Lady Buffs hold off Ruidoso 49-47

RUIDOSO – Senior Graci Odom delivered 20 points on Saturday and Melrose’s girls held off Ruidoso 49-47 to improve to 14-2 for the season.

Senior Karlee Elliott added eight points for the Class 1A No. 3 Lady Buffs, who led by seven points at halftime before fighting off a comeback by the Class 3A Lady Warriors (6-8).

Junior Baylee Pritchett led Ruidoso with 13 points, while junior Aliyah Zamora scored 12 and freshman Faith Linares tossed in 11.

In other girls clashes on Saturday:

Des Moines 58, Grady 57 – The homestandings Lady Demons (8-6) led by five at halftime and managed to hold off Grady behind 13 points each from sophomore Ali Poling and eighth-grader Katy Ward and 11 from eighth-grader Rylan Brown.

For the Lady Bronchos (6-7), senior Taylor Foote led three players in double figures with three 3-pointers and 15 points, while junior Juanita Ramirez added 14 and senior December Garza 11.

Texico 31, Academy for Technology & the Classics 7 – At Texico, the Lady Wolverines led 8-4 at the quarter, then held Santa Fe-based ATC to just three points the rest of the way.

Senior Sonia Ortiz and sophomore Brylee Burgin were the game’s high scorers with six points each for Texico (6-10). Senior Naz Romero and sophomore Ariana Gallegos each had three points for ATC (4-10).

Cimmaron 44, Elida 28 – At Cimarron, the Lady Bluejays (7-8) scored between 10 and 12 points in each quarter and steadily pulled away from Elida, which had a quick turnaround and a lengthy road trip after playing at home the night before.

Five-foot-2 sophomore Abby Martinez led all scorers with 12 point for Cimarron, while freshman Kembri Norman netted seven points for the Lady Tigers (9-9).

In boys tilts on Saturday:

Academy for Technology & the Classics 43, Texico 38 – In a rematch from last year’s Class 2A state semifinals, the Wolverines found themselves down 11-2 at the quarter and were unable to come all the way back.

Seniors Julian Bernardino and Rocky Miller collected 15 and 13 points, respectively, for ATC (13-2, ranked No. 1 in 2A by MaxPreps. For Texico (8-9), sophomore Bennett Wahlen put in 13 points.

Melrose 59, Ruidoso 42 – The Buffaloes (15-1), ranked No. 2 by MaxPreps in Class 1A behind District 6-1A rival Logan, opened some daylight against the homestanding Warriors with an 18-11 run in the second stanza for a nine-point halftime lead.

All 10 players scored for the Buffs, led by junior Cy Draper with 11 points. Senior Logan Sandoval posted a game-high 20 points and junior Patrick Kimbrell added 10 for Ruidoso (8-8).

Cimarron 90, Elida 60 – The Rams (12-2), ranked sixth in Class 1A by MaxPreps, extended their winning streak to nine games behind 29 points from sophomore Urijah Martinez, while 6-9 senior Demetrius Jackson added 16 and sophomore Logan Sahd 14.

Elida (7-10), which won at home on Friday night, led Cimarron 23-21 at the quarter but couldn’t keep pace. Senior Seth Jimenez had 15 points for the Tigers while senior Gage Hartman contributed 12.

Des Moines 64, Grady 25 – Leading by just a point at halftime, the homestanding Demons (13-3) outscored the Bronchos 42-4 the rest of the way, including 26-0 in the third period, to extend their winning streak to six games.

Sophomore Destry Sumpter had 23 points and senior Nash Trujillo 20 for Des Moines, ranked fifth in Class 1A by MaxPreps. Sumpter scored 11 points in the third quarter while Trujillo tallied 16 points in the second half.

For the Bronchos (6-6), senior Zane Rush notched 14 of his 16 points before halftime