Buffs to face Elida next

MELROSE - Step one was easy enough. Suffice it to say, though, it gets tougher from here for the Melrose Buffaloes.

Seeded seventh in the Class 1A boys 16-team state tournament field, Melrose cruised to a 69-30 win over 10th-seeded Springer on Saturday afternoon. Next up is No. 2 Elida in a 6 p.m. quarterfinal matchup today at Elida.

That winner moves into a 3:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday at Bernalillo H.S., seeking a berth in Saturday's 6 p.m. title clash at The Pit in Albuquerque.

Two other area teams, Dora and Clovis Christian, also won on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals.

Sophomore Dathan Yeary and freshman Cy Draper scored 13 points apiece for the Buffs (19-8), who eliminated the Red Devils (15-9) for the third consecutive season. Senior Logan DeVaney finished with 12 points.

Melrose knows it has its work cut out against Elida (21-5). The teams haven't met this season.

"It'll be a slugfest," Buffs coach Kevin Lackey said. "They've got a good team, and they'll be a tough matchup."

Springer, which relies heavily on the 3-pointer, didn't make one until the final two minutes of the third stanza - and that was it for the Red Devils all day. Still, they led 9-7 early before Melrose scored the final seven points of the quarter.

By halftime, it was 33-20, and the Buffs held Springer to just three field goals and 10 points the rest of the way.

"That's what we do against a lot of teams," said Melrose senior Brody McAlister, who finished with eight points. "We play as a team all the time. We're just used to playing together."

Eventually, 10 Buffs contributed to the scoring column while only four scored for Springer, which was led by 14 points from senior Wade Burton. Melrose knocked down eight 3-pointers in the contest, including three by Yeary, and went 9-for-9 from the foul line as a team.

"Ultimately, we played good defense in the second half," Lackey said. "We were just able to wear them down with our depth."

McAlister, one of three seniors on the Buffs' roster, said he was looking forward to the quarterfinal tilt.

"We're just going to go in there and treat it like any other game," he said. "It'll be a fun game, for sure."

In other area boys games on Saturday:

Elida 76, Cimarron 56 - The host Tigers led by 10 points at the quarter and steadily pulled away against the 15th-seeded Blue Jays (13-15). Senior Rylan Creighton led three Elida players in double digits with 18 points, while brothers Jose and Seth Jimenez tallied 15 and 11, respectively.

Dora 42, Legacy Academy 39 - At Albuquerque, the ninth-seeded Coyotes (17-9) pulled off a bit of an upset, rallying to beat the No. 8 Silverbacks (19-8) with a 16-11 fourth-quarter scoring advantage in a seesaw matchup. Neither team led by more than five points.

Dora's reward? A date tonight at top-seeded and defending state champion Magdalena (28-1), this year's prohibitive favorite.

Junior Steven Masini led the Coyotes with 23 points, while sophomore Cache Skelley was next in line with eight. For Legacy, sophomore Robert Turrieta finished with 14 points.

Clovis Christian 75, Evangel Christian 53 - At CCS, the fifth-seeded Eagles (20-8) knocked down five of their 11 3-pointers in a 24-10 third-quarter blitz, opening a 26-point lead over Evangel (21-7).

Four players reached double figures for Clovis Christian, including personal-bests of 21 points for junior O.B. Blanco and 16 for sophomore Jaden Martinez. Meantime, juniors Noah Gershon and Carter Teune tallied 19 and 13 points, respectively.

For Evangel Christian, 6-foot-3 sophomore Noah Rush posted a game-high 22 points, and senior Andres Garcia chipped in 13.

Hagerman 65, Texico 52 - In Class 2A at Hagerman, the seventh-seeded Bobcats (22-3) erased a four-point deficit by outscoring the Wolverines 14-4 in the second period while holding them without a field goal.

Six-foot-5 junior David Chacon led Hagerman's balanced attack with 19 points, while senior Roberto Delacruz added 14. For Texico (13-13), junior Jahvon Askew had 18 points and sophomore Cade Figg 14.

In girls first-round action on Friday:

Melrose 52, Dora 33 - The fourth-seeded Lady Buffs (20-7) earned a quarterfinal home game on Tuesday night against fifth-seeded Gateway Christian, breaking away from a halftime tie by converting five 3-pointers and outscoring the Lady Coyotes 34-15 in the final two cantos.

Junior Johanna Roybal finished with 13 points for Melrose, while junior Isabelle Sena tallied 12 and sophomore Graci Odom 11. For Dora (12-12). Senior Katelyn Burnett netted 10 points.