Dora rides Masini's 31-point, 29-rebound effort to victory

DORA — Junior Steven Masini put his Dora boys teammates on his back Thursday — especially in the second half.

Masini scored 25 of his personal-best 31 points over the final two cantos as the Coyotes rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to beat the Portales junior varsity 52-45 in the opening round of the J.P. Stone Invitational.

Masini was also credited with a whopping 29 rebounds as Dora (2-0) erased a 25-16 deficit at the intermission.

Junior Emmanuel Diahn and sophomore Braden Beck tallied 12 points each for the Rams (0-1), while freshman Paxton Culpepper added 10.

Also at Dora, Elida posted a 63-42 first-round victory over Logan, breaking the game open late in the third period.

Junior Jose Jimenez scored 19 points, senior Rylan Creighton 13 and junior Aiden Yates 10 for the Tigers (2-0). Meantime, the Longhorns (0-1) got 11 points from sophomore Brock Burns.

American Bank Invitational — At Melrose, the host Buffaloes opened play with a 58-12 quarterfinal win over Floyd in the season opener for both squads.

Ten players scored for Melrose (1-0), led by sophomore Michael Cardonita with 11 points and senior Brandon Garcia with 10. Senior Christian Mascorro accounted for five points for the Broncos (0-1).

In another quarterfinal matchup, Clayton pulled away from a 24-24 halftime tie to defeat Clovis Christian 56-37. Juniors Rylan Ruf with 23 points and Cole Keeth with 11 topped the Yellowjackets (1-0), while juniors Noah Gershon (19 points) and Carter Teune (10) led the Eagles (0-1).

Also, Hagerman (2-0) used a 25-5 third-quarter run to subdue Grady 73-33. Sophomore Zane Rush tossed in 14 for the Bronchos (0-2).

Levelland 62, Muleshoe 30 — The Lobos pulled away by outscoring Muleshoe 33-11 in the second half in the first round of a tournament hosted by Denver City. Senior Caleb Salazar tallied 22 points and 6-foot-5 junior Taeshaun Jones 14 for Levelland (2-5), while the Mules (1-1) were led by eight points from senior Brennen Davis.

Girls

American Heritage Invitational — At Melrose, the Lady Buffs opened play in the tournament with a 63-8 quarterfinal victory over Floyd.

Sophomore Graci Odom led Melrose (1-0) with 15 points, while juniors Paityn Nicholson and Isabelle Sena collected 13 apiece. Meantime, sophomore Jona Barros tallied all eight points for the Lady Broncos (0-1).

Also, Tatum handed Grady a 64-18 setback behind four players in double figures, led by junior Kylie West with 15 points. Also, sophomore Valeria Marizcal scored 13 and freshman Louann Villasenor and eighth-grader Avery Henand added 10 apiece.

For the Lady Bronchos (0-1), sophomore Shayla White tallied 10 points.

J.P. Stone Invitational — At Dora, the Lady Coyotes won their opener in three-team pool play, defeating the Dexter junior varsity 55-17. Sophomore Faith Jasso led Dora (1-0) with 16 points, followed by senior Jenna Ramirez with 8, while Norella Olivas scored six for the Lady Demons.