Logan's big guys dominate Rattlers

Simply put, Tucumcari didn't have an answer for Logan's big guys.

The Longhorns' big men of 6-foot-7 Hayden Bruhn and 6-foot-5 Mason Wallin combined for 39 points and a truckload of rebounds during a 73-44 victory Saturday in the annual Quay County bragging rights battle at Rattler Gymnasium.

Wallin scored many of his game-high 22 points after offensive rebounds. In addition to being another big presence inside, Bruhn made two 3-point shots and slammed home a dunk during a fastbreak during the third quarter.

Diego Sanchez added 18 points for the Longhorns, including three 3-point shots.

Logan (5-0), a semifinalist in last season's Class 1A tournament, led 33-18 at halftime and 56-30 after three quarters.

Tucumcari coach John Span said his team didn't match up well with Logan with just one player - junior center Kamren Apodaca - standing over 6-foot-3.

"We knew we weren't going to match up with them," he said. "But when they missed the first shot, we got to box them out. We can't stop the first shot. But we should be able to stop the second one. And we didn't put a body on them."

Logan coach Kyle Griffiths acknowledged his team's superior size made a difference.

"I think in the second half, we kind of got going in transition and got some easy buckets," he said. "And then our size kind of finally wore them down, which has what's been going on all year."

Span also said the Longhorns shot well.

"They know how to put the ball in the hole ... just smooth," he said. "We had shots. They did a lot better job of hitting them. And that's why they got the real estate between us.

"We've just got to learn from it and get better."

For Tucumcari, Luis Archuleta, Daymion Urioste and Julian Griego each scored 12 points to lead the Rattlers (2-3).

In the first quarter, it appeared Tucumcari would made a competitive game of it. It was tied 8-8 midway through the period, and the Rattlers trailed just 17-11 at the end of it.

"We had a lot of opportunities early in the game. The shots weren't falling," Griffiths said. "It took us some time to get going."

Logan seized control with a 14-4 run to end the second period.

Archuleta in recent games had been scoring around 30 points per contest. Griffiths said his Longhorns didn't so anything special defensively against him, but they didn't ignore him, either.

"We put Aydin (Kotara) up there to focus on on forcing him one way and trying to limit his shots. And I thought we did a really good job of it," Griffiths said.

Span agreed. "They did a good job on him. He missed some shots he had open that he usually hits. Maybe the way they were guarding him and the pressure they put on him might have took his legs away from him.

"We got some other guys that have to score, though. That's the thing."

Texico 70, Tucumcari 55

The Rattlers made it tougher on themselves facing No. 1-ranked Texico by spotting the Wolverines a 14-0 lead.

Tucumcari played gamely the rest of the way but couldn't overcome that early deficit during a 70-55 loss in the Rattlers' home opener on Dec. 10.

The closest Tucumcari came was early in the third quarter. The Rattlers scored two quick buckets to cut Texico's lead to 40-33.

But the Wolverines put it away with a 16-2 run to finish the period.

Span said his team didn't lose because of a lack of hustle.

"We got a lot of work to do, but the effort was there," he said. "We're going to be fine. We just got to continue to work hard and get better and believe in what we're doing and believe in their teammates.

"We got to make shots," Span added. "Texico did a great job of running their stuff. They spaced well. They do a lot of things we like to do. That's what we're working towards right there."

Archuleta led the Rattlers with 33 points, including 11-for-14 from the free throw line. Urioste added 11 points.

Jett Curtis led Texico with 24 points, including six 3-point shots.

The Wolverines improved to 4-0, including a win the previous week over perennial state Class 1A contender Magdalena.

Logan 83, Boise City 52

The Longhorns cruised to an 83-52 victory Friday at Boise City in Oklahoma.

Wallin led the Longhorns with 22 points, while Bruhn and Sanchez each scored 19.

""We had to make several adjustments defensively to slow Boise City down," Griffiths said. "I thought the guys performed well when we did. Guards hit a lot of big shots from the perimeter, which opened the game up for us."

The Wildcats fell to 1-2.

Elida 98, San Jon 2

Floyd 42, San Jon 15

San Jon fell to 0-7 on the season with a 98-2 loss Thursday at Elida and a 42-15 defeat at home Saturday against previously winless Floyd.

Elida ended the week with a 3-4 record, and Floyd improved to 1-5.