Lady Outlaws defeat Cottage Grove

The Lady Outlaws basketball team defeated Cottage Grove 51-39 on the road on Friday, January 21.

Sisters and Cottage Grove started the game with tenacious defense. At the close of the first period the Outlaws trailed by two, 6-4. Sisters' offense kicked into gear in the second quarter and the Outlaws outscored the Lions 18-8. At the half Sisters held a 22-14 advantage.

"We made some adjustments in the second quarter, and patience and better shot selection led to our success, which we carried into the third quarter as well," said Coach Julianne Horner.

Sisters kept the momentum on their side and controlled the pace of the game in the third quarter. The Outlaws outscored the Lions by four and pushed to a 37-25 advantage and cruised into the fourth quarter with a 12-point lead. Sisters went on to win the contest by 12.

Horner said, "We continued our strong defense as well as disciplined offense in the fourth quarter and made sure we didn't give any of it back."

Taylor Nieri had a strong shooting performance and led the Outlaws with 18 points on the night, including two three-pointers. Marin Allen contributed 12 points in the win, Katie Yozamp had five and Whitney Hanson added four.

Chelsie McConville put up seven points, and led the Outlaws on the glass with six boards. Chelsie also had 11 steals in the game which is a new school record.

"Chelsie had an incredible performance across the board," stated Horner. "She has the kind of senior leadership that will continue to bring wins to this team. This was Chelsie's best game of the season."

Horner also had praise for Allen.

"Marin played excellent at the point," said Horner. "She directed the offense effectively and kept the offense under control. She also deflected balls in the passing lanes which resulted in steals."

Sisters' post play was also outstanding and limited Cottage Grove to just one shot per possession most of the time and shut down the Lion's inside game.

"Strong rebounding performances from Katie and Whitney led the way inside, and Chelsie's six boards showed her high level of activity in the contest," stated Horner.

Three days earlier the Outlaws suffered a disappointing 48-40 loss at home to the Tigers of Junction City.

McConville led the Outlaws with 12 points. Kaiser recorded seven points and was 3/5 from the free throw line.

The Tigers' guard duo of Krista Mancino and Whitney Osburn combined for 22 points.

Horner commented on the game.

"We played an outstanding game against Junction City," said Horner. "Our post defense was the best all season and our rebounding and defense was aggressive all night. The whole team was pleased with the effort they put out, even with the outcome not what we hoped for."

The Outlaws are 2-1 in Sky-Em competition and 5-10 overall. Sisters was to travel to Elmira on Tuesday, January 25, and will host La Pine on Friday, January 28. Games are set to start at

7:15 p.m.