Buffs top Logan in overtime

MELROSE – The Melrose Buffaloes were up against it – another loss and their District 6-1A hopes would be shattered.

In all likelihood, they would’ve been relegated to third place in the district. Not that that’s so bad – the top three teams in Class 1A all reside in the district.

On Saturday night, the second-ranked Buffs erased an 11-point, second-quarter deficit, outscoring top-ranked Logan 12-5 in overtime for a 79-74 victory.

Melrose (19-3, 2-2 district) and Logan (21-3, 2-2) are tied for second in the district behind defending champion and third-ranked Fort Sumner (18-4, 4-0), which has beaten both teams at home but now must travel in the rematches.

Six players scored in double figures for the Buffs, led by a personal-best 18 points from junior Chance Brittenum. Senior Michael Cardonita added 14, junior Cy Draper 12, sophomore Jaxon Odom 11 and juniors Brayden Eldridge and Josiah Roybal 10 apiece.

“A bunch of guys had to contribute, and that’s who we are as a team,” Melrose boys coach Drew Hatley said. “You’re going to have to play good if you want to beat those guys. I have a lot of respect for those Logan kids.”

Melrose did beat the Foxes in the semifinals and the Longhorns in the finals of the EPAC tournament, which it hosted in early January.

“We were ready to play from the get-go,” Brittenum said. “We played our hearts out.”

The Longhorns led twice by 11 points midway through the second quarter. Melrose rallied to move ahead 40-37 at halftime and stretched that to five early in the third stanza, but junior Diego Sanchez hit a 3-pointer and senior Brock Burns completed an 11-0 run with two 3s and a driving layup.

The Longhorns entered the final canto with a 58-53 advantage, but Melrose scored the first five points to tie it and the game seesawed into the OT. The Buffs took the lead for good on a free throw by Eldridge with 1:41 left, then hit six of eight foul shots over the final 47 seconds.

“We had to come back and win one in our own gym,” Brittenum said. “We practice hard every day, and we have faith in each other.”

Burns finished with three 3-pointers and 22 points for Logan, going 11-for-14 from the line, while 6-foot-5 sophomore Hayden Bruhn had 18 points and Sanchez 14.

“We challenged our kids the last couple of weeks, and the boys rose to the challenge,” Hatley said. “I thought they battled back and kept chipping away.”

Fort Sumner travels to Logan on Thursday, then visits Melrose in the regular-season finale on Feb. 22.

Logan 59, Melrose 56 (girls) – In another matchup of top-five teams in 1A, fifth-ranked Logan posted its second district triumph over the Lady Buffs as sophomore Desta Rose went off for 33 points, including three 3s and 8-for-10 from the foul line.

Third-ranked Melrose (18-4, 2-2) led 18-17 after a quarter despite 13 points from Rose, but spent most of the rest of the night fighting uphill. Senior Lizzy Horner added four 3s and 13 points for Logan (17-7, 3-1), including back-to-back treys for a 26-21 lead early in the second.

“We did a good job of breaking their press and getting some layups early,” Lady Buffs coach Kevin Lackey said. “I thought the biggest play of the game was when they missed a free throw and we gave up three offensive rebounds, and it ended up being a 3-pointer (by Horner for a 51-41 lead early in the fourth).”

Sophomore Skyla Wicker scored eight of her 11 points in the opening stanza for Melrose. Meantime, senior standout Graci Odom – relatively quiet for three quarters – erupted for 10 of her team-high 15 points in the fourth frame to help the Lady Buffs mount a comeback.

Melrose squads traveled to Grady for district contests on Tuesday. They face Gateway Christian at home on Saturday in non-district tilts.