Rattlers end 1-2 at Johnny May Classic

The Tucumcari Rattlers beat Dexter but lost to Tularosa and Ruidoso this weekend at the Johnny May Classic basketball tournament at Tularosa.

The Rattlers (2-2) lost 74-61 to Ruidoso Saturday in their final game of the tournament. The Rattlers opened up the tournament with a 61-50 win over Dexter on Thursday.

On Friday, the Rattlers lost 58-44 to Tularosa.

The Rattlers next game will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Dexter.

The Tucumcari Lady Rattlers (3-1) last competed on Dec. 3 in the Lady Lion basketball tournament at Santa Rosa.

The Lady Rattlers beat Estancia 51-18 to win the consolation bracket.

"We had a couple of games get canceled, so the girls are working on staying sharp," said Gary Hittson, Lady Rattlers head coach.

Hittson said the lull between games can be a problem, and the best thing for the team is to get back out on the court.

The Lady Rattlers next game is at 6 p.m. Thursday at Dexter.

In other area action:

The Logan Lady Longhorns basketball team won their Round Robin basketball tournament Saturday by beating Fort Sumner/House 56-48 in the championship.

"We needed a close game against a strong opponent to test our abilities," said Rhyan Daugherty Lady Longhorns head coach.

The five previous wins by the Lady Longhorns had been by a margin of more than 25 points.

Friday's 53-8 routing of the Clovis C team was led by Kaylee Foote with 19 points and Harlie Roach with 17 points.

Daugherty said the game against Fort Sumner (5-2) was expected to be the team's first true challenge. He said the Lady Vixens are a well-coached team, and their only loss prior to Saturday was a 50-46 loss to Grady.

"We need games against stronger opponents early in the season to help us get ready for district," Daugherty said.

The Lady Longhorns next game will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Santa Rosa.

The Logan Longhorns fall to 2-4 on the season with a 58-39 loss to Fort Sumner Saturday at Logan.

The Longhorns basketball team went 1-2 in their Round Robin tournament. They lost 59-43 on Thursday to Clayton and won 45-39 Friday night against Grady.

"One of our main issues has been free throws," said Randy Robertson, Longhorns head coach.

Robertson said missed free-throws during the tournament kept them from a possible win against Clayton and a larger win margin against Grady. He said the team needs to work on the foul shots in order to be a sound team.

Against Grady, the Longhorns were 5 of 17 from the free foul line. The Longhorns offense was led by Mason Collins, who scored 11 points but was 1 of 4 from the foul line.

"We are aggressive on rebounds and when driving to the basket for a score," Roberts said. "It does us little good to draw the fouls when we can't make the penalty points."

The Longhorns next game is at 7 p.m. Thursday at Santa Rosa.

The San Jon Coyotes (1-2) will play at 4 p.m. Thursday at Des Moines.

The Coyotes last game was a 71-43 win against the Matadors on Nov. 29 at Adrian Texas.