Athletic guards, talented posts and an abundance of senior leaders fill a roster managed by an experienced head coach entering his twentieth season. No wonder expectations are high for the Dove Creek Bulldogs girls basketball team, which, coming off a 13-10 season, is hoping to make waves in the 1A state tournament this year.
ATHLETIC GUARDS
LOOK TO PUSH PACE
Facilitating the Dove Creek attack this season will be a trio of talented senior guards composed of Corissa Guynes, Jessica Guynes and Shelbie Knuckles.
All three talented athletes, the trio combined to average a combined 24.5 points per game this season, a number that will likely increase this year.
“I’ve got some real quick guards,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Jim Buffington. “We hope that we can get our ball handling abilities built up to where we can use that to our advantage.”
“We are really quick and aggressive,” added Shelbie Knuckles. “That is one of our strong points.”
TALENTED POSTS
PLAY BIG ROLE
Complimenting the Bulldogs’ talented backcourt will be senior post players Madison Young, Jennifer Fury and junior post player Ana Lee.
An absolute monster down low, Young is coming off an outstanding junior season in which she led the Bulldogs in points (10.3 per game) and rebounds (9.0 per game).
“They are understanding the rough and tumble part of the inside game now,” said Buffington of his post players. “We played some big girls last year and we held our own.”
BENCH WILL
MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS
Key to the success of any team is depth and for the Bulldogs, there will be absolutely no shortage of super-subs.
In addition to senior guard Kristin Knuckles, sophomores Larissa Martin, Cortney Ogas and Briana Boyd figure to garner minutes off the bench.
Freshmen Desirhae Ketcherside, Kris Johnson, Kiera Baughman and Shelby Fullmer could also see playing time.
TEAM WILL PUT
ON THE PRESSURE
In order to take advantage of his vast array of talent, Buffington plans to combine a fast paced system with four half-court sets. On defense, the Bulldogs will mix man-to-man defense with a zone in hopes of creating turnovers and flustering the opposition.
SAN JUAN BASIN
WILL BE COMPETITIVE
As is generally the case, the San Juan Basin League will be full of talented teams that will challenge the Bulldogs night in and night out.
“It’s probably going to be more up for grabs than it has been in the past,” said Buffington of the league. “I think we’ve elevated ourselves a little bit to be among that top echelon and compete for that league title.
Focused on more than just a league title however, Bulldogs players are ultimately hoping to advance to the state tournament.
“I think that our goal is to make it past the regional tournament this year and get to the state tournament,” said Corissa Guynes.
“We have lofty goals, but the thing is, they are obtainable,” added Buffington.