On a night where their shots were falling, defense betrayed the Dove Creek High School boys’ basketball team, which lost on the road to Shiprock Northwest, 61-39, on Jan. 17.
Leading Dove Creek to its season-high point total in the defeat were senior Ryan Martinez and freshman Hayden Gray, who both scored eight points. Junior Tristen Jarmon scored seven points for the Bulldogs and sophomore Ty Smith and freshman Branson Smith each scored five.
Dove Creek trailed 19-11 at the end of the first quarter and 36-21 at halftime before outscoring Shiprock Northwest, 11-8 in the third quarter. A Bulldogs’ comeback was not to be however, as Shiprock Northwest regained its composure and outscored Dove Creek 17-7 over the final eight minutes.
With the loss, the Bulldogs fell to 1-7 on the season, while Shiprock Northwest improved to 2-10 on the year. Next up for Dove Creek will be a home matchup against Nucla, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 19.