After finishing last season with a 4-15 record, the much-improved Dove Creek High School girls basketball team will face Belleview Christian in the Class 1A Region 2 Tournament with a berth in the state tournament on the line.

The contest will likely be a challenging one for the Bulldogs as Belleview Christian will enter the contest with a 17-5 record after winning the Class 1A District 8 Tournament last weekend.

Dove Creek finished second in the Class 1A District 1 Tournament last weekend after defeating De Beque, 54-38, in the semifinals and losing to North Park, 53-38, in the District Championship game.

Sophomore Cassie Gatlin paced Dove Creek in scoring against De Beque with 19 points, while senior Marissa Hatfield scored 11 points and freshman Grace Hatfield scored 10. Gatlin scored a team-high 14 points during her team’s loss to North Park.

If the Bulldogs hope to upset Belleview at regionals, the team clad in blue and gold will need to contain junior Brooke Long, who averaged a team-high 13.2 points this season. Belleview will also rely on sophomore Sara Torres, who averaged 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this year.

Dove Creek’s regional game against Bellview will take place at Glenwood Springs High School and was scheduled to begin March 3 at 3 p.m.