Tucumcari girls secure victory over Logan

LOGAN – Alexus Lafferty sank a go-ahead 3-point shot with just over a minute remaining and Haisley Huffman scored on a fastbreak with eight seconds left to secure Tucumcari's 45-42 victory Thursday over area rival Logan in girls basketball.

Lafferty scored a game-high 18 points, and teammate July Lafferty added 10 as the Lady Rattlers improved to 5-4 overall.

The Lady Longhorns, led by Rilee Nials' 16 points, lost their second straight and fell to 7-3 overall.

Tucumcari coach Patrick Benavidez said his still-young team was motivated to be competitive against Logan after suffering a 60-14 loss to the Lady Longhorns last season.

"Our girls just battled the whole game," he said. "We had to keep our minds in it and our composure. There were a lot of emotions going back and forth. And, for the most part, we won that battle. We were a little bit tired coming off the (holiday) break, but the girls stepped it up at the end."

Tucumcari held a 38-16 advantage in free throws during the game. While watching Logan games on the internet and seeing its previous contest at Santa Rosa, Benavidez said he spotted a defensive tendency by the Lady Longhorns he thought he could exploit.

"I emphasized with the girls to protect the ball and swing it. I saw against Santa Rosa that Logan tried to circle the ball," he said. "They're really aggressive on defense and get up on you. I told the girls make sure to swing it, to move it, and they'll get fouls."

Logan committed 25 personal fouls Thursday, compared to Tucumcari's 15.

Logan coach Glynna Strand, whistled for a technical foul midway through the third quarter after protesting one of those foul calls, became tight-lipped after the game but made no secret she was dismayed with the officiating.

"You can't win a game when the fouls are like that. You can't," she said. "That definitely was the game right there."

The Lady Rattlers made it harder on themselves by making just 15 of 38 shots from the foul line.

"That's just us being young and being a bit shaky there. But they're resilient; they forget about it and move on to the next play," Benavidez said.

Tucumcari trailed during much of the first half and didn't grab its first lead until Caylee Benavidez sank a 3-pointer with 2:20 left in the third quarter for a 31-29 advantage. That was part of a run of 13 unanswered points during the period to give the Lady Rattlers a 35-29 lead.

Logan rallied to tie it at 40-40 late in the final period as Tucumcari committed several turnovers. But the Lady Rattlers defense – a strength all season – also kept the Lady Longhorns off the scoreboard for long stretches.

Alexus Lafferty hit her key 3-pointer from near the key for a 43-40 Tucumcari lead with 1:10 left.

Logan guard Kyra Conway made two free throw with 54 seconds left to close her team's gap to 43-42.

July Lafferty misset two free throws with 28 seconds left, but Huffman scored on a fastbreak after a teammate's rebound with 8 seconds left for a 45-42 lead.

"We're still young and sometimes trying to force it when we didn't need to, but that's just them being aggressive," coach Benavidez said. "But they came through and pushed the ball up for those final two points at the end. These are the games we need to be in to get us ready for district."

Conway attempted a 3-point shot at the buzzer that would have tied the game, but it missed.