The recent history of the Mancos-Dove Creek girls basketball rivalry hasn’t typically pitted two teams with league title aspirations against one another.
The tide appears to have shifted. Both Dove Creek and Mancos have been on the rise over the past several seasons, with the Bulldogs annually making deep state tournament runs, and Mancos nearing back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in more than a decade.
Friday night’s clash brought the energy of a rivalry taken to another level, as the Bulldogs and Bluejays engaged in a high-intensity seesaw contest, ultimately tilting in Dove Creek’s favor, 55-43.
With their previous four meetings going the way of the blue-and-yellow, Dove Creek (13-1, 5-0 2A/1A SJBL) looked to establish an interior presence right from the opening tip. Bulldog junior Lexi Gray, entering the contest averaging a double-double, met constant pressure from the Bluejay defense every time she touched the ball. However, Gray kept her cool, finishing around the rim or making her free throws to steadily help the visitors take a 15-5 lead after one quarter.
Mancos (5-5, 0-2 2A/1A SJBL) found a response, however, in the second quarter, steadily shaving the double-digit deficit down to two, at 20-18, thanks to a 9-0 run sparked by sophomore Quincy Montoya. The Bluejays gave Dove Creek some of their own medicine, turning the Bulldogs over, leading to transition opportunities the other way.
Right before the half, however, Dove Creek steadied their nerves, picking up the final five points before the intermission to restore a 25-18 advantage.
Bulldog senior Shania Kibel dropped in a few key buckets to help Dove Creek expand their lead to double figures again in the third quarter, but Mancos’ Justina Bayles answered with eight points during a run that cut the score to 34-30 midway through the frame.
Gray continued to steadily score, however, as the Bulldogs showed their mettle, reestablishing control of the game with a 7-0 response. Bulldog junior Trista Barnett added six points during a decisive run in which Mancos started to run out of steam.
Bluejays senior guard Rhiley Montoya grew more assertive as the Mancos hopes dimmed, attacking the basket to good effect in the fourth quarter to finish with a game-high 18 points.
However, the Bulldogs lead, up to 15 at one point in the fourth quarter, proved too much for the Bluejays to overcome. Sophomores Kalie and Kylie Gatlin combined for 12 points, while junior Rylee Hickman contributed numerous incisive assists to go along with six points to help Dove Creek keep their San Juan Basin League record perfect.
Second chance opportunities along with a strong day at the charity stripe helped the Dove Creek cause, as Gray finished with 17 points in the victory. Bayles finished with eight and Quincy Montoya had seven points for the Bluejays effort.
Mancos couldn’t pick up back-to-back wins in two nights, a day after they had traveled to Moab and topped Grand County, 46-34.
An exceptionally busy week awaits head coach Kerri Morgan and her Bluejays, as they play four games in five days this week, including league contests against Ignacio (Tuesday) and Nucla (Thursday) at home, before trips to Sargent (Friday) and Telluride (Saturday) to cap the frenetic week.
Their duel against the Bobcats – their second meeting of the season – can be heard on local radio station 98.7 KRTZ on Tuesday night beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Dove Creek, meanwhile, extended their winning streak to 11 consecutive with a neutral site win over Sierra Grande, 63-19, on Saturday, and will look to a highly-intriguing and rare meeting with Montezuma-Cortez on Thursday, Feb. 3 at home. The Bulldogs and Panthers haven’t met on the hardwood since 2013, with Dove Creek taking their most recent encounter.
