Heading into a road matchup against Ridgway on Jan. 20, the Dolores High School boys’ basketball team had won three straight games against San Juan Basin League opponents and was feeling confident.
Ridgway, on the other hand, had lost four-straight contests to league opponents and entered the game with a 2-9 record overall.
Once the game tipped off, however, numbers no long mattered and over the course of 32 minutes, the underdog Demons took it to the Bears as Ridgway opened up a 15-10 first-quarter lead that grew to 31-21 by halftime.
By the time the third quarter ended, the Demons led 47-32, and despite Dolores’ efforts to mount a comeback, Ridgway coasted through the final eight minutes for an easy victory.
Junior Tristan Swagerty led Dolores in scoring with 16 points, junior Dakota Smith chipped in 14, and senior Justin Purkat scored 7. Jimmy Saville led Ridgway with 14 points, Robert Baserra poured in 13, and Kaden Forrest scored 12.
Now 6-5 on the season and 4-2 in the San Juan Basin League, Dolores travels to Ouray on Jan. 26 before returning home for a matchup against Dove Creek on Jan. 30.
