DOVE CREEK – The Bulldogs have a tough defense embedded in their DNA, so M-CHS head coach M.E. Haley knew her Panthers would have to fight fire with fire to snap a seven-game skid to Dove Creek.
M-CHS finally shook loose from a tenacious first-half gridlock with the host Bulldogs behind a prolonged 20-0 run that turned a second-half deficit into a 52-26 road win.
After missing action in their 0-2 Intermountain League trip to the San Luis Valley because of injury, M-CHS sophomore Kyndall Schmitt returned with a scoring vengeance Friday night, posting a game-high 20 points. Seniors Kiera Hayes and Sariah Jackson added nine points apiece as the Panthers surpassed their win total from a year ago with the victory in The Dawg House.
Dove Creek (12-7, 6-3 3A/2A/1A SJBL) held its own early, as junior Mykaela Fury netted five of her seven points in the first half to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance, down 22-19 at the break. Senior Hadley Hatfield tallied a 3-pointer early in the second half to give the Bulldogs their first and only lead at 24-22 before M-CHS clamped down defensively while Schmitt fired home 15 of her 20 points in the third and fourth quarters.
Bulldogs senior Taylor Hampton, who blitzed the Panthers with 19 points in their 2025 encounter, led the hosts with 10 points but scored only two after halftime.
“I like our versatility … we’ve established a goal that whenever we have players coming off the bench, we can’t lose that consistent intensity (on defense),” said Haley. The Panthers played all 11 available varsity players, including plenty of minutes for new junior varsity call-ups Abbi Moore and Merolidth Avila.
Avila scored a bucket and freshman Raya Hall added four points, while classmate Aubrey Taveira chipped in three.
“Having more depth off the bench will also give our top scorers more time to rest,” Haley added, “and we’re continuing to get our girls to have more trust in each other.”
The win lifted the Panthers (8-12, 2-7 4A/3A IML) to their first victory in eight tries against Dove Creek in the MaxPreps era (since 2006) and helped bolster M-CHS’ postseason résumé, where the Panthers sit on the good side of the 32-team 4A bubble heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
The Panthers nearly made their weekend a pair of historic streak-breakers, but fell just short to the Pirates after playing even with the visitors until the final minute. M-CHS nearly snapped a 15-year drought against its Archuleta County foe in a defensive stalemate. The game was tied 14-14 at the half, and the Panthers were within one in the fourth quarter before the Pirates made their free throws down the stretch.
Schmitt scored six points to lead M-CHS, followed by five from Hayes. Pagosa Springs senior Amber Snarr finished with 10 points and four crucial free throws in the closing minute.
M-CHS faces a big week ahead, traveling to Ignacio on Tuesday night before hosting Monte Vista on Friday in IML play. Their meeting with the Pirates will be available on KRTZ 98.7 FM and krtzradio.com.
