Boys basketball team gets easy win

The boys basketball team kicked off league play with an 85-34 blowout over the La Pine Hawks on Wednesday, January 9.

Although Coach Rand Runco felt his team played slow defense at the start of the game, it was obvious the offense was on fire. At the end of the first period, the Outlaws held a 21-15 lead over the Hawks. Sisters went on to outscore La Pine 23-8 in the second quarter and at the half had pushed to a 44-23

advantage.

The Outlaws put up 31 points on the scoreboard in the third quarter and held the Hawks to eight. La Pine was only able to score three points in the fourth, and Sisters won by 51.

"After the first quarter we really clamped down

defensively," Runco said. "We shot the ball well the entire game, but we still need to improve on our rebounding."

Tyler Miller and Drew Harrison were an excellent presence in the paint for the Outlaws. The duo hurt La Pine inside which allowed Sisters' shooters open shots.

Jarred Hasskamp and Tanner Hodges led the Outlaws with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Daniel Ketchum finished with 15 points and six assists, and Nate Jackson added 13 points.

Hasskamp and Hodges did an exceptional job defensively and created many turnovers and deflections over the course of the night. Point guards Hodges and Ketchum combined for a total of 10 assists.

Zach Lange rejoined the Outlaws after being out six games due to an elbow injury and had six rebounds on the night. Miller, Harrison and Michael Reeve were all great contributors on the boards.

The Outlaws missed the energy of Barclay Moon, who is out for two weeks with a hand injury.

Sophomore post Drew Harrison said: "Our defense improved a lot the last two-thirds of the game, and after we really got mentally focused as a team they just couldn't hang with us. Our team has set high goals for the rest of the season, so we just have to keep working hard."

Runco said the win was a great team effort, but if the Outlaws hope to move forward, they will need to continue to improve every single game.

The Sky-Em is the strongest league in the state and includes Junction City, Cottage Grove and Marist, ranked the top three teams in the state. Sisters is currently ranked eighth in the state, with 1-0 in league play and 9-2 overall. The Outlaws will travel to J.C. on Tuesday, January 15 and will host Elmira on Friday, January 18.