After giving San Juan Basin League powerhouse Ignacio High School all it could handle during a loss earlier this week, the Dolores High School boys’ basketball team put a notch in the win column when it defeated Dove Creek High School, 59-53, at home on Jan. 21.
Keys to the Bears big victory was a stellar performance shooting guard Kevin Purkat, who scored a team-high 16 points and knocked down four key free throws in the final minute to help his team hold on for the victory.
Watching Purkat’s late-game free throws was especially gratifying for first-year Dolores coach Justin Schmitt, who lamented his team’s poor free throw shooting during a loss to Ridgway last week before promising that his team would improve.
“Kevin (Purkat) hit some key free throws for us, for sure,” Schmitt said. “Hayden (Tallmadge’s) free-throw shooting was also better today. He was hard on himself after he missed some during the Ridgway game. It was good for our guys to have to finish a game, hold on to a lead, and take care of the ball.”
While the victor remained in doubt until the final seconds, the early stages of the contest were dominated by Dolores, which drained four 3-point field goals in the first quarter, hit two 3-point field goals in the second quarter, and carried a 31-19 lead into halftime.
Players who knocked down long shots for the Bears included Tru Seekins, who hit two 3-pointers in the contest en route to a season-high 8 points. Trey Seekins, William Swagerty and Tallmadge also knocked down at least one 3-pointer in the game.
“It felt like we were just moving the ball and everything felt natural,” the sophomore said. “We just took good shots and everything happened.”
As good as Dolores’ early-game shooting was however, momentum refused to stay on the Bears side as Dove Creek began the second half with renewed energy and used a 10-5 run to cut its deficit to 45-36 heading into the final quarter of play.
Key to the Bulldogs’ run was the ability of junior Hayden Gray to post up on the low block and overpower smaller defenders while scoring ten of his 15 total points in the second half.
“(Gray) is a big dude, you know,” Dolores junior Ryan Nowlin said. “Out there, you just have to be confident in your ability to defend and know that no matter who you are guarding out there, you need to play strong and do whatever works for your team.”
As the fourth quarter got underway and momentum hung in the balance, Dove Creek continued to attack the paint and cut the gap to 55-51 with 50 seconds left after a driving layup by senior Ty Smith.
Four late free throws by Purkat iced the game, however, and Dolores exited its gym with a 6-point victory.
“When they went to a (man-to-man defense in the second half), we struggled a bit,” Schmitt explained, when asked about his team’s second half struggles. “(Dove Creek) is a physical team and there was some contact and that was an area where we were not as effective as usual.”
Besides Purkat’s 16 points, Dolores received 10 points from Trey Seekins, 9 points from Nowlin, 8 points from Tru Seekins, and 7 points from Tallmadge. Dove Creek was led offensively by Kade Hankins, who scored a game-high 21 points.
Now owners of a 4-8 record overall and a 1-4 record in the San Juan Basin League, Dolores will look ahead to a rivalry matchup against Mancos, which will take place in Dolores on Jan. 28.
Dove Creek will look to improve on its 2-9 overall record and pick up its first SJBL win in five tries when it travels to face Telluride on Jan. 31.