With the regular season winding down, the Dolores boys basketball team (10-8 overall, 6-5 in SJBL) is playing its best basketball of the season and looking to make waves in the playoffs.
Opening last weekend at home against Norwood (8-8 overall, 6-4 in SJBL) on Feb. 9, the Bears came from 12 points behind to register a 50-44 win.
Keying the Bears victory was strong interior play from sophomores Dakota Smith, who scored 12 points, and Tristan Swaggerty, who scored 15 points. Tristan Medina led Dolores on the perimeter with 15 points.
Shortly after taking an 8-5 lead midway through the first quarter after a three-pointer from Medina, the Bears’ offense struggled to score and as a result, Norwood pulled ahead 24-12 with 4:30 left in the second quarter after a three-pointer from senior Ethan Shaw.
Dolores quickly responded with an 8-0 run punctuated by a baseline layup by Smith, which was set up by a perfect bounce pass from Swaggerty at the high post. Later in the second quarter, the Bears’ big men teamed up again as Swaggerty rebounded a Smith miss and scored at the halftime buzzer to cut Norwood’s lead to 27-24.
“When we run the (high-low) and (Smith) and I work together, nobody can stop it,” Swaggerty said. “When I’m high and (Smith) is on the bottom, it’s wide open every time.”
Kicking off the third-quarter with a 5-0 run, Dolores seized a 29-27 lead before turning the ball over on several consecutive possessions and falling behind 34-29.
Momentum permanently shifted when Smith was called for an offensive foul on a play in which the Norwood defender’s feet appeared far from set. Rather than pout at the referee’s questionable call, Smith turned his energy up several notches, and his entire team followed suit, closing the quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 42-32 lead.
“I was really shook up about that play,” Smith said, when asked about the questionable offensive foul call. “I just came back and kept on taking it to them.”
Despite Norwood’s best attempts to close the gap in the fourth quarter, Dolores maintained control thanks to unselfish play on the offensive end. After the game, Schwartz mentioned his team’s willingness to pass the ball.
“This is probably the most unselfish group of basketball players that I have coached since 2013 when we made that great run,” Schwartz said. “These guys have character, they have heart, and they have fight.”
Asked about Schwartz’s comments, Swaggerty said that the Bears’ unselfishness and energy is a product of the hard-work of their head coach.
“Schwartz is an energizer, and he works so hard,” Swaggerty said. “When coach gets you going, you can do anything.”
Following up their victory over Norwood, Dolores traveled to Ridgway (2-15 overall, 0-9 in SJBL) and defeated the Demons 54-38 on Feb. 10. The Bears then lost a heartbreaker at home to Telluride (10-6 overall, 8-2 in SJBL), 54-51, on Feb. 11.