Lady Outlaws splits pair on hardwood

The girls basketball team suffered a tough 48-35 loss to the Lady Tigers at Junction City (JC) on Tuesday, February 8, but bounced back three days later with a huge 75-46 win at home over Cottage Grove.

Sisters started off strong in Tuesday's action at JC and held a 10-6 lead at the close of the first quarter. The Lady Outlaws set the tempo and controlled the ball on both ends of the court.

Momentum shifted quickly in the second quarter when Sisters just couldn't get their shots to fall. The Tigers outscored Sisters 12-2 in the second period to take an 18-12 lead at the half.

"We had 12 good attempts in the second quarter, but it just would not go through the net," said Coach Julianne Horner.

The Outlaws came back in the third and matched JC bucket for bucket with both teams posting 13 points on the scoreboard.

Sisters put forth great defensive effort in the final period but unfortunately, they couldn't get their shots through the net. The Tigers put up 17 points compared to Sisters' 10 points and won the contest by 13 in a final score of 48-35.

Coach Horner told The Nugget that Elise Herron and Katie Yozamp had their best defensive game of the year.

Marin Allen led the Outlaws with nine points on the night. Allen also had four steals in the first half which led to lay-ups on Sisters' end of the court.

Carissa Kernutt scored seven points and pulled down seven very big boards for Sisters. Sammy Kaiser recorded six points and Chelsie McConville added five points and five rebounds for the Outlaws.

"As a team we are very proud of the overall performance, just disappointed with the outcome," Horner said.

Sisters bounced back with a big win three days later at home against the Lions of Cottage Grove.

The Outlaws took command of the game from the tip-off and quickly took a 6-1 lead. Halfway through the first quarter the Lions scored their first bucket of the game, but Chelsie McConville came right back with a three-pointer for Sisters and the Outlaws pushed to a 9-3 advantage. The Lions battled back and with just over one minute left in the quarter tied it up 9-9.

Marin Allen broke Sisters' dry scoring spell when she drove the lane and scored on a layup. Taylor Nieri hit two foul shots with 13 seconds left on the clock, and at the close of the quarter Sisters led by one, 13-12.

The score went back and forth in the second quarter, and midway through the period the score was tied 20-20. The Outlaws took control, hit their shots, grabbed offensive boards and put them back in and hit shots at the line. With 47 seconds left in the half Marin Allen netted a three to push Sisters to a 33-25 lead. Whitney Hansen pulled down an offensive board and scored on a put-back right before the buzzer sounded. At the half Sisters held a 35-25 lead.

Allen opened the floodgates for Sisters in the third quarter and scored 10 points in the first four minutes. Buckets from McConville, Nieri and Katie Yozamp helped push Sisters to a 58-33 lead at the close of the quarter.

The Outlaws' bench played significant minutes in the final quarter and contributed to the 75-46 victory.

Allen led all scorers with 17 points, including two threes, and was 3/4 from the line. Taylor Nieri scored 15 points and was 7/8 from the line. Nieri also pulled down eight boards for the

Outlaws.

"Taylor had an outstanding game," said Horner. "She pushed the tempo and was a threat anytime she had the ball in her hand. She was tenacious on defense and had a great performance on offense."

Chelsie McConville finished with 13 points, including two threes, and was 3/4 from the line.

Katie Yozamp and Carissa Kernutt both had an incredible inside game. Yozamp scored 12 points in the paint and Kernutt pulled down 11 boards. Kernutt also scored seven points, including her first three-pointer of the season.

The Lady Outlaws are 6-3 in Sky-Em play and are 9-11 overall. Sisters was to honor seniors at the final home game of the season on Tuesday, February 15. On Friday, February 18, the Outlaws will play at La Pine in their final league game of the season. Game time is 5:45 p.m.