BY JIM THOMAS

Hayden, West Grand and Grand Valley, respectively, are the opponents for Dolores girls, Mancos girls and Dolores County boys.

The Class 2A Basketball Regional pairings are out, according to the Colorado High School Activities Association.

Undefeated and no. 3 ranked Dolores girls, sporting a perfect 21-0 record, will take on the Tigers at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 4. The Dolores County boys, 17-4 under first-year coach Scott Crawford, take to the court against the Cardinals at 1:45 a.m. The Mancos girls, 12-10, will take the hardwoods at about 1:30 p.m. against the Mustangs. The final game will be Nucla boys against West Grand. All the games will be played at Grand Junction High School, 1400 N. 5th St. In past years it has been held at Palisade High School but not this year.

Each classification sends 16 teams to regionals in both boys and girls play, with the 2A pairings pre-determined by the basketball committee. The seeding/pairing criteria states that all district No. 1 teams must be seeded before pairing up with No. 2s and No. 3s.

Dolores girls won the District III title this past Saturday, Feb. 26, with a 52-49 win over Mancos in the championship game held at Montezuma-Cortez High School. The Bears were awarded the first seed. Hayden is the no. 2 seed from District V. Mancos, the no. 2 seed with a record of 12-10, earned the right to meet the Mustangs, the champs from District V.

Members of the Dolores team are: 5-foot-8 sophomore forward Jennifer Trevillian, 5-6 guard Lindy Fredrick, 5-7 senior guard Shelly Rhodes, 5-5 senior guard Tegan Brown, 5-7 junior guard Amber Simmons, 5-10 sophomore forward Amanda Cross, 6-0 senior post Kayla Erickson, 5-8 freshman forward Ashley Reed, 5-8 senior forward April LeBlanc, 5-5 senior guard Tiffany Boone, 5-5 senior guard Ruthie Martin, and 6-0 senior post Brianna Hanson. The head coach is Greg Buffington and he is assisted by Rob Mellott and Lana (Frye) Berry.

The Mancos team members are: 5-5 sophomore guard Amy Smith, 5-7 junior guard Amanda Kennedy, 5-7 senior guard Rene Davis, 5-7 freshman guard/forward Jolene Thomas, 5-11 senior center Melissa Keller, 5-7 junior guard Kerri Morgan, 5-8 senior forward Kristin Paxton, 5-10 sophomore guard Katie Paxton, 5-10 senior center Erica Russell, 5-10 senior forward Randee Reider, and 5-9 sophomore forward/post Rachel Russell. The head coach is Kevin Dimmick and is assisted by Jill Hutcheson.

The Dolores County boys lost to Nucla 53-47 in the championship game of the District III tournament, also on Saturday night in Ron Wright Memorial Gym. The Bulldogs (17-4), who have not advanced to Regionals in more than a decade, got no. 1 seeded Grand Valley.

The Dolores County team members are: 5-5 junior guard Chris Kail, 6-0 junior center/forward Jarrod Wyatt, 5-5 senior guard Ron Ernst, 6-10 junior forward Frankie Ogo, 5-10 sophomore forward Michael Ogo, 5-11 sophomore forward Lyle Joe, 6-3 junior forward/post Terence Gardner, 5-6 sophomore guard Dallas Coker, 6-0 senior forward Justin Wyatt, 5-10 junior forward Michael Nielson, and 6-4 sophomore center Keith Pierce. The team is coached by first-year head man Scott Crawford and assisted by Tom Felkins.

Other Class 2A girls teams from around the state advancing to Regionals will see Sangre de Cristo taking on Holly, Swink battling Sanford, Julesburg meeting Heritage Christian, Alexander Dawson meeting Caliche, Fowler taking on Strasburg, and Byers meeting Custer County.

Other Class 2A boys teams advancing pits Sangre de Cristo and Holly, Swink meeting Sanford, Caliche against Alexander Dawson, Marantha Christian Center versus Julesburg, Fowler against Simla, and Limon versus Cotopaxi.

The remaining eight teams in each class after this weekend's competition will be seeded and paired once again for state tournament play March 9-11. The Class 2A State Tournament will once again be held at the Pueblo Events Center at the State Fairgrounds.

Other tournament sites: