ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – There are big games, and then there are BIG games. The latter is exactly what Hayden Bruhn delivered on the famed Pit floor Saturday evening. The 6’7” junior put together a monster double-double for the No. 1 Logan Longhorns in their victory over No. 2 Melrose. Bruhn finished with an impressive 23 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists—while also adding four steals for good measure.

With the win, the Longhorns secured their first blue trophy since 2012 and the third in program history.

Bruhn set the tone early, scoring his team’s first four points en route to an eight-point, seven-rebound first quarter. Logan held an 11-6 edge after one and stretched the lead to seven on two occasions before heading into halftime with a 26-20 advantage.

The third quarter saw both teams struggle offensively, with neither able to find much rhythm. Mason Wallin hit a jumper, followed by an Aydin Kotara bucket at the 3:50 mark, putting Logan ahead 30-20 and forcing a Melrose timeout. Jaxon Odom finally got the Buffalos on the board at the 3:11 mark, but Kotara answered with a layup, and Bruhn added a free throw to push the lead back into double digits.

Melrose responded with a 7-2 run, capped by a Cy Draper corner three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 35-29 in the final minute of the quarter. However, Wallin scored inside, and Bruhn grabbed an offensive rebound before throwing down a buzzer-beating dunk to extend Logan’s lead to 39-29 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Longhorns opened the final period with an 8-2 run, stretching their advantage to 47-31. To their credit, Melrose fought until the final whistle and refused to back down against the top seed. However, their efforts weren’t enough to overcome Logan, as the Longhorns pulled away for a 56-44 victory.

Outside of Bruhn’s dominant performance, Logan had two other players finish in double digits—Devin Kotara with 11 points and Wallin with 10. Draper led the Buffalos with 13 points, while Chance Brittenum added 12, and Brayden Eldridge finished with 10.

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