Lady Longhorns fall to Melrose

The fourth quarter of Saturday's Class A championship game gave an empty feeling to the Logan girls basketball team, and it wasn't just because it was playing in a virtually vacant arena.

The top-seeded Lady Longhorns (26-5) failed to score in the last 3 minutes, 45 seconds during a 47-39 loss to second-seeded and district rival Melrose (26-4), which finally earned a crown after losing its previous three state-title games.

Though Logan won three of five games against Melrose this season, it lost its last two - including on Feb. 28 when the Lady Longhorns' double-digit lead evaporated during a 10-minute scoring drought.

Saturday's clash occurred in a bizarrely quiet, 15,000-seat Dreamstyle Arena, aka The Pit, after the New Mexico Activities Association barred fans from state-tournament games late Wednesday because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Teams each were allowed only 20 people for games.

Logan coach Glynna Strand said the difference was free throws. The Lady Buffaloes made 19 of 25, while the Lady Longhorns struggled to 7-for-12 from the foul line, including 1-for-5 in the first half. Hailey Martin and Shannon May combined for 12-for-12 from the line, and each scored a team-high 12 points.

"We weren't getting fouls called," Strand said in the school parking lot Saturday evening after several dozen Logan residents lined U.S. 54 to welcome the team bus home after the loss. "We just weren't getting to the line. That hurts. We were giving them a lot of their points at the foul line."

Melrose guard Nataley Mondragon told the Eastern New Mexico News her coach, Caleb King, made the Lady Buffs shoot many free throws in practice the day before.

"I think that helped a lot today," she said.

Strand said she also saw inexplicable defensive lapses. Melrose repeatedly drove close to the basket or broke free for backdoor buckets.

"We had some areas in our defense we hadn't struggled with before we struggled with today," she said. "That was stuff we hadn't let happen. We had a letdown there for whatever reason, I don't know."

"Our defense broke down, and we weren't talking," said Karli Webb - who tied for the team lead with 14 points with fellow Logan senior Jordan Hines - during an NMAA interview posted on NMAA's Twitter feed. "They got a lot of pick-and-rolls."

Reflecting its size advantage, Logan held a 41-23 advantage in rebounds. But the Lady Longhorns committed 19 turnovers to 10 for Melrose.

The Lady Longhorns fell behind 9-0 and didn't take their first lead until late in the third quarter. Strand acknowledged her team expended a lot of energy trying to catch up.

"It's hard after something like that to come back," Strand said. "We didn't come out with the intensity that we always did."

King told the newspaper he switched defenses in an effort to counter Logan's second-half surge.

"Towards the end of the third quarter we switched from zone to man-to-man," he said. "We wanted to make sure Karli Webb didn't get many good shots."

Logan grabbed its biggest lead, 33-27, in the opening minute of the fourth quarter on Hines' 3-pointer. Melrose whittled it down and retook a 39-37 lead with 4:07 left. Logan guard Kassi Foote made two free throws to tie it at 39-39 with 3:45 left.

Martin made two foul shots after Foote fouled out to give her team a 41-39 lead with 2:39 remaining, which would turn out to be decisive.

After a Logan turnover, the Lady Buffs went into a stall offense for nearly a minute. Senior Brette DeVaney scored on a driving move to put Melrose up 43-39 with 1:31 left. Mondragon made two foul shots with 1:07 left for a 44-39 lead after Logan's 3-pointer missed.

Logan sophomore guard Kyra Conway had a chance to cut Melrose's lead with two foul shots with 56 seconds left but missed both. May made her two free throws on the rebound to give the Lady Buffs a 46-39 lead.

The Lady Longhorns missed a 3-point attempt, and Webb fouled out with 28.8 seconds left to effectively end their chances.

Strand, in her fourth season at Logan, will lose three seniors from her team - Webb, Hines and Kesleah Shields.

"They will be highly missed," Strand said. "This is probably the hardest-working group of girls that I've had since I've been at Logan. They're great leaders both on and off the court. They have a drive all the time to do their best and to get others to do that. Those three were the core of the team."

Logan 51, Pine Hill 36

The Lady Longhorns enjoyed more than a 2-to-1 margin in rebounds during a 51-36 semifinal victory Thursday over fourth-seeded Pine Hill in an eerily quiet Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.

The NMAA allowed no fans in the 7,000-seat arena amid the epidemic. As a result, even the sound of a bouncing basketball echoed through the nearly empty venue.

Before the game, Logan players waved, blew kisses and even danced jigs to video cameras that live-streamed the game to their fans at home and in hotel rooms in the Albuquerque region.

Despite their brave faces, Strand said several players, especially her seniors, cried Wednesday night when they learned fans wouldn't be allowed in the semifinal.

"I thought the girls handled it really well; they were really mature about it after they got over their initial emotions," Strand said. "They got up the next morning and had a great attitude. They were a little teary-eyed when they hugged their mamas when we left for the game, but other than that, they were great. They tried to keep themselves upbeat about it."

Stand said she also tried to get her team refocused for the task at hand.

"I told them, 'Hey, we've been in this road for a long time, and we've got to finish strong. ... We started it with just us when we went to team camp in the summer, and we're going to finish it with just us,'" she recalled.

Logan scored the first six points and led 22-10 early in the second period, thanks to an 8-0 scoring run by Hines fueled by two 3-pointers. Hines ended the game with a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds.

Webb scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter to increase the lead to 20 before Pine Hill managed a brief rally. Webb also grabbed 12 rebounds. Logan had a 48-21 advantage in rebounds overall.

Strand described the game as a "surreal" experience.

"When we won the semifinal, there was nothing - no excitement from anybody but us," she said. "It was crazy ... almost like being in a dream."

Pine Hill finished its second with a 22-8 record.

Logan 51, Tatum 23

The Lady Longhorns put the defensive clamps on defending champion Tatum during a 51-23 quarterfinals victory Wednesday at Bernalillo high School.

The Coyotes scored just one field goal during the first half as Logan took a double-digit lead in the first quarter and held a 23-8 advantage at intermission. Logan's lead ballooned to more than 20 by the end of the third period.

Webb scored 20 points to lead the Lady Longhorns, and Hines added 11.

Tatum finished with a 20-10 record.