Girls basketball team hosts tourney

The girls basketball team hosted its annual Sisters Holiday Tournament last month. Five teams from around the state, including Junction City, Burns, LaSalle, La Pine and Madras attended the event.

The Lady Outlaws earned a 46-32 win over Madras in their first game of the tournament on Thursday. Nine different players contributed points in the contest, including 10 points each from Kiana Jiminez, Mackenzie Williams and Danielle Allen.

The Outlaws played very lethargically in the first few minutes of the first quarter, and the White Buffaloes jumped to an early 7-2 lead. Sisters came alive midway through the quarter and at the end of the first quarter had pulled to a 12-11 advantage.

In the second quarter Sisters exploded offensively. The Outlaws outscored Madras 18-6 and at the half had pushed to a 30-17 lead. The Outlaws made their shots, pushed the ball, took advantage of Madras' turnovers and turned them into points.

Coach Kevin Cotner told The Nugget that the lead allowed his team to work on specific aspects of the game that they are unable to work on when they are behind in a game.

"We worked on our stall, and we were able to slow it down, be more methodical, patient and controlled, and we were able to look for specific shots," said Cotner.

By the end of the third quarter, Sisters had pushed to a 15-point advantage at 40-25. Sisters held on and won with a final score of 46-32.

The Outlaws finished the night with 15 offensive rebounds. Susan Reuttgers and Lani Ulmer both did an outstanding job on the boards.

Cotner was pleased with his team's performance.

"This was our best defensively executed game so far this season," said Cotner. "We were almost perfect. Our weak side help really kept us in the game. Their (Madras) posts were non-factors because our posts played great defense. After those first few minutes in the first quarter, the girls really responded and stepped it up. The bench contributed, and it was a great win."

However, the excellent play didn't continue into the final two games of the tournament. Sisters fell 37-57 to LaSalle on Friday and then lost to Burns on Saturday with a final score of 33-45.

The Outlaws will host La Pine at home on Tuesday, January 8. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.