DOLORES – The concrete steps circling The Bears Den inside the Dolores Fieldhouse have been worn down under the footsteps of countless conditioning reps the DHS girls basketball team puts in each week.
It’s the same grind‑it‑out mentality first‑year head coach Mike Nielson wants his players to apply on the floor: 32 minutes of relentless pressure.
“We’ve done a ton of running this year – it’s a system that really clicks with the girls,” Nielson said. “We call the pathway around our gym the ‘Yellow Brick Roads,’ and our legs help carry our defense – and now we’re beating teams because we’re in better shape.”
The approach is paying off. Dolores is enjoying its best season in seven years, sitting at 5‑3 in SJBL play and 9‑9 overall after a 35‑24 win over Ouray in The Den on Friday night.
The conditioning serves a dual purpose. Not only does it drain opponents late in games, it also prepares a small Bears roster to play extended minutes. Nielson opened the season with nine players in the program, and injuries have tightened the rotation even more. Dolores dressed seven players Friday, several of whom logged more than 30 minutes.
A trio of seniors – led by four‑year varsity member and multi‑year captain Taylor Erautt – has guided the Bears into third place in the Basin standings entering the season’s homestretch. Erautt, the team’s leading scorer, is joined by rebounding standout Kacey Schmittel and key reserve Natalya Castillo from the Class of ’26 as they chase their first regional berth.
Dolores shook off a slow start against the Trojans, using a 12‑2 second‑quarter run and high‑pressure defense to take a 16‑8 halftime lead.
“We had to make a mental switch – the shots weren’t falling, so we started driving and drawing fouls,” Erautt said of the second‑quarter spark.
Balanced scoring helped Dolores steadily pull away in the second half, stretching its lead to as many as 15 as six different Bears recorded points while the Trojans wore down.
“We call our press ‘90 feet,’ even though our court is only 84 feet long – we want our girls to make the opponents feel like even the space out‑of‑bounds is too much pressure,” Nielson said. “And once we went into our ‘90 feet,’ the girls turned it on tonight.”
Erautt led all scorers with 12 points, half of them coming in the fourth quarter after she missed much of the third with foul trouble. In her absence, sophomore Ellisia Winter provided an interior boost, helping DHS win the rebounding battle.
“Ellisia works so hard every single practice and she’s the most coachable person I’ve ever played with,” Erautt said, noting that Winter returned to basketball after several years away. “She makes us all want to work harder to keep up with her.”
Sophomore Emilynn Hill added nine points, while classmate Jordyn Erautt frustrated Ouray leading scorer Mikayla Hirt, who finished with eight – well below her season average – as Dolores completed the season sweep.
Schmittel posted another double‑figure rebounding effort to go with her four points. Winter scored six, Jordyn Erautt hit a three‑pointer, and junior Cheyanne Keim added a free throw.
“Kacey had another big day for us,” Nielson said of his senior post. “And as a whole team, the girls are believing in each other.”
Dolores entered the weekend ranked No. 45 in the 2A CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. The Bears need to rise into the top 32 to extend their season into March. Opportunities to strengthen their résumé are looming, including a trip to 2A No. 5 Sargent on Thursday, Feb. 12, and a Valentine’s Day matchup with Dove Creek at 3 p.m. in The Den.
Erautt is savoring a standout senior year in black‑and‑red, having made her volleyball state debut in the fall while also competing in track and field. She has been a constant presence in Dolores’ rise over the past four seasons.
With the final weeks ahead, she is focused on perspective.
“We have it written on our warmups – ‘Faith and Family,’” she said. “And I just want us to be able to play hard as a family and have fun.”
