Dove Creek's Taylor Hampton Tops 1,000 Points as Bulldogs Enter 2A Playoffs

Within a few hours Friday night, Dove Creek senior Taylor Hampton cleared the 1,000-point milestone in the Bulldogs’ 40-20 win over Ridgway, and Montezuma-Cortez junior Trey Hall reached 1,000 in a win over Bayfield. The Dove Creek victory clinched momentum for a Bulldogs squad that finished the regular season 14-8 overall and 8-4 in the San Juan Basin League 3A/2A/1A, marking the program’s ninth straight winning season.

Playing her past three years at Dove Creek after starting her career in Dolores, Hampton led her team in scoring in her lone season with the Bears and again during her final campaign for the blue and yellow. MaxPreps lists Hampton as a senior in the Class of 2026, wearing No. 0 and serving as a captain at power forward and center for Dove Creek.

Hampton closed the regular season with strong per-game averages on MaxPreps: 22 games played, 16.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.2 steals, 2.4 blocks and 1.5 assists. The Journal noted that Hampton scored more than 20 points eight times this season. MaxPreps also lists Hampton as ranked in the top 220 nationally for one stat, top 5 in Colorado for one stat, and top 1 in Division 2A for one stat.

The Bulldogs enter the 2A postseason as the No. 22 seed and will travel to Collbran for a region hosted by No. 6 Plateau Valley, which finished 18-4 overall and 8-1 in the Western Slope League and is described as the runner-up from the WSL. Dove Creek joins No. 27 Mancos, 10-9 and 8-4 in the SJBL, for that trip to Collbran. Dove Creek takes on No. 11 Del Norte, 13-8 and 3-2 in the Southern Peaks, and junior standout Emma Parra on Friday evening in a matchup of two perennial small-school powers.

Bracket timing as published pairs the region’s games tightly: the winner of the Cowboys-Bluejays matchup at 5 p.m. will face the victor of the Bulldogs-Tigers 6:30 p.m. game at noon on Saturday, with a spot in the Great Eight on the line. The Journal also noted that Head coach Julie Oliver’s team enters the state bracket with an opportunity to upset Cowboys leading scorer Macy Bevan and a potent Cowboy offense.

Dove Creek’s late-season form included wins and close losses logged on MaxPreps: a 30-16 win over Telluride on Feb. 10 and a 30-33 loss to Mancos on Feb. 17, with stat updates entered on Feb. 12 and Feb. 19. Social recognition arrived on Instagram with the post, “1,000 career points for Taylor! Congratulations on an incredible accomplishment 👏🏼 #REPthe313.”

If Dove Creek advances, the Bulldogs would play at noon Saturday in Collbran for a berth in the Great Eight. The program’s ninth straight winning season and Hampton’s 1,000-point milestone give Dove Creek concrete momentum as it meets Del Norte and the regional gauntlet this weekend.