After facing off against two of the San Juan Basin League's best teams, the Dolores High School boys basketball team has a better sense of where it is and where it wants to be.

Ignacio crushes Dolores

Kicking off last week in Ignacio on Jan. 30, the Bears were dominated from start to finish, falling 87-21.

Currently the top-ranked 2A team in Colorado, Ignacio attacked Dolores from inside and out, opening up an 18-4 lead after one quarter and taking a 39-9 lead into the locker room at halftime.

"My young guys aren't ready for that kind of competition," said Bears' head coach Larry Schwartz. "Ignacio is a great team."

Leading the Bears in scoring were Jackson Vermeule and Ben Lykins, who contributed five points each.

Kyle Biery also managed to score two buckets, contributing four points to the Bears' cause.

"Igancio plays a lot of games over the summer and it shows," said Schwartz, summing up the contest.

Norwood blasts Bears

Continuing their difficult week, the Bears travelled to Norwood on Feb. 1, again falling victim to one of the San Juan Basin League's top teams during a 68-22 loss.

After playing well during a first quarter that ended with them trailing 14-5, the Bears struggled to contain Norwood's offensive attack and entered halftime trailing 31-12.

Keying the Bears' demise was the physicality of Norwood's post players, who continually out muscled smaller Dolores players on the glass.

"They're physical and we're just not a very big basketball team," said Schwartz.

Even after the Bears' tough loss however, Schwartz expressed satisfaction with the performance of some of his young players.

"Cody Gregory played well for us," Schwartz said. "He's going to be a good player. He just needs some development."

With their record now standing at 4-9 on the season, the Bears will next travel to Ouray for a road matchup on Feb. 7. The Bears will then return home to play Telluride on Feb. 8.

"We need to get better at moving the basketball," said Schwartz of his team's goals moving forward. "Right now, we need to improve our ball movement."