Boys basketball wins one, loses two at tournament

The boys basketball team hosted their annual holiday tournament Monday and Tuesday, December 27-28 and matched up against three very tough teams.

Sisters lost 44-25 to Tillamook in their first game. The Outlaws played a great first half and went into the locker room tied 17-17. Sisters became tentative in the second half, did not attack the basket, and lost by 19.

"Tillamook is a top team in the state and we would sure like to play them again," said Coach Rand Runco.

Drew Harrison, John Erickson and Jalen Miller led the Outlaws in scoring.

The Outlaws pulled out a nice 32-29 victory over Philomath in a very tough matchup.

"It was a good victory, especially with Rodney Warner missing the second half with an ankle injury," said Runco. "Jordan Hodges stepped in and played some excellent defense. The team was trailing and was sparked by the bench, who came in and really did their jobs. Aaron Simundson and Randy Ketchum sparked the comeback, with Randy being too much for the Philomath posts."

John Erickson had 13 points to lead the team in scoring.

The Outlaws lost 44-28 to Gladstone in a tough contest. Runco noted that the game tested the team's depth. The bench played a lot of minutes and showed good energy on the floor.

Erickson led the Outlaws with 12 points.

Runco commented on the tournament as a whole.

"It was a great experience for our team, and we learned a lot," said Runco. "We definitely had some scoring issues from our lack of execution. I was really disappointed with our execution, which is something we have not struggled with up to this point. We tried to single-handedly beat each team instead of working together. There was a lot of individual effort, but not the team effort that we will need for league.

"We need to realize that our strength is within the team and that good ball movement and unselfish play is the key to our success. We did not show those things in this tournament. The effort, though, is always there with this group. I'm hoping that getting back to school and back to a routine will help with the offensive chemistry."

Sisters is currently 5-6 in pre-season play and, according to Runco, the Outlaws played one of the toughest pre-season schedules in school history. Runco hopes the tough schedule will pay off in league.

The Outlaws will open league with two of the toughest teams not only in league but in the state. Sisters played at Marist on Tuesday, January 5, and will host Elmira three days later. Games are set to start at 5:45 p.m.