Outlaws win two on hardwood

The Outlaws defeated the Hawks 62-45 in a tough game on Tuesday, January 11 at La Pine, and three days later recorded a 31-29 victory over Pleasant Hill.

Sisters matched up against La Pine, one of the most athletic teams in the league, on Tuesday. The first half of the contest was played at a very high tempo and the lead changed several times. At the close of the first quarter, the Outlaws held the lead at 21-13, but at the half the Hawks were up by one, 36-35.

La Pine packed the zone with their size in the third quarter. The smaller Outlaws played with tenacity, and with three minutes to go in the period took a one-point lead and then stood with the ball at half court.

"This (standing at half-court) created some excitement in the gym as the La Pine gym was booing and yelling at players and coaches," said coach Rand Runco. "The strategy worked, and they had to come out of their zone to guard us man-to-man. Our quickness and execution was too much for them, and we outscored them 22-5 for the win."

John Erickson led the Outlaws in scoring with 21 points and four rebounds and did a great job defending La Pine's tough point guard, Tirril.

Erickson said, "I got a lot of great passes from Jalen (Miller) in places where it was easy for me to score. Our team played steady throughout the whole game, and we're continuing to improve. Our goal is to win league."

Rodney Warner put up 17 points and pulled down three boards while Jalen Miller added 16 points and six assists. Drew Harrison had six assists and five boards in the game.

Cory Holt and Rodney Warner both had a great defensive game and held La Pine's 6-foot-7-inch post, Stenberg, to just three points.

"It was a great team effort," said Runco. "It looks like the league will be a dogfight. Marist and Elmira look like they have a slight advantage, and it looks like we've improved enough to be battling with Junction City, Pleasant Hill and Cottage Grove. We must keep improving and become more experienced along the way. It looks to be an exciting season and we don't have much room for error. We must control the things we can, our grades, team attitude and effort. We are building our depth as we go and have to keep ourselves healthy and keep our fingers crossed on injuries."

A great defensive effort by the Outlaws three days later resulted in a victory at Pleasant Hill. Sisters battled hard against the Billies and took advantage of their depth, so that key players were able to stay fresh and finish with energy.

Sisters steadily pulled ahead throughout the game and held a 12-point lead with five-and-a-half minutes to go in the game. The Billies increased their pressure, and the Outlaws did not handle the pressure well.

"The Billies overtook us in just a few key possessions, and we could not get a call on the road," said Runco.

The Outlaws went down by one with less than a minute to go in the game. Drew Harrison, who has been one of Sisters' steady leaders from the start of the season, stepped up and hit a huge three-pointer. The Outlaws took a two-point lead and held on to secure the win.

John Erickson led the Outlaws with 10 points.

The Outlaws are currently 2-2 in league and were scheduled to host Junction City on Tuesday, January 19.