The Longhorns (22-8) led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter, but a lot of turnovers in the fourth quarter allowed Melrose (17-15) to get back in the game.

With 1:01 left in the game, Melrose sophomore Caley Barnard hit a 3-pointer to bring the Buffaloes within five. That would be as close as they would get as Logan shut them out the rest of the game.

“We got within reaching distance, but you have to hand it to Logan,” Melrose coach Toby Bostwick said. “They played scrappy and got after it.”

Logan senior Whitney Cordova scored 25 points for the Longhorns. She was 4-for-4 from behind the 3-point arc in the first quarter, but didn’t attempt a 3-ball after that.

Logan’s Brooke Rachor jumps into the arms of her father and head coach Clair Rachor after winning the Class 1A title. (GREG SORBER/JOURNAL)

“I got really hot in the first half, then my teammates started shooting really good in the second half, so I decided that I was going to get them the assist and let them score,” Cordova said.

Logan was up 16-13 at the end of the first quarter and was able to pull away after that. Coach Clair Rachor said his team had more desire.

“A lot of it was just determination,” Rachor said. “I thought we controlled the boards well. I thought we ran the court well, and it seemed like it generated easier shots for us.”

Rachor said he thought the Longhorns should have been seeded higher than the Buffaloes, even though Logan lost the district championship to Melrose. He said the seeding had a lot to do with how well his team played.

“When the seeding came out, Melrose was seeded ahead of us and that gave us a lot of motivation,” Rachor said. “The girls were a little disappointed with a six seed.”

Barnard said this game against Logan was the toughest.

“We didn’t lose; they beat us,” Barnard said. “That’s the best game they’ve played all season.”

Barnard finished the game with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Eighth-grader Reagan Carthel also had a double-double — 16 points and 14 rebounds — for the Buffaloes. Logan sophomore Emily Collins added 12 points for the Longhorns.

Melrose shot 26 percent from the field compared with Logan’s 40 percent. The Buffaloes made four of 31 attempts from behind the 3-point arc.