At times this season, the Dolores High School girls basketball team has gone toe-to-toe with some of the top teams in the San Juan Basin League.
Wins have been hard for the Lady Bears to come by however, as the team dropped to 6-11 on the season after two losses in their last three games.
Lady Bears lose to Ouray
Kicking off last week at home against Ouray on Feb. 13, Dolores was undone by two of the league's top two players and lost 49-31.
Ouray senior Jackie Saunders scored 23 points and sophomore Kayla Fairchild added 18.
"We came out flat and tired," said Dolores head coach Larry Schwartz. "We knew going in that we needed to stop their two seniors. We defended them well in Ouray, but they lit us up this time."
Dolores junior Larissa Umberger led the Lady Bears with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Lady Bears fall to Ridgway
Playing on the road against Ridgway on Feb. 14, Dolores lost 55-45. The Lady Bears led 13-10 after the first quarter and trailed 26-25 at halftime.
Umberger led Dolores in scoring with 11 points and senior Taylor Elder contributed 10.
"Ridgway came out thinking they were going to whip us, but we hung with them tough," said Schwartz. "We battled them again."
Dolores beats Dove Creek
Facing off against Dove Creek on the road on Feb. 17, Dolores got back to its winning ways in the form of a 50-17 victory.
Senior guard Nicole Kibel scored 19 points, junior Teagan Hite had 11 and freshman Josie Majors had six.
"We came out on fire and the second and fourth quarters were especially good for us," Schwartz said. "Dove Creek is struggling right now. They are young."
With their record now at 6-11 on the season, the Lady Bears are preparing for an important league matchup on the road against Mancos on Feb. 20.
"Hopefully we can play Mancos the way we played Dove Creek," Schwartz said. "It's an important game for us because we want to play Mancos at home in the District Tournament. We'll be ready to go."
