Dolores hosted their San Juan Basin League rivals, Ouray, and battled through some rough stretches to top the Trojans in Saturday's game at the Bears' gymnasium, 59-57.
The Bears improve to 4-8 overall (2-2 in league play) with their win over the Trojans, kicking off a two-game win streak after a tough stretch of losses. This victory follows their win against county rival Mancos the night before.
The girls' varsity game was not played, as Ouray was forced to forfeit due to not having enough players.
Senior Trayton Traweek and sophomore Koby McClellan play solid games, with Traweek leading all scorers with 26 points and McClellan adding 22. Keaton Nelson led the Trojans with 20 points.
The opening period saw Dolores staying on Ouray’s toes as Nelson scored 11 points in the quarter, who was perfect from the field, including a 3-pointer. The Bears had four players get on the scoreboard, with McClellan driving to the basket for layups and earning an and-1, a play he continued to capitalize on throughout the game as he took control offensively.
Ouray’s rebounds allowed them to gain a slight advantage within the last minute of the first quarter to create a five-point lead, 19-14.
Traweek found his rhythm in the second quarter, scoring 12 points with help from team assists under the basket. When Ouray’s 6-foot-4 junior center, Cavan Pasek, clogged the paint, Traweek was able to kick the ball out to reset the offense. This ability to adjust and move the ball was one of the key factors Bears' head coach Nick Traweek credited for their big win.
“We’ve lost some games where we kind of lose our patience and try to force stuff.” Traweek said. “Today, we were patient and let the game come to us.”
Dolores excelled in securing offensive rebounds, which helped them convert 12 of 9 field goals inside the paint, while Ouray made 7 of 5 field goal attempts. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with the Bears missing all six of their 3-point attempts and the Trojans hitting just one of six. Dolores outscored Ouray 18-11 in the second quarter, giving them a slight 32-30 lead as they headed into the locker room at halftime.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams responding with points on each end. Dolores came out of halftime determined, as McClellan opened the quarter with a 3-pointer, followed by a 3-pointer from Traweek. However, Ouray kept the lead, never stretching it beyond two points. Nelson scored five points, and Wesley Rhoades added six field goals to help the Trojans maintain a slim lead, 44-43, by the end of the quarter.
Dolores relied on a strong 2-3 zone defense for most of the game, using it to compensate for their offensive struggles. However, when they switched to a man-to-man defense, it proved ineffective. Ouray scored six points from backdoor cuts, taking advantage of missed assignments in Dolores' man-to-man coverage which led to the Trojans leading 52-45 with about four minutes left of the contest.
The game intensified as Dolores rallied. Traweek hit another 3-pointer, and McClellan quickly followed with a layup on the next possession, cutting the Trojans' lead to just two points at the three-minute mark, 52-50. Ouray's Conner Hill, who scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, responded with key field goals to help maintain the Trojans' lead. By the two-minute mark, Ouray led 57-53.
McClellan knocked down another 3-pointer to keep the game close, with support from Traweek and sophomore Miles Brown. Their combined efforts tied the game at 57-57 with a minute remaining.
The Bears controlled the next possession, taking full advantage of Colorado’s no-shot-clock rule by holding the ball for most of the final minute. With 20 seconds left, Traweek drove in for a layup, giving Dolores a 59-57 lead.
The Trojans quickly pushed the ball down the court to force overtime, but their shot missed, and they could not get off another attempt in time, sealing the win for Dolores.
Coach Traweek thought his team’s efforts in their game against Ouray pointed to a turning point in Dolores’ season.
It was a big turning point for us,” he said. “They just learned how being patient can help win games, and I really think that’s going to boost their confidence to win like that. And confidence can be everything in basketball sometimes.”
Coach Traweek also praised the Traweek and McClellan duo.
“They weren’t playing scared and were attacking the basket,” Traweek said. “They were playing off each other and their teammates were recognizing they were having good games and encouraged them which made it a team effort.”
The Dolores basketball teams are looking ahead to their trip to Montezuma-Cortez on Thursday, followed by a visit to Nucla on Friday. They will host a series of games starting with Dove Creek on Jan. 25, Durango on Jan. 27, Ridgway on Jan. 28, then Telluride on Jan. 31.
