The Dove Creek Lady Bulldogs return to the basketball court with great anticipation.
Sisters Zoey and Madison Young control the post, and a slew of speedy guards run the back court.
Dove Creek fans are accustomed to perfect execution on the hardwood. In coach Jim Buffingtons 34 years of leading the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs, his teams have had stingy defenses that create turnovers that lead to points. The kind of defensive playmaking is what Buffingtons offense feeds off of. That will be no different this season.
Were not big, Buffington said. Our defense has been good the last several years. The biggest thing is going to have to be our guard play, forcing the opponents to make half-court decisions, rather than letting them come down to the key and make a decision.
Sophomore Madison Young has by far the most height. But senior Zoey Young is physically tough in the post, which is how she stands tall against the other forwards and centers in the 2A/1A San Juan Basin League.
Norwood and Telluride both have really big posts, Zoey Young said. You got to step up your game when youre playing them. You got to post up sooner. You got to get big and you got to use your quickness. Usually, youre a little bit quicker than the taller girls.
Seniors Nakayla Lestina, Kali Fisher and Jessica Heaton, along with sophomore Shelbie Knuckles, will battle for the starting point guard position. Each is very capable of playing on the wing as well.
Its a lot of competition, because most of our team is guards, Lestina said. Its just stepping up, who can lead the team and make outside shots. But I can play either wing.
Rival Norwood is the defending SJBL regular season and 1A district tournament champions. Dove Creek hopes to supplant Norwood as top dog in the conference.
Weve always thought that we can win the league. Thats what were going for, Buffington said. We failed in that attempt last year. Thats where were going to start.
The season starts Friday at home in the Bulldog Classic. Dove Creek hosts the Montezuma-Cortez High School junior varsity at 6:30 p.m., while rival Mancos takes on Monument Valley (Utah) at 5. The winners of each game advance to the tournament championship on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The losers play at 2 on Saturday. Dove Creek plays its first four games at home.
We always like starting at home and the schedule favors us this year, Buffington said. Were at home, but we open up the season with four games out of seven days. We better be ready. Its good to be in a familiar sounding to start with.
The Lady Bulldogs will play 12 of 19 regular season games in their gym, including hosting chief rival Dolores on Jan. 20, 2012.
The 1A SJBL district tournament is in Olathe Feb. 23-25, while regionals are at Gunnison starting March 3.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com.
