The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Lady Outlaws traveled to Marshfield and participated in the Les Schwab Invitational held Thursday through Saturday, December 19-21. Sisters lost in a tight battle against Marshfield in their opening game, came back and posted a win over Crook County, and then dropped their final game against North Bend.

Sisters first game of the tourney was against Marshfield, and Coach Brittaney Brown told The Nugget that the game was the most competitive she’s seen her girls play in her entire coaching career at Sisters High.

The score went back and forth in the first quarter of play, but at the end Sisters held a 14-11 advantage. Sisters continued to rebound, score, and take care of the ball and at the half held the lead at 19-16.

Unfortunately, the end score wasn’t in the Outlaws favor. The score went back-and-forth, and then toward the end of the final quarter Marshfield got the lead and Sisters lost by four, 35-39.The Outlaws struggled a bit with the constant full court pressure, but never gave up and fought until the final whistle.

RylieReese Morgan scored 13 points and recorded five rebounds. Gracen Sundstrom scored seven points, and Hallie Schwartz put up six points, and had seven steals. Josie Patton had five points in the game and grabbed six boards, and had four assists. Josie Aylor also did a nice job on the glass with five rebounds.

“I was so proud of our team collectively for their effort and energy throughout the entirety of the game,” said Brown. “The game consisted of a lot of lead changes and momentum swings. The girls battled every second of the game. I saw our program really turn a corner in the way we competed every possession. As coaches, we were beyond pleased with the girls and their continuous effort.”

Next, the Outlaws came out on top 42-39 against Crook County.

Sisters put out great effort against the Lady Cowgirls, and at the half held a 10 point advantage with a score of 23-13. The Cowgirls outscored the Outlaws in the second half, but Sisters prevailed and recorded the win

The Outlaws had a number of clutch plays down the stretch that determined the outcome of the game. Payden Petterson had a baseline drive that gave the Outlaws momentum, and Ellie Mayes, Hallie Schwartz, Gracen Sundstrom, and Josie Aylor all hit key free throws at the end of the game to seal the deal. Josie Patton pulled down a number of fourth-quarter rebounds that allowed Sisters to gain some extra possessions.

Petterson scored eight points and grabbed four steals, Sundstrom scored nine points and had two assists, and Aylor added eight points. The Lady Outlaws did a nice job on the boards and rebounds were evenly distributed; Sundstrom had seven rebounds, Morgan had six, and Schwartz, Petterson, and Josie Patton recorded five each. Freshman Ellie Mayes also contributed with two points, two rebounds, and three steals.

“The girls competed again for two games in a row,” said Brown. “The win was truly a team effort and I am very happy our girls got to reap the benefits of a team win.”

Sisters matched up against North Bend in their final game of tournament. North Bend held the lead the entire way and the Outlaws recorded the 29-48 loss. The Outlaws missed having Sundstrom on the court, as she sprained her ankle in the previous Crook County game.

Petterson scored 10 points, Morgan recorded eight, and Schwartz added seven.

Brown said, “For the third game in a row, we were again really pleased with the way the girls competed. We continued to do some really good things on the court, even though we were short-handed. Josie Patton, in her first varsity start, really stepped up to the challenge and competed throughout each possession and held her own on the inside. We saw many of the girls offensively turn the corner with their creativity and positive production. It was a great weekend of basketball for our Lady Outlaws program…”

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, December 17, the Outlaws fell 23-50 at home against Cottage Grove.

Cottage Grove’s quickness and speed, combined with their height (three starters over six feet tall) overpowered the Outlaws in the first half. Sisters put forth great effort, and tried to create opportunities, but the Lion’s size was too much and at the half, Sisters trailed 2-31.

The Outlaws continued to hustle and played hard in the final half. They were able to grab some rebounds against their very tall opponents, played tight defense, and even capitalized on some turnovers, but lost the game 23-50.

The Outlaws host their annual Sisters Holiday Tournament Friday through Sunday, December 27-29.