The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Outlaws wrapped up their pre-season with two losses: a 40-48 defeat at the hands of Klamath Union (KU) on Saturday, January 4, and a 58-64 overtime loss at home against Madras three days later.

In Tuesday’s game the Pelicans jumped out with an early lead, but the Outlaws battled back to within one to close out the first quarter 11-12. The Outlaws took a five-point lead toward the close of the second period, but KU answered with a three-pointer to cut the lead to 22-20 at the half.

Sisters struggled in the third quarter and were outscored 12-7. In the fourth, with less than two minutes left on the clock, Nate Weber drove hard to the basket and was fouled. A technical foul on a KU player immediately followed which gave the Outlaws four free throws and the ball with 1:41 remaining. Weber converted two of the four, but then Sisters turned the ball over and was forced to foul. The Pelicans made their shots at the stripe and pushed their lead to eight. The Outlaws scored two more points, but KU held on and won by six.

Weber led the Outlaws with 13 points, Sam Nicklous recorded 10, Brogan Petterson contributed nine, and Joe Scholl added eight.

Coach Rob Jensen said, “We played well and got the right shots; we just didn’t hit them when needed. We’re just a few mental errors from winning.”

The following Tuesday, the Outlaws suffered a heartbreaking 58-64 overtime loss to the White Buffs. Sisters played a balanced first half and were up 25-17 as teams headed to the locker rooms.

Madras fought back in the second half and tied it up at the close of regulation to send the game into overtime. The White Buffs scored 17 points in overtime and beat the Outlaws by six.

Nicklous led the scoring effort with 21 points, Weber scored 19, Connor Linn recorded 11, and Max Palanuk added five.

Jensen noted that Linn made some big plays when the Outlaws really needed it, and Nicklous and Weber shot the ball well.

“The team is improving; we just need to cut down on our mental errors and control what we can control,” said Jensen. “We did a good job of executing and made some shots, and led the whole game until overtime.”

Sisters was scheduled to travel to Cascade on Tuesday, January 14. They will play at home against Woodburn on Friday, January 17. The Outlaws were to play at home against Newport on Friday, January 10, but the game was canceled due to weather concerns and will be re-scheduled at a later date.