Longhorns suffer first loss

The Longhorns couldn't pull off a comeback victory from a double-digit deficit twice in two days.

The top-seeded and previously unbeaten Logan basketball team rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take a brief lead, only to lose 57-56 in the final seconds to No. 2-seeded Melrose in the championship game Saturday of the 66th Plateau-EPAC Tournament at Melrose.

Logan (14-1), which rallied from a similar deficit to defeat Texico in the semifinals Friday, suffered its first loss of the season. Melrose improved to 13-1.

The Longhorns trailed 53-39 early in the final period but went on a 17-2 run in the next five minutes. Sophomore center Mason Wallin scored seven of his 16 points during the rally.

Senior guard Brock Burns also led the charge, scoring eight of his team-high 20 points in the quarter. That included his driving bucket while being fouled with 35.1 seconds left to complete a three-point play and give his team a 56-55 advantage - Logan's first since early in the second quarter.

Melrose responded when Jaxon Odom took a pass from the top of the key to score a layup with eight seconds left to give the Buffaloes a 57-56 lead.

Michael Cardonita subsequently stole Logan's inbounds pass with 6.1 seconds left. Lacking enough team fouls, the Longhorns had to foul twice to get Melrose's Brayden Eldridge to the free-throw line with 3.2 seconds remaining.

Eldridge missed both shots. Logan rebounded and took a timeout with 2.8 seconds left to set up a final play.

Burns could only get off a three-quarters-court shot as time expired, and it was well off the mark.

Logan coach Kyle Griffiths blamed the loss on a bad second quarter, when his team scored only eight points and fell behind 29-18 by intermission.

"However, it takes guts to fight back like we did," he said. "The boys were very resilient in a tough situation and came together to battle back and take the lead late in the game."

The Longhorns also were somewhat shorthanded Saturday. Junior starter Diego Sanchez fell backwards during a scramble for a rebound in the first quarter and bumped the back of his head hard onto the gym floor. He walked off the floor with assistance, but he appeared woozy and didn't go back into the game. Griffiths said he likely suffered a concussion.

Also, Logan's top scorer, sophomore forward Hayden Bruhn, got into foul trouble and had to sit out a portion of the game. He finished with 18 points before fouling out late.

Logan 72, Texico 64

Logan, behind by as many as 16 points in third quarter, outscored Texico 23-9 in the final period to secure a 72-64 comeback victory Friday in the semifinals of the EPAC tournament.

The Longhorns struggled much of the game against fourth-seeded Texico's size, trailing 49-33 at one point in the third period.

Shortly before that, Logan coach Kyle Griffiths called a timeout.

"I told them it was time to turn it on defensively and fight our way back," he recalled. "They responded well and picked up the pressure on defense."

Kaeden Stoner played a role in the charge, scoring eight of his 11 points in the remainder of the third period to help bring his team within 55-49.

Hayden Bruhn scored nine of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter. Mason Wallin, who scored 13 points, converted a three-point play with four minutes left to give the Longhorns their first lead since the second quarter.

"We got a few big shots and got some confidence on the offensive end," Griffiths said. "Texico came out hot, but I'm happy how we responded to adversity."

Logan went 9-of-15 from the free-throw line in the period to secure the victory.

Brock Burns and Diego Sanchez each scored 11 points for Logan.

Texico, ranked sixth in Class 2A by MaxPreps.com, fell to 8-6.

Logan 72, Floyd 24

The Longhorns took a double-digit lead in the first quarter and kept expanding on it during a 72-24 victory Wednesday over Floyd in the first round of the EPAC tourney.

Logan led 22-11 after the first period, 47-17 at intermission and 65-21 after the third quarter.

Mason Wallin led the Longhorns with 20 points, while Kaeden Stoner added 13 pounds. Hayden Bruhn grabbed 12 rebounds.

"We did a great job sharing the ball with each other," Logan coach Kyle Griffiths said. "Was very proud of how we moved it around and got everyone involved."

Floyd fell to 4-5.