Outlaws win a close one on the hardwood

The Outlaws wrapped up league with a 49-48 win on the road against Elmira on Monday, February 24. Elmira is the best rebounding team in the league, and the Outlaws out-rebounded them by 10 and held the Falcons to two offensive boards the entire game.

Sisters started off strong and scored a steady stream of points. When the Falcons made their run, Justin Harrer stepped in with a terrific performance and scored 12 consecutive points to hold them off. At the half the Outlaws held a 25-17 advantage.

In the third quarter, Elmira forced the Outlaws into some costly turnovers, which got them back in the game. Sisters stayed focused and kept pressure on the Falcons.

Sisters switched back to their man-on-man defense in the fourth quarter and had some key plays down the stretch to take the lead. With one minute left on the clock, Nate Kaping made a huge steal mid-court and dished it to Justin Harrer who made the lay-in. Harrer had a final steal and an outstanding assist to Connor Schaab for the go-ahead basket. The Outlaws held the Falcons off until the final buzzer, and recorded the win.

"It was a great team effort and a really good win for us," said Coach Rand Runco. "The boys followed the game plan and did a terrific job defensively and on the boards. Nate (Kaping), Justin (Harrer), Connor (Schaab), Lane (Adams) and Tysen (Gill) all had a great night on the boards, and we would not have won without their rebounding effort."

Harrer led the Outlaws with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, followed by Hayden Martinez who recorded 13 points. Connor Schaab contributed six points and four assists and Nate Kaping pitched in for four points and seven rebounds.

Runco noted several other players for their contributions in the game.

"Hayden (Martinez) did a really nice job defensively along the baseline," said Runco. "Ben (Larson), Hayes (Moore) and Jens (Stadeli) did an amazing job defending the perimeter players out of the zone, and worked so hard because they had so much ground to cover as our big guys were controlling the glass. They were unselfish, determined, and never quit."

Runco reflected on the season and the improvements his players made throughout.

"We are really proud of how this team came along," said Runco. "We came a long way with a ton of individual improvements this season. We lost many close games by just a few points as our youth showed up. The kids worked hard together, never got down on each other, and realized we were improving quickly.

"We will miss Lane, Jens and Nate," added Runco. "They were terrific senior leaders and did a great job mentoring our young program. We will return all players but the three seniors, and have a lot of kids that got great experience."

The JV team ended their season 7-3 in league, and the freshmen finished 10-0. The coaching staff noted they are excited about the future of the program.