At the beginning of the season, not many fans thought the Dolores girls basketball team would be returning to this weekend’s Class 2A Regionals (see related story), let alone be undefeated (21-0) at this point in the 2000-01 prep season. After all their longtime successful coach Greg Buffington had departed at the end of last season and assistant Rob Mellott was taking over from a team that had nearly all its starters (except one) and top bench players gone because of graduation.

And now look at them. They breezed through the nonconference season with an umblemished record and whipped through the San Juan Basin League season in perfect form and now they have captured the District III Basketball Tournament after winning two games Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24.

The Mancos boys certainly didn’t play a championship-caliber game against District III winner Nucla Saturday afternoon, but they did play well the night before against Telluride in the semifinals. The Blue Jays also will head to the Class 2A Regionals this weekend. Again, not many thought the Jays would be in his position at the start of the season but here they are.

Dolores defeated Nucla 59-50 in the championship game of the tournament which was played in Ron Wright Memorial Gym at Montezuma-Cortez High School. It was, in all sense of the word, worthy of a championship game. Nucla stayed right with the Bears, unlike most games this season in which DHS has won quite easily against most of its opponents.

The Bears, who did not shoot well from the free line in the semifinals against Mancos on Friday or particularly well against Nucla (12-24 for the game), sank several key throws down the stretch to win the game.

"It was a pretty game," Mellott said after the game. "It was close the whole way. We had to sink some big throws at the end. We were very cold shooting from the line the night before and we did not shoot that well today, but we made them when we had to."

Jennifer Trevillian, Tracy Everett and Ashley Reed all made free throws in the final quarter. With 24 seconds left, Trevillian made one of two, but it was that one which iced the game. Reed’s two key shots she made came with four seconds left which proved to be frosting on the cake.

Going into the fourth quarter, Dolores held a commanding 43-29 lead. But the Mustangs whittled the lead down while taking advantage of several Bear turnovers. Dolores led 49-36 with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left. When Chelcy Boss made a layup with just over two minutes to go, Nucla had trimmed the Dolores lead to 52-45, but that was a close as they would get. By that point, the Mustangs were forced to foul and the Bears followed through.

The game was tight through the early going, mainly because the Bears could not make a basket. In fact, when Boss hit a lean-in, DHS trailed 6-2. Trevillian’s steal and layup a few minutes late pulled Dolores to 8-6. The game was tied at 10-all with 1:31 to play and again late in the quarter with 20 seconds left. But just at the buzzer, Amanda Cross hit a shot at buzzer to give the Bears a 12-10 lead.

Dolores and Nucla both made turnovers because both teams were pressing hard. Dolores, though, turned the Nucla miscues into points while Nucla didn’t capitalize as often. Joni Everett muscled in a shot which put the Bears up 16-10. They stretched their margin to 22-12 after Joni Everett made a nice move to the hoop. Dolores led 27-17 at the half.

The Bears’ trapping press began to frustrate the Mustangs early in the third quarter. Dolores turned some of those turnovers into quick points. And if they managed to miss a shot, they were right there to put them back into the hoop. They crashed the boards hard, both offensively and defensively, during the quarter. Dolores slowly pulled away. Trevillian put Dolores up 38-28 with a free throw and then she came right back with a bucket.

For the game, Trevillian led the way with 18 points. Joni Everett tossed in 10, Tracy Everett nine, and Reed eight. Boss led Nucla with 15 while Nicki Geer added 13.

"The girls played pretty well, especially on defense. We worked the press to our advantage," Mellott added.

In the boys’ District III championship game, the game was over, for intents and purposes, in the first period. Nucla won easily 73-47.

Mancos led briefly at 5-4 after a basket by Travis Clark with 6:10 on the clock. It was all Nucla after that. Josh Haine hit from every where on the court and couldn’t miss. He scored 12 of his game-high 26 points in the first quarter. He drove the lane, he shot from the perimeter, and he shot from the key and wings. Mancos just was not playing well at all, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Nucla led 24-5 when the quarter ended.

The teams played about evenly in the second quarter. Mancos’ Jesse Rousset made a turn around jumper which cut the lead to 29-12. Blue Jay Kyle Yeomans made a nice no-look shot which made the score 31-18. Chris Robuck and Hainey sank a pair of threes which made it 37-18. Nucla led 41-21 at the half.

Clark seemed to be the only Blue Jay playing well. He made an old-fashioned three-point play for a 46-26 score with 4:05 left in the third. Bill Baker, who normally scores in double figures, made a nice fall-away. Nucla outscored Mancos 17-11 in the quarter for a 58-32 score.

Clint Hill hit a pair of threes during the final quarter and he made an over-the-back basket underneath. But that was just about the highlight for Mancos in the fourth quarter.

Clark led the way with 16, Hill added 11, and Rousset eight for Mancos. Joining Hainey in the double-digit scoring column were Chris Been with 19 and Robuck with 13.

Dolores girls allowed Mancos to stick around awhile before finally prevailing 59-46 in the semifinals Friday.

The Bears gave the Blue Jays many opportunities because they were cold shooting from the floor and very cold from the free throw line (13 of 42).

After the score was tied at 2-2, Dolores jumped out to an 11-2 lead when Mancos coach Kevin Dimmick called time out. They Jays responded by making six straight points, capped by a Katie Paxton lay. Tracy Everett, Reed and Cross all scored two buckets each during the quarter. Dolores led 17-8 when the period closed.

Mancos outscored Dolores in the second period 12-9 as Dolores was missing several easy shots. Kerri Morgan sank a pair from the line but Trevillian made a layup on a breakaway. Dolores led 22-12 with 5:08 left. Mancos pulled close when Morgan canned a three-pointer at 26-20 moments before the half ended.

In the third quarter, Dolores played hard without Tracy Everett and Sarah Nielson who each had four fouls. Amber Simmons took up some of the slack by nailing a three which gave the Bears a 31-23 lead. Mancos stayed within striking distance at 35-25 with 4:15 showing. Joni Everett made a three-pointer and then made in-bounds pass steal and layuped the ball which gave Dolores a commanding 40-25 lead at 3:09. Dolores led 42-31 when the quarter ended.

In the fourth, Morgan pulled Mancos close at 46-36 after canned a three. Jori Yeomans followed with a three to bring the Jays within six at 47-41. But Dolores responded with a rally and led 57-41. Mancos outscored Dolores 5-2 the rest of the way but it was too late.

Trevillian led Dolores with 17, Joni Everett added 13 and Reed 10. Morgan led all scorers with 24.

In the other semifinal girls’ game played on Friday, Nucla beat Telluride 43-37. Nucla led 24-13 at the half and coasted from there. Nicki Geer led Nucla with 13. Sydney Melzer popped in 15 for the Miners.

Mancos boys took on Dolores boys in a semifinal Friday night and won 78-58. In the other semifinal, Nucla stopped Dolores County 79-50.

The Blue Jays played perhaps their best game of the season against the Bears. The Jays played excellent defense stopping various offensive tactics by Dolores. Mancos was aggressive in stopping the Bears run-and-gun offense.

Mancos went up 7-2 early when Baker hit from downtown. But Dolores came back when Waylan Bennett hit to make it 10-8 with 4:07 to play in the first quarter. Baker definitely had the hot hand, canning two threes in th period. Mancos led 19-14 when the period ended.

The Jays penetrated the different zones used by the Bears. Baker made a driving layup on an assist from Rousset to go up 27-17. Kevin Fane brought the Bears to win with seven at 29-22 after nailing a three. Dolores was not patient at times when forced to set up on offense. Hill hit two threes in a row to put the Jays up 38-25. Aeson Reed hit a shot just before the half. Mancos led 38-28.

Dolores missed several layups early in the third quarter but started scoring better as the quarter progressed. Cullen Zion cut the difference to 42-32 with a follow but a few minutes later Mancos was back in control at 50-35 after Hill cut to the basket for a layup.

In the fourth quarter, Dolores slowed the tempo on offense. Mancos led 58-41 with 4:55 to go. Clark’s nice layup put the Blue Jays up 51-45. Justin Schmitt made a layup and Fane followed with a three. Mancos led 67-56 with 1:38 left. Mancos scored 11 more points and Dolores just two the rest of the game.

Baker led all scorers with 21, Clark was next with 19, Rousset had 14 and Hill nine. Schmitt led Dolores with 16 while Bennett and Fane added 15 each.

In the final semifinals, Nucla and Dove Creek played a tight first-quarter. Dove Creek led 14-13. Keith Pierce gave the Bulldogs an 8-3 lead after making a putback. Nucla came back and pulled within a point at 8-7 with 2:45 showing. Dove Creek slipped behind at 8-12. Pierce made an old-fashioned three-point play and Dallas Coker sank a three to end the quarter.

The second quarter was much like the first. DCHS’ Bru Meyer made a follow along the baseline which made the score 20-18. Robuck made a steal and a layup at 22-19. Coker drilled a three right at the buzzer but DCHS trailed 27-26.

Nucla went on an 8-0 run early in the period for a 35-26 lead. Pierce trimmed the difference to 35-30. They Bulldogs stayed close the rest of the half. Nucla led 43-35.

It was in the fourth quarter where everything finally collapsed on Dove Creek. Nucla outscored the Bulldogs 36-15. Nucla made several runs. The Mustangs capitalized on several turnovers and converted those into baskets. Meyer made a layup and Pierce followed a few minutes later with a putback but that was just about the highlight in the quarter.

Robuck led all scorers with 28 while Michael Epright chipped in 19. Chris Kail paced Dove Creek with 16 and Pierce added 13.