Lady Outlaws suffer tough losses on hardwood

The Lady Outlaws had a rough week that started with a 45-26 loss to the White Buffaloes at Madras on Tuesday, December 9, followed by a 47-33 loss to Summit three days later.

The Outlaws game against Madras on Tuesday was not an easy first road trip. Sisters had a hard time and in the first quarter could not get shots to fall. At the close of the period Sisters trailed the White Buffs 17-2.

"We were having a hard time getting the ball up the court and getting a rhythm to our offense," stated Coach Julianne Horner. "We were not able to settle down offensively and we made too many mistakes that resulted in easy buckets for Madras."

Sisters did a better job defensively in the second quarter, but missed a few critical buckets that would have closed the gap. At the half Madras held a 25-8 lead.

The Outlaws got back in sync in the third, were able to get to the rim faster, and managed to outscore Madras 9-5. On the downside, the hole that they'd dug themselves into in the first quarter was a huge deficit to overcome.

"I was happy with the effort in the third quarter and how the girls were pushing hard to get back into a striking distance," said Horner.

In the final quarter, the White Buffs capitalized on Outlaws' mistakes and sailed to the final buzzer to win by a 19-point margin.

Haylie Hudson led the Outlaws with nine points, Dallas Knoop contributed six, and Olivia Stewart added 5.

Horner said, "I believe the girls learned from this game, and we will make the adjustments going into Summit on Friday."

On Friday, the Outlaws played a fantastic game against the 5A highly ranked Summit Storm. Sisters was tenacious on defense in the first quarter and forced the Storm to turn the ball over seven times. The Outlaws also got six easy buckets close to the rim and a three-pointer from Nina Horner to keep the score close. At the close of the quarter the Outlaws trailed 19-15.

Sisters outscored Summit 9-5 in the second quarter. The Outlaws focused on keeping Storm shooters Sara Heinly and Sara Reeves from getting easy looks at the basket. Two three-pointers from Kelsey Norby kept the Storm in the game. Sisters made some adjustments and held Norby scoreless for the remainder of the contest. Sisters was able to keep the pressure on and set the tempo of the game to a quick transition and forced the Storm to take quick shots. Horner hit a great shot from behind the arc at the close of the quarter to tie the game at 24-24.

"The girls were playing as a team, and when Summit would focus in on one player we were able to get open looks for our offside players," said Horner. "I was very proud of the girls. It was clear they were leading the game and dictating the pace and pressure for the first 16 minutes."

The Outlaws got many good looks at the bucket in the third, but the ball rattled around the rim and didn't go in. Teams played hard and physical, and pushed the ball up the court. Sisters kept the score close and were only down by two, 34-32, at the close of the quarter.

Summit got their first six points of the fourth quarter off free throws, and Sisters wasn't able to answer at the other end. Heinly pushed the Summit lead to nine with a three-point shot. The Outlaws were held scoreless for more than five minutes. Cassandra Arruda scored on a free throw for Sisters with three minutes left on the clock for the Outlaws' lone point in the quarter.

Sisters played extremely well the first three quarters of the contest, and Horner couldn't have been more proud of her team.

"I am incredibly proud and happy with the way the team played," said Horner. "We just showed ourselves that we are a really good team and just need a few adjustments to be able to play with anyone."

Boston Moore paced the Outlaws with eight points, and Nine Horner and Haylie Hudson contributed six points each. Olivia Stewart and Cierra Mann pitched in with four points apiece.

Sisters was to play at home against La Pine on Tuesday, December 16. The Outlaws will participate in the Seaside Invitational Thursday through Saturday, December 18-20.