Logan puts on a clinic at Tucumcari

The Logan boys basketball team put on an offensive clinic during its 77-55 non-district victory over Tucumcari last week before Christmas break.

The Longhorns (9-2) saw five players score in double figures. They sank six 3-point shots, posted up for strong inside buckets and even scored on a slamdunk.

The scoring diversity enabled Logan to storm to a 12-point lead at intermission and fatten it to nearly 30 midway through the fourth quarter.

Logan coach Kyle Griffiths said the offensive outburst was a continuation of what he's seen recently.

"We've been shooting the ball well the past few games," he said. "They're playing with more confidence, and they're playing together really well. That makes a difference in our offense, for sure."

Tucumcari coach John Span also praised Logan's attack.

"They shot the ball well, posted up inside well," Span said. "They space the floor well, and they know how to play the game. We're still trying to figure it out.

"We had some situations early in the game where our kids could have scored but didn't," he added. "When you play teams like this, you have to cash in everything, or the score is going to look like this at the end."

Diego Sanchez led the Longhorns' onslaught with 18 points, while Brock Burns and Park Strong each added 14.

For Tucumcari (4-6), freshman center Kamren Apodaca led the team with 17 points, but he sat out a sizable part of the game with foul trouble, as did forward Julian Griego.

Griffiths said hampering Apodaca with fouls was part of their strategy.

"We knew that he was one of their better players," he said. "We knew if we could take him out of his game and get him in foul trouble, that would help us. It worked; in the second half, he wasn't playing a physical as he was. It definitely gave us an advantage inside."

Luis Archuleta added 10 points for the Rattlers.

Apodaca scored six points early to stake his team to an 8-3 lead. The Longhorns answered with nine unanswered points to grab a 12-8 advantage.

With Apodaca and Griego in foul trouble, Logan went on a 13-2 run early in the second quarter to take a double-digit lead. Burns scored seven straight points, including on a slamdunk after a steal.

Span, however, thought his team played well in the second quarter despite their foul troubles.

"Even at halftime, with my bigs in foul trouble, we're only down 12," he said. "We're still in the ballgame. The guys who came for them big a good job keeping things in perspective to where if we got anything going.

"But Logan pulled away in the third quarter and put some real estate between us."

Freshman 6-foot-2 center Mason Wallin scored eight points in the second half as Logan increased its lead to 20, then nearly 30.

"He knows how to use that big body. He's a load," Span said of Wallin. "I wish Kamren would have been a little more aggressive to block the shot, but he didn't. He got those three fouls, but he's still got to play. If you can't stop somebody when they catch the ball, don't let them catch it."

Griffiths noted his team had played its fifth game in six days, but the Longhorns showed no hint of fatigue.

"I guess that's a testament to these guys working hard," he said. "They're obviously in pretty good shape to be able to play that much in consecutive days."

Santa Rosa 78, Logan 74

The Longhorns suffered only the second loss of the season with a 78-74 decision Dec. 19 at state-ranked Santa Rosa.

The score indicated a thrilling game, and Griffiths confirmed it was.

"It was a battle, back and forth the whole game," he said. "We made a bunch of big shots. But I think the difference in that one was we missed a bunch of easy layups. If we'd made those easy ones, we might have been able to pull it out.

"But it's always tough to play over there, and they're a really good team."

Burns led the Longhorns with 29 points, and Sanchez added 21.

Santa Rosa improved to 5-1, with their only loss to Class 1A powerhouse Fort Sumner. The Lions were ranked fifth in Class 2A in the latest coaches poll.