Outlaws lose three tough games

Three games in one week with no practice for three days took its toll on the Outlaws this past week. Sisters lost 62-52 at La Pine on Tuesday, February 11, and the following day lost at home 54-48 to Elmira. On Friday, the Outlaws lost 48-35 in their battle against the Sweet Home Huskies.

Sisters played a steady defensive game on Tuesday against La Pine, but fell back to making small mistakes, specifically turning the ball over at key times and missing open shots.

The Outlaws were slow from the start and allowed the Hawks too many open looks from the three-point line early in the game.

Sisters kept their turnovers down, but La Pine had a couple of runs that stymied the Outlaws' comeback. The Hawks hit eight threes, five of which came in the first half, and were also 80 percent from the line.

At the half, the Outlaws were down 32-19. Sisters battled hard but couldn't make up the early deficit. They closed the gap to five but couldn't break it after that. The Outlaws were forced to foul down the stretch, and the Hawks pulled off the win.

Coach Rand Runco noted Nate Kaping and Lane Adams for their great job of keeping the Hawks off the glass.

Justin Harrer led the Outlaws with 18 points and eight boards. Connor Schaab scored 13 points, pulled down four boards and dished out five assists. Ben Larson chipped in for seven points.

A day later, the Outlaws lost in a close battle at home against Elmira. Sisters struggled in the first quarter, and at the end of the period trailed the Falcons 17-4.

"Elmira is athletic and came out rolling, and their pressure gave our backcourt problems," said Runco. "It made it difficult for us to get into our offense, and we struggled to be patient in the first quarter."

Sisters moved through the tough quarter and began to fight back. The Outlaws outscored Elmira 18-9 in the second quarter and played even with the Falcons the rest of the way.

"We figured out their pressure and started attacking it instead of playing sideways," said Runco. "We came back hard and had a great second quarter."

The Outlaws just couldn't recover from the hole they'd dug in the first quarter, and the Falcons recorded the win.

The Outlaws were hurt on the boards in the first half but bounced back and held the Falcons to two offensive boards in the second half. Sisters also out-rebounded Elmira 11-8 in the game.

Runco noted Ben Larson for doing a good job of handling the Falcon's pressure, Justin Harrer for a well-rounded game, and Hayden Martinez for his great performance on the offensive end.

On Friday, the Outlaws lost in a tight matchup with the Huskies. Sweet Home boasts a very offensive team and Sisters knew they would be in for a battle. The Huskies' four guards scored a combined 82 points in their previous game against La Pine.

Sisters knew they would need to control the tempo of the game, and they did a terrific job of that in the first half. The Outlaws reversed the ball and forced the Huskies to play defense, which threw them into frustration. At the close of the first quarter Sisters was on top 10-7.

The Outlaws gave up a couple of easy buckets in the second and missed many close and open shots. Sweet Home closed the gap and went ahead 23-21 at the half.

Sisters continued to play good defense in the third, but could not get their shots to fall and had a turnover flurry that stung them. The Outlaws were outscored 13-4 in the quarter.

In the final quarter, with the Outlaws down by 10, the Huskies spread the court and made the Outlaws chase them. Sisters held even but couldn't close the gap. Sisters hit some big shots in the quarter, but the Huskies downed some big deep threes and hit their free-throw shots to secure the win.

The big highlight of the game for the Outlaws was a lob play from Hayden Martinez to Justin Harrer for a huge dunk over the top of a Sweet Home player.

"The big difference in this game is that we could not score consistently and we struggled containing the point guard," said Runco. "He was able to penetrate our defense and create shots for himself and others. It was an intense fourth quarter and a great game the whole way.

"We are really proud of the boys' effort," added Runco. "This is a really offensive team, and our kids played really hard."

It was a tough week for the Outlaws, but coaches and players are positive and optimistic.

"The boys are playing hard and not letting up," stated Runco. "The team spirit is good and good leadership from our three seniors and constant improvement from our other young players has really kept us moving forward on a tough win/loss record. We've seen some big improvement from Justin Harrer and Hayden Martinez, who have really stepped up the offensive end where we need it."

Runco added, "Our team defense is also good. We are cutting 10-20 points off each team's average and keeping the games very close with our good defense. We just struggle scoring at points during the game as we are developing scorers. They are coming, but we just need consistency."

The Outlaws are excited about the program as a whole, and especially the freshman team, which is undefeated in league so far this season. The JV team is also doing well and holds a 5-2 league record. The Outlaws still have three games remaining and are moving forward. Coaches are impressed with the perseverance and the team effort of their players.

The Outlaws were to play at home against Junction City on Tuesday, February 18. On Friday, February 21, Sisters will play at home against Cottage Grove and then they will wrap up league play on Monday, February 24, at Elmira. Games are scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m.

Three games in one week with no practice for three days took its toll on the Outlaws this past week. Sisters lost 62-52 at La Pine on Tuesday, February 11, and the following day lost at home 54-48 to Elmira. On Friday, the Outlaws lost 48-35 in their battle against the Sweet Home Huskies.

Sisters played a steady defensive game on Tuesday against La Pine, but fell back to making small mistakes, specifically turning the ball over at key times and missing open shots.

The Outlaws were slow from the start and allowed the Hawks too many open looks from the three-point line early in the game.

Sisters kept their turnovers down, but La Pine had a couple of runs that stymied the Outlaws' comeback. The Hawks hit eight threes, five of which came in the first half, and were also 80 percent from the line.

At the half, the Outlaws were down 32-19. Sisters battled hard but couldn't make up the early deficit. They closed the gap to five but couldn't break it after that. The Outlaws were forced to foul down the stretch, and the Hawks pulled off the win.

Coach Rand Runco noted Nate Kaping and Lane Adams for their great job of keeping the Hawks off the glass.

Justin Harrer led the Outlaws with 18 points and eight boards. Connor Schaab scored 13 points, pulled down four boards and dished out five assists. Ben Larson chipped in for seven points.

A day later, the Outlaws lost in a close battle at home against Elmira. Sisters struggled in the first quarter, and at the end of the period trailed the Falcons 17-4.

"Elmira is athletic and came out rolling, and their pressure gave our backcourt problems," said Runco. "It made it difficult for us to get into our offense, and we struggled to be patient in the first quarter."

Sisters moved through the tough quarter and began to fight back. The Outlaws outscored Elmira 18-9 in the second quarter and played even with the Falcons the rest of the way.

"We figured out their pressure and started attacking it instead of playing sideways," said Runco. "We came back hard and had a great second quarter."

The Outlaws just couldn't recover from the hole they'd dug in the first quarter, and the Falcons recorded the win.

The Outlaws were hurt on the boards in the first half but bounced back and held the Falcons to two offensive boards in the second half. Sisters also out-rebounded Elmira 11-8 in the game.

Runco noted Ben Larson for doing a good job of handling the Falcon's pressure, Justin Harrer for a well-rounded game, and Hayden Martinez for his great performance on the offensive end.

On Friday, the Outlaws lost in a tight matchup with the Huskies. Sweet Home boasts a very offensive team and Sisters knew they would be in for a battle. The Huskies' four guards scored a combined 82 points in their previous game against La Pine.

Sisters knew they would need to control the tempo of the game, and they did a terrific job of that in the first half. The Outlaws reversed the ball and forced the Huskies to play defense, which threw them into frustration. At the close of the first quarter Sisters was on top 10-7.

The Outlaws gave up a couple of easy buckets in the second and missed many close and open shots. Sweet Home closed the gap and went ahead 23-21 at the half.

Sisters continued to play good defense in the third, but could not get their shots to fall and had a turnover flurry that stung them. The Outlaws were outscored 13-4 in the quarter.

In the final quarter, with the Outlaws down by 10, the Huskies spread the court and made the Outlaws chase them. Sisters held even but couldn't close the gap. Sisters hit some big shots in the quarter, but the Huskies downed some big deep threes and hit their free-throw shots to secure the win.

The big highlight of the game for the Outlaws was a lob play from Hayden Martinez to Justin Harrer for a huge dunk over the top of a Sweet Home player.

"The big difference in this game is that we could not score consistently and we struggled containing the point guard," said Runco. "He was able to penetrate our defense and create shots for himself and others. It was an intense fourth quarter and a great game the whole way.

"We are really proud of the boys' effort," added Runco. "This is a really offensive team, and our kids played really hard."

It was a tough week for the Outlaws, but coaches and players are positive and optimistic.

"The boys are playing hard and not letting up," stated Runco. "The team spirit is good and good leadership from our three seniors and constant improvement from our other young players has really kept us moving forward on a tough win/loss record. We've seen some big improvement from Justin Harrer and Hayden Martinez, who have really stepped up the offensive end where we need it."

Runco added, "Our team defense is also good. We are cutting 10-20 points off each team's average and keeping the games very close with our good defense. We just struggle scoring at points during the game as we are developing scorers. They are coming, but we just need consistency."

The Outlaws are excited about the program as a whole, and especially the freshman team, which is undefeated in league so far this season. The JV team is also doing well and holds a 5-2 league record. The Outlaws still have three games remaining and are moving forward. Coaches are impressed with the perseverance and the team effort of their players.

The Outlaws were to play at home against Junction City on Tuesday, February 18. On Friday, February 21, Sisters will play at home against Cottage Grove and then they will wrap up league play on Monday, February 24, at Elmira. Games are scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m.