Talk about a breakthrough.
For the fifth time in the past eight years, the Ouray Trojans stood between the Dove Creek boys and a regional berth. The previous four meetings, Ouray posted a 4-0 record, ending the Bulldogs’ season in district play.
This time, however, the Bulldogs broke the hex. After the 1A San Juan Basin League foes split a pair of tight regular season meetings, the Bulldogs on Friday put together their most efficient offensive performance of the season in the rubber match, blasting Ouray 61-36 in the District 1 semifinals to guarantee themselves a spot in the regional round.
For a quartet of Bulldog seniors, they had seen this script before. Their freshman and sophomore seasons closed with the Trojans celebrating on the Olathe High School gymnasium floor. In their last chance to be the first Dove Creek boys basketball program to advance to the regional round in over two decades, the ‘Dogs senior leaders had their say in this story line’s conclusion.
Senior Chorbin Cressler’s hot hand got the Bulldogs off on the right foot, as Dove Creek punished No. 2 seed Ouray (9-10, 6-3 2A/1A SJBL) from the perimeter, with Cressler burying triples to get the No. 3 seed in the district out to a 22-11 lead after one quarter.
Dove Creek (12-10, 5-4 2A/1A SJBL) kept its foot on the pedal in the second frame, taking a 13-point lead into the intermission, before outscoring Ouray 30-18 in the second half to complete the rout. Five Bulldogs knocked in three-pointers, led by four from Cressler, as Dove Creek shot a higher percentage from outside the arc than from inside it. Classmate Ryan Jarmon stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 10 points, to go along with nine rebounds, three assists, and three blocked shots.
Junior Kade Hankins had his typically efficient evening from the floor, leading all scorers with 20 points, but the supporting cast made Dove Creek virtually untouchable. Cressler’s 18 points matched a career-high.
Junior Cole Taber scored five points, while Tanner Williams dished out four assists in the well-balanced effort. Kendall Gardner led the way with four steals for a Bulldog defense that finished with 17 takeaways on the night.
Even a loss Saturday to Caprock Academy, 68-48, in the district championship game, could do little to dampen the enthusiasm of the Dove Creek achievement. The Bulldogs will extend their season into March, with a trip to Grand Junction High School on March 5 at 2:30 p.m. for a date with the defending 1A state champions, the Belleview Christian Bruins.
Dove Creek’s girls team enjoyed a much more comfortable route to the regional tournament, as head coach Julie Kibel’s Bulldogs blasted their two district opponents, outscoring Caprock Academy and North Park by a combined 124-63.
The Lady Bulldogs (20-1, 6-0 2A/1A SJBL) hope to continue their streak of advancing past the final 16 in the state field. Last year’s run to the quarterfinals broke a string of seasons dating back to 2014 where the Bulldogs couldn’t quite get over the regional hump.
This year, they face Rocky Mountain Lutheran (11-9, 4-1 1A 5280 League) in their regional bout at Grand Junction High School, with tipoff at 1 p.m. The winner advances to the Great Eight in Greeley, with the final three games played over the weekend of March 10-12, culminating with the crowning of the 1A state champion.
