Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The ninth-seeded Logan girls basketball team’s comeback bid at eighth-seeded Springer fell short during a 54-53 loss Friday in the first round of the Class 1A tournament.
The Red Devils’ 16-8 surge in the third quarter gave them a sizable lead, and they still led 52-44 with 2 1/2 minutes left.
The Lady Longhorns whittled that advantage to 54-51. They had the ball but committed a turnover with 26 seconds left.
With 4.4 seconds remaining, Logan sophomore guard Marilyn Moreno drove into the lane and scored while being fouled. If she made the free throw to complete the three-point play, it almost certainly would have forced overtime.
However, Moreno’s foul shot missed. Springer rebounded and hung on to the ball as time expired.
That missed shot was one of many for the Lady Longhorns, as they went 10-of-25 from the line.
Other than that, Logan coach Dustin Robertson had little to complain about.
“We played together with good energy. Executed on both ends of the court,” he said. “We simply missed too many free throws.”
Desta Rose scored 17 points to lead Logan, and Moreno added eight.
Springer improved to 21-6 and was scheduled to play top-seeded Melrose in the quarterfinals Wednesday at Bernalillo High School.
Logan’s season ended with a 17-12 record.
“We had an up-and-down season,” Robertson said. “I was proud of the hard work that the girls put in on a daily basis. We had higher goals than what we ended up achieving. The girls were not happy or satisfied with how things ended but know they have a bright future ahead of them, also.
“I am most proud of the culture they have created within their program.”
The Lady Longhorns figure to be strong again next season, as they lose no seniors except for Alexis Nixon, a non-starter.