Girls basketball defeats top-ranked Stayton

The Outlaws girls basketball team defeated the Stayton Eagles 43-32 in their first game of the pre-season on Monday, November 30.

All 11 players contributed in the win over the No. 7 team in the state.

Sisters jumped out early and at the close of the first quarter held a 16-6 lead over Stayton. It was a low scoring second quarter, and the Outlaws had trouble executing their offense. The Eagles outscored the Outlaws 7-4, but at the half Sisters still held the lead at 20-13.

Stayton outscored the Outlaws by two in the third quarter, and both teams posted 14 in the fourth. Sisters' early lead at the start of the game helped to secure the win.

Sisters' guard play was especially strong. They put pressure on the perimeter and kept Stayton off balance. The tenacious play inside prevented the Eagles' center from getting the ball where she has the potential of dominating on the inside.The defensive pressure by the Outlaws' guards also opened up a number of transition buckets in the form of 23 steals.

Danelle Allen had two steals late in the game for breakaway buckets.

"These were crucial scores, as Stayton was making their final push to close the gap," said Coach Kevin Cotner. "Danelle was great defensively for us tonight."

Danelle Allen led the Outlaws' offense with 14 points, followed by Taylor Nieri, who contributed eight points. Susan Ruettgers finished the night with six points, and Marin Allen added five.

Cotner was very pleased with Nicole Meadors' performance on both ends of the court.

"Bert (Meadors' nickname) was huge for us in this game and gets our HOG (Hustler of the Game) award. She was relentless on the boards, got the job done at post and did a great job defending their primary post for most of the game," said Cotner.

Freshman Taylor Nieri made her varsity debut in top form.

"Taylor shook off any rookie nerves that she might have had and put in a dominating performance defensively as well as being our second-highest scorer. Seeing a freshman step on to the court and perform the way she did tonight was a special thing," said Cotner.

"This was such an important game for SHS girls basketball, even though it was only pre-season," said Cotner. "It was crucial that the girls start to see their hard work pay off. The win was truly a team effort.

"I think that this is something that is so different about this team," he said. "They are willing to accept and excel at their specific roles. Our challenge now is to use this momentum and this feeling to motivate us every day in practice. We have to take our practice intensity to the next level. Much of the win in this game can be attributed to the commitment to be at practice and the willingness to compete and bring maximum effort everyday. We've enjoyed the moment, now it's time to get back to work."

The Outlaws were not the same team when they faced Burns and Lakeview at the La Pine Tournament on the weekend. Sisters had a difficult time regaining the intensity they displayed Tuesday night at Stayton and lost to both the Eagles and the Highlanders. Burns and Lakeview forced Sisters into a number of turnovers which at the end of the weekend totaled 73.

Chelsie McConville led the team both nights in rebounding, with eight boards each game.

Cotner said, "We're a much better team when we can get into transition and score buckets on the break, but we were limited to four total transition buckets all weekend. The girls played hard and the effort was there but we just weren't playing as a cohesive unit. Red Auerbach once said that 'some people believe that you win with the five best players, but I found out that you win with the five who fit together best.' This is our goal, and we learned a lot about ourselves this weekend.

"We have a tough pre-season, and we will be tested many more times. We are doing a lot of things well, but we need to be smarter with our decisionmaking. We had way too many forced and unnecessary turnovers. I am looking forward to seeing how this team responds," added Cotner.

The Outlaws play at Summit on Wednesday, December 9, at 7 p.m. and on Thursday, December 11, at 7 p.m. Sisters will host Cascade.