Back at regionals for the first time since 2016, the Dolores High School girls basketball team will try to score consecutive upsets and advance to the Class 2A State Tournament for the first time in more than a decade.

Standing in the way of the Lady Bears in their quest to qualify for state will be the state’s No. 6 seeded team, Del Norte, which will enter its regional matchup against Dolores on March 2 at 6 p.m. with a 19-3 record overall.

Winners of 16 straight games, Del Norte won all eight of its contests against South Peaks League opponents and held Crested Butte to four total points during a 48-point victory in the opening round of the Class 2A District 1 Tournament last weekend.

While Del Norte will undoubtedly challenge Dolores on both ends of the floor, the Lady Bears can glean confidence from their second-place finish in the Class 2A District 3 Tournament last weekend, which was made possible by a 45-32 victory over Norwood in the District semifinals.

Although the Lady Bears lost to Ignacio, 46-11 in the District Finals, the team played its best basketball late in the season as juniors Tatum Majors and Morgan Milligin consistently controlled the paint and sophomore McKenzie Howerton and senior Sarah Hamilton shot the ball well from the outside.

To defeat Del Norte, the Lady Bears will need to find a way to contain sophomore Kendra Parra, who averaged a team-high 19.7 points per game and scored a season-high 30 points against Custer County earlier this season.

Lacie Jones could also present problems for Dolores as the junior averaged 10.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game this season and scored a season-high 23 points during Del Norte’s win over Rocky Ford on Feb. 10.

In the event that Dolores upsets Del Norte, the Lady Bears would face the winner of a Regional matchup between Holyoke and Vail Christian on March 3. A win on that date would place the Lady Bears in the Class 2A State Tournament.