Lady Outlaws win in the clutch

The girls' basketball team pulled out a clutch win with 1.9 seconds left on the clock on Wednesday, January 3 at Elmira. Sisters finished on top 39-38 to notch the win in their first league game of the season.

The game started out slow, and at the end of the first quarter the score was tied 5-5. At the half the Outlaws were down 13-9.

Coach Kevin Cotner told The Nugget his team had no offensive rhythm. They took lots of shots, but nothing seemed to go down.

"It was like a fish swimming upstream," said Cotner. "We were battling but not getting anything."

Sisters was down by five at the end of the third period. With four minutes left in the game, the Outlaws finally came alive.

Sisters went up by three with approximately two minutes left on the clock. Elmira took possession and made their shot to close the Outlaw lead to one. Sisters took the ball down the court, and Kali Ulmer was fouled on the shot. Ulmer made one of her two free throws to put the Outlaws up by two.

With the clock clicking down, Elmira drove the lane and was fouled. They iced both their shots to tie the game with nine seconds left on the clock.

The Outlaws called a time out and made a final play. Ulmer attacked the rim and was fouled on the shot. Kali made her first shot and missed the second. Sisters went up by one point with 1.9 seconds left on the clock, securing the win.

Kelsey Nelson led the Outlaws offensively with 12 points. Kali Ulmer had 10 points, and Katie Hughes added eight.

"Kali and Kelsey did a tremendous job going to the hole throughout the game," said Coach Cotner. "They attacked the hoop and either scored a bucket or got to the line.

"We were flat and down most of game. We didn't start playing basketball until the last four minutes of the game. A month ago we wouldn't have won this game, but the girls are starting to figure out what it takes to win games. In order to become a good team you have to learn how to finish close games. Tonight we took a big step forward in becoming a 'team.' It was a huge win for us on the road, but we've got a lot of work to do."

Two days later the Lady Outlaws hosted three time defending state champions, the Burns Highlanders. Sisters lost the match-up 34-20.

Katie Hughes hit a three pointer early in the first quarter to bring the Outlaws to within one point at 3-4. There was a stretch of over two minutes where neither team was able to score. At the end of the quarter, the Outlaws were down 4-7.

At the start of the second quarter Hughes dished a nice pass to Kali Ulmer underneath. Ulmer scored, and the score closed to 6-7. Burns turned over the ball, and Hughes was there to assist Cammy Jacobson on the shot. Jacobson's shot was good, and Sisters took the lead for the first time at 8-7.

Both teams struggled with turnovers, and at the half the Highlanders held a slim 16-13 advantage.

"The first half we were looking to attack the hoop. We got the ball to the posts and made some easy shots," said Cotner.

The third quarter was a nightmare for the Outlaws. Sisters continued to turn the ball over and were held scoreless for the entire quarter.

The Outlaws had a dismal start at the start of the fourth quarter and didn't score until the five minute mark. Finally, Ulmer hit a free throw to get another point on the scoreboard. For the next three minutes Sisters kept the Hilanders from scoring, but the clock kept clicking down.

With 45 seconds left on the clock, Jen Friend grabbed her own offensive rebound and put it back up for two. At the 10 second mark Friend drove to the hoop and scored for two more.

On a positive note Cotner said, "The girls played a competitive game against a defending 3A state championship team for three quarters. We just have to learn how to take care of the ball and make sound decisions."

Katie Hughes led the Outlaws with six points, both three point field goals. Cammy Jacobson added four points. Jacobson also had four rebounds, all in the second half. Brandi Palmer had four boards for the Lady Outlaws.