News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The Lady outalws have been playing well in pre-season action.
Katie Hughes scored 13 of her 17 points in the first quarter to lead the Lady Outlaws to a 60-54 home victory over Madras on Tuesday, December 13.
Sisters jumped out to an early lead over the White Buffaloes and maintained the lead throughout the game.
Hughes hit three three-point shots in the first quarter and Emily VanBlaricum hit a three at the buzzer ending the first quarter to give the Outlaws a 23-14 advantage.
Coach Bill Blevins said, “Katie hit the wide open shots. Elyss (Clasen) did a great job of penetrating into the key to draw defenders down low and then kicked the ball back out to Katie.”
The White Buffs outscored Sisters by just two points in the second quarter and at the half the Outlaws held a 35-28 lead.
Sisters held an 11-point advantage with approximately five minutes remaining in the game and then the momentum shifted in the Buffs’ favor.
“We had a full mental breakdown for about one minute,” said Blevins. “Madras went on a 7-0 run and cut the lead to just four points. But, we held our composure and played strong to the end.”
The game ended in a 60-54 victory for the Outlaws.
In addition to her game-high 17 points, Hughes had 12 rebounds and six steals. Jenny Boswell scored 12 points and had three steals and Emily VanBlaricum added nine points, pulled down eight boards and had three steals. Elyss Clasen scored six points and both Cammy Jacobson and Torie Smith had seven rebounds.
Blevins told The Nugget that his team understands the defense much better than in the previous week and it showed in their play on the court.
“We caused a lot of turnovers,” said Blevins, “and we got a lot of fast breaks because of it.”
Overall, Blevins was very happy with his team’s performance.
“I’m pleased with the effort we gave on the court,” said Blevins. “The intensity was what it needs to be every night. Our goal has been to pick up the pace of the game and that means running offensively very quickly and precisely so there’s no wasted time and we can keep the flow of the game moving quickly.”
The Outlaws shot only 31 percent from the field and still scored 60 points for the night which really reflects the pace of the game.
Sisters suffered a tough loss at home just three days later when they lost by two to Valley Catholic (VC) in a final score of 45-43.
Sisters started the game strong and for the second time in a week jumped out to take an early lead. The Outlaws maintained the lead until the final two minutes of the game. From there the lead changed twice. In the last minute and 18 seconds Sisters turned the ball over three times and missed three very close shots. Valley Catholic took advantage, capitalized on the opportunity and won the game by two points.
Katie Hughes led the Outlaws offensively with 19 points, including three ‘threes.’ Jenny Boswell contributed 10 points and nine rebounds and Elyss Clasen added six points.
Coach Blevins told The Nugget he felt his team played hard and he was really pleased with their defensive effort. Offensively, Blevins said the Lady Outlaws will have to shoot better than 30 percent if they expect to be a good team.
The Lady Outlaws will travel to Burns December 22.
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