High School boys basketball team put up a valiant fight in a 62-51 road loss to Ridgway in the play-in game of the Class 2A District 3 Tournament on Feb. 21.
With the loss, Dolores concluded its season with a 10-10 record overall and a 7-6 record in the San Juan Basin League.
Asked to assess his team’s performance during its final game, Bears head coach Larry Schwartz explained that his team struggled to contain Ridgway’s shooters early on before turning things around in the third and fourth quarters.
Ridgway led 40-23 at halftime before a strong second-half performance by the Bears cut the halftime deficit to five points midway through the fourth quarter. Dolores outscored Ridgway 28-22 in the second half.
“Ridgway is a good shooting team, and they’re peaking at the right time,” Schwartz said. “They shot the lights out during the first half. We had hands in their faces, but they kept knocking shots down.”
“At halftime, my seniors regrouped our team in the locker room and didn’t even have to do any talking,” Schwartz said. “They wanted to play full court man-to-man defense the rest of the game, and during the second half, the comeback was on. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Dolores pressure defense and an impressive offensive performance by junior Tristan Swagerty, who scored a game-high 33 points, contributed to the win.
Schwartz also commended sophomore Trey Seekins, who pressured Ridgway ball handlers and distributed the ball on offense.
“Trey Seekins really stepped up,” Schwartz said. “It doesn’t show up in the score book, but he played great defense and made some great passes.”
Dolores players will return to the gym in preparation for next season. Although the Bears will lose Cris Rudosky, Josh Corbitt, Justin Purkat, and Brian Crites to graduation, several talented underclassmen, including Dakota Smith and Swagerty will return.
“Overall, we had a good season, and I’m proud of our guys,” Schwartz said. “Our seniors won 22 games over the past two seasons, and our team will be strong next year.”
