Basketball Game Preview: Monticello Buckaroo vs. Dolores Bears

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Previous 4 Games

12/16/23 - Neutral	39-31 W
12/12/23 - Home	42-32 W
12/17/22 - Neutral	43-21 W
12/13/22 - Away	44-25 W

Monticello is 4-0 against Dolores since December of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Monticello Buckaroo will welcome the Dolores Bears at 5:30 p.m. Monticello is coming into the matchup on a six-game losing streak.

Monticello is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Valley on Saturday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Monticello was dealt a 55-19 defeat at the hands of Valley. The Buckaroo were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-11.

Meanwhile, Dolores came up short against Bayfield back in December of 2024, falling 43-22. The Bears were down 38-13 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Monticello will need focus on slowing down Autumn Settles, one of several Dolores players who made an impact when they last played. She went 5 for 10 on her way to 11 points and eight rebounds. The dominant performance gave Settles a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordyn Erautt, who posted four points and three steals.

Dolores has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season. As for Monticello, their loss dropped their record down to 1-9.

Monticello was able to grind out a solid win over Dolores in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 39-31. Will Monticello repeat their success, or does Dolores have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.