Over the course of the 2014-15 season, the Dolores High School boys basketball won two of its 20 games and finished last in the San Juan Basin League.
Bears end season in Ridgway
Playing its final game of the season on the road against Ridgway in the pigtail game of the Class 2A District 3 Tournament, Dolores lost 65-49. The Bears trailed 35-28 at halftime before being outscored 30-21 in the second half.
"Everything that haunted us the whole year haunted us against Ridgway," said Dolores head coach Larry Schwartz. "We would do two or three things good and four or five things bad."
Senior Mikeal Ford led Dolores with 17 points, and junior Brandon Donaldson scored seven. The Bears had only eight healthy players on their roster entering the game.
"We started getting into foul trouble, and you can't do that when you have eight kids," said Schwartz. "I was proud of the way that the boys competed though. As always, they played hard."
Bears lose to Norwood
Prior to losing to Ridgway, Dolores played its final game of the regular season on the road against Norwood on Feb. 21 and lost 58-35. The game was close early and the Bears entered halftime trailing 25-20.
"We benched three or four players and started five different kids," Schwartz said. "Our new starting group stayed out on the floor for the first four and a half minutes and the game stayed close. The message got through to the other guys and they played hard."
Ford led Dolores with 11 points and Jalen Balderrama chipped in six.
Bears fall to Mancos
Opening last weekend on the road against Mancos on Feb. 20, Dolores fell behind early and lost 58-25.
After the game, Dolores head coach Larry Schwartz admitted that his team had no answer for Mancos' multifaceted attack.
"Mancos is good. That's all I can say," said Schwartz. "We missed a bunch of open shots to start the game, and we never recovered."
Donaldson led the Bears with nine points and senior guard Stetson Hamilton added six. The effort put forth by both players stood out to Schwartz.
"Donaldson and Hamilton play with a lot of heart and enthusiasm," said Schwartz. "On defense, they fly around the court all the time. They'll either foul our or they'll drop dead from exhaustion."
With their season now complete, Dolores will look to rebuild this offseason in hopes of winning more games next year.
"There has to be a recommitment on the boys side," said Schwartz. "We need guys in the gymnasium this summer. There are a lot of young guys coming up and hopefully they can help us."
