Logan loses postseason to COVID-19

LOGAN - The Logan boys basketball team on Friday not only lost a chance to down undefeated and defending Class 1A champion Melrose, but it also lost a chance at its usual postseason berth.

Melrose's Tate Sorgen sank two free throws with 31.2 seconds left to provide his team's decisive margin, and Garrett Bollinger's 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have tied the game missed during a 54-51 Buffaloes victory.

COVID-19 outbreaks essentially prevented the Longhorns from claiming its usual spot in the Class 1A tournament. Logan was forced to cancel about half its schedule because of it, which included cases at the school district starting in mid-April.

As a result, its 4-2 record wasn't good enough to get into this year's shrunken eight-team slate, compared to the usual 16.

Tournament seedings and pairings weren't announced until Saturday night, but Logan coach Kyle Griffiths was resigned to the fact his team wouldn't earn a berth without the win Friday against Melrose.

"This (loss) probably knocked us out because we don't have enough games. If we'd played a full season, we probably would have got in. We missed six games, so we probably don't have a chance, unfortunately.

"I think we're one of the top three teams in the state. I hate that we had a shortened season. I felt if we had a full year, we could have been state champions. I thought we were that good."

Melrose wound up being the No. 2 seed in the tournament, with Magdalena claiming the top spot. Melrose faces seventh-seed Springer in the quarterfinals.

The Logan girls basketball team's loss earlier in the evening to top-five-ranked Melrose also knocked the Lady Longhorns out of the postseason for similar reasons. (See story in this edition.)

For Logan, Dante Sanchez and Wyatt Wright each scored 17 points. Sorgen and Devon Bailey led the Buffaloes with 12 points each.

As for Melrose (11-0), coach Kevin Lackey said he felt lucky to escape with a win after watching his team struggle with its rhythm, including missing close-range shots. He said his players were fatigued after playing highly touted district foes Fort Sumner and Clovis Christian earlier in the week.

"We were tired," he said. "We played three of the top five teams in the state Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Logan played really well. We played better offensively in the second half and got in a little bit better rhythm. But we missed quite a few bunnies all night.

"I'm proud of my guys," Lackey added. "We always find a way, and we always battle against really, really good teams in a hostile environment. Their character shines in those moments."

More troubling to Lackey was his team's 11-for-23 performance from the foul line. He said that wasn't an anomaly at Logan.

"Free throws are just killing us," he said. "It's been that way in the past five or six games. We've harped on it, but we're going to have to turn that around if we're going to win the big games. It's going to be a hard road from here."

The Longhorns weren't much better from the line, going 8-for-15. Griffiths partly attributed that to the COVID-related layoff.

"Coming back after not playing a game in three weeks, I thought the boys actually played pretty well against the No. 1 team in the state," he said. "I thought we fought hard to the end and were just a basket away from getting it done. I was proud of them."

Neither team led by more than five points throughout. Logan led 11-6 in the first period as Melrose's offense struggled to get untracked.

One of Melrose's biggest leads was when Michael Cardonita made one of two free throws with 13.3 seconds remaining for a 53-48 advantage. The Longhorns responded with a traditional three-point play by Kaden Riggs with 6.6 seconds left to close the gap 53-51.

After a near-immediate Logan foul, Logan DeVaney made the first free throw but missed the second with 5.2 seconds left, giving the Longhorns a chance for a 3-point attempt that would have sent the game into overtime.

But Bollinger's contested shot near the top of the key bounced off a side of the backboard.

"We had a couple of options," Griffiths said of the final play. "I was hoping to get it to him or the (Brock) Burns kid. We got a look (at the basket); it wasn't a great look, but at least we got a shot off."

Before tipoff, Logan honored its seniors - Sanchez, Bollinger, Wright, Riggs, Jordan Evans and Nick Brown - for before the regular-season finale.