Buffs, Lady Buffs complete sweep of own tournament

MELROSE – Things started poorly for Grady's boys in Saturday's American Heritage tournament finals, and they never got better.

Senior standout Zane Rush picked up a foul on the first trip down the court, and Grady couldn't get anything going in a 65-25 loss to host Melrose.

In the girls' title matchup, Melrose posted a 59-29 victory over Quemado.

Despite their early issues, the Bronchos (3-3) managed to stay within hailing distance, trailing 32-15 at halftime. But Melrose took complete control with a 26-2 surge in the third stanza as sophomore Jaxon Odom scored all but one of his team-high 13 points.

Junior Brayden Eldridge added 11 for the Buffs, all in the first half, while junior Chance Brittenum chipped in nine. Meantime, the Buffs (3-0) limited Rush to 14 points, with eight coming in the final segment.

"Obviously, he's a really good player, but I thought we did a good job on him," Melrose coach Drew Hatley said of Rush. "I thought Brayden Eldridge did a good job when he was checking him.

"We just have some good athletes. When they're out there, it's hard to tell who the top five are."

The Lady Buffs beat Quemado in the finals of the tournament for the third time since 2018, outscoring the Lady Eagles 16-5 in the first quarter and rolling from there.

"I thought we were a little sluggish to start the game, but I thought we competed well defensively all night," Melrose coach Kevin Lackey said. "We had a lot of kids that contributed."

Senior Graci Odom led a balanced attack with a pair of 3-pointers and 13 points for Melrose. Sophomore Skyla Wicker finished with 11 points, while seniors Adeline Carlyle and Karlee Elliot had nine apiece.

For Quemado (3-1), sophomore Chaycie Pergeson had a pair of 3s and 12 points.

In other Saturday boys action:

Floyd 47, Mountainair 40 – Senior Isaias Nieto scored eight of his game-high 17 points in the third period, helping the Broncos (1-2) pull away from the Mustangs (0-5).

Freshman Marcos Sisneros had 13 points for Mountainair, and junior Omahne Nieto tallied 12.

Also, To'Hajiilee defeated Hagerman 66-50 for third place and Quemado bested Gateway Christian 50-39 for fifth.

On the girls' side:

Grady 50, Hagerman 35 – Junior Juanita Ramirez led three players in double digits with 17 points and the Lady Bronchos (4-2) took command with a 13-2 run in the second quarter in the fifth-place game.

Senior December Garza added 15 and senior Taylor Foote scored 11 of her 12 in the first half for Grady. The Lady Bobcats (2-3) were led by sophomore Ariana Magallanes with four 3-pointers and 16 points – 11 before halftime – and sophomore Natalie Gomez with 13.

Mountainair 44, Floyd 27 – The Lady Mustangs (2-5) captured seventh place as senior Jasmine Everett scored 12 points and junior Aaliyah Lopez tossed in 11.

Mountainair led the Lady Broncos (0-3) by just five points before going on an 18-6 charge in the final canto. Leading the way for Floyd was junior Nevaeha Brown with eight points.

In Saturday's third-place tilt, To'Hajiilee defeated Gateway Christian 38-31.