Melrose boys defeat Logan

LOGAN - The defending Class 1A champion Melrose boys basketball team lived up to its No. 1 ranking by taking a double-digit lead three minutes in the game en route to a 74-55 district victory Thursday over Logan that wasn't as close as the score indicated.

The Buffaloes (16-1, 2-0 in Class 1A's District 6) led by 20 early in the second period and by 30 less than halfway through the third quarter. Only an 8-0 run to end the game kept the Longhorns (11-7, 1-1), ranked fifth in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com, from losing by more than 20.

Melrose scored about every way imaginable during the first three quarters. The team's twin towers of 6-foot-6 Devon Bailey and 6-foot-4 Tate Sorgen combined for 29 points, mostly on strong inside moves. Dylan Valentine (15 points) and Tristan Sena (17 points) helped the Buffaloes convert eight 3-point shots.

"We came out with guns blazing," Melrose coach Kevin Lackey said. "Offensively, I was really happy. To put up 52 points in the first half against that team is really good."

"They're a tough team," Logan coach Kyle Griffiths said. "They shot the ball really well, and defensively we gave them some open looks so they got going early. We didn't handle their pressure well early. I think nerves played a part in it."

About the only thing that didn't go well for Melrose was controlling Dante Sanchez. Logan's junior guard scored 23 points despite drawing a lot of attention from Buffalo defenders.

"That Sanchez kid is the real deal," Lackey said. "We're going to have to figure out how to slow him down a little bit. With our press, we wanted to trap him, let other guys bring the ball up and not have to chase him. Some aspects it worked well. Other aspects, he's so quick and shifty, he'll get you in foul trouble really quick."

Melrose roared to an 8-2 start before Griffiths called timeout. The break in the action didn't slow the Buffaloes; they scored another seven unanswered points and led 29-10 at quarter's end.

Consecutive 3-pointers fattened Melrose's lead to 42-17 midway through the second period.

The Buffaloes took their biggest lead - 64-30 - midway through the third quarter. After that, both teams began putting in second-string players.

Texico 67, Logan 46

An off shooting day doomed the Longhorns during a 67-46 non-district loss Saturday at state-ranked Texico.

Logan faced a 20-8 deficit at the end of the first quarter and was outscored 33-21 in the second half.

"The boys played hard; just couldn't get any shots to fall," Griffiths said. "Had some momentum in the second quarter but were hindered with foul trouble."

Sanchez led Logan with 16 points, and Jason Knight added 12.

Logan fell to 11-8. Texico, ranked fourth last week in Class 2A by MaxPreps.com, improved to 11-4.

Grady/San Jon 54, Fort Sumner 37

A fast start helped pace the Bronchos to a 54-37 district victory Saturday at Fort Sumner.

Grady/San Jon led 18-11 after the first quarter and 30-17 at intermission.

"We looked really good defensively," Bronchos coach Jonathan Langan said. "Our goal is to hold teams to 10 points a quarter, and we were able to do that tonight."

Dustin Bryant led a balanced Grady/San Jon attack with 14 points. Chisum Rush added 13 points and Isaiah Mitchell 11.

Grady/San Jon improved to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in Class 1A's District 6. Fort Sumner fell to 9-10, 1-2.

Grady/San Jon 77, Clovis Christian 65

Rush scored 37 points to help lead the Bronchos to a 77-65 district-opening win Thursday at Clovis Christian.

Grady/San Jon turned a slim 38-36 lead at intermission into a double-digit lead by outscoring the Eagles 18-10 in the third quarter. Rush scored 15 points in the quarter.

Bryant added 18 points and Mitchell 10 for the Bronchos.

"We played hard, but we had a lot of turnovers," Langan said. "We have to take better care of the ball going forward in order to get where we wanna be."

Grady/San Jon improved to 8-6. Clovis Christian fell to 7-11 overall and 0-3 in District 6.