Girls hoops place third at Seaside

The girls basketball team attended the Seaside Invitational Thursday through Saturday, December 18-20, and walked away with a third-place finish. Seaside took championship honors, and Madras finished runner-up.

Sisters earned a big 42-10 victory over Central Linn (CL) in the first round of the tournament. The Outlaws came out strong defensively and pushed the tempo on CL. At the close of the first quarter Sisters held a 9-7 lead. CL was able to stay with the Outlaws the first eight minutes, but as the second quarter unfolded they were unable to get any looks against the Outlaws defense. Sisters held CL scoreless in the second, and at the half held an 18-7 advantage.

Sisters held CL scoreless in the third and allowed them only three points in the final period.

Olivia Stewart led the Outlaws with eight points, Boston Moore and Cassandra Arruda recorded seven, and Cierra Mann added six.

"We worked hard offensively to get good looks at the bucket and not take fast shots," said Coach Julianne Horner. "We were able to pass and get into a good rhythm to wait for a mistake by Central Linn, and then we went to the bucket. I was very proud of how hard the team worked defensively as well as the unselfish behavior of everyone that suited up. I'm very pleased with this performance and how the team was able to bounce back and play hard."

Sisters lost 57-31 to Seaside in an intense second-round game.

The Outlaws came out with an aggressive defense and forced Seaside to turn the ball over nine times in the first half, but Seaside's pressure prevented Sisters from good looks at the basket. At the close of the first quarter the Outlaws were down 16-4.

"We rushed too many shots and did not wait for Seaside to make a mistake," said Horner.

The Outlaws were able to get the ball inside in the second period to posts Cierra Mann and Ashley Smith, who both did a great job, but the hole they'd dug in the first quarter was hard to dig out of. At the half, Sisters trailed 33-18.

Seaside outscored the Outlaws 22-15 in the second half to secure the win.

Ashley Smith led the team with 11 points, and Cierra Mann added nine. Mann was 7-11 from the free-throw line, and according to Horner had an aggressive rebound put-back bucket.

"Seaside is a good team who has both an inside game as well as guards who can run the floor," said Horner. "We have not seen a team like them up to this point, and were caught off guard. I was very proud of how hard Ashley Smith played, and her rebounding skills. We were very pleased with the post play and how hard they worked. We will continue that and help the guards get into their comfort zone in shooting to be a threat both inside and out."

Sisters defeated Elma 47-39 in their final game of the tournament for a third-place finish.

Elma is a 3A school out of Washington and was a very good match-up for the Outlaws, as they were similar in size and strength.

Elma came out and hit two buckets and a three-pointer right from the get-go. Sisters started a bit slower offensively, but then settled into their defense and kept the pressure on. The Outlaws forced Elma to turn the ball over seven times in the first half.

Sisters was down by one at the half, 19-18.

Boston Moore hit a quick shot from behind the arc at the start of the third quarter and converted three of her four shots from the line. Ashley Smith got two put-back buckets, and Olivia Stewart hit a jumper that helped Sisters' momentum continue. Moore made another bucket with less than 40 seconds left in the quarter, which put Sisters on top by three.

"Boston did an outstanding job keeping up the defensive pressure and hitting key buckets down the line," said Horner. We were strong and did not get discouraged by the physical pressure. The team was proud of how they stayed together and worked hard to finish third and compete strong."

Moore paced the Outlaws with 17 points, and Cierra Mann added 11.

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, the Outlaws lost 30-22 at home against La Pine. Sisters had a rough first two quarters and at the half trailed the Hawks 18-2.

"We got fouled four times in a row while shooting but could only complete two of our eight free throws, and it sent the team out of their rhythm and they just couldn't get their shots to fall," said Horner.

Sisters came out after the half knowing they had work to do. The Outlaws were able to hold La Pine to two buckets and outscored them 13-4 in the third quarter.

The Outlaws started out the fourth down by seven and cut it to a three-point deficit. With two minutes left on the clock, Sisters was forced to stop the clock and foul. La Pine hit their free throws, Sisters was unable to convert some easy buckets, and the Hawks tallied the win.

Moore scored six points, Olivia Stewart contributed five and Cassandra Arruda added four.

"This game we learned what we are good at and what we need to correct," said Horner. "It was a game that pointed out our flaws, and we will make sure we make the changes needed to not have a first half like we did tonight."

The Outlaws will host the Sisters Holiday Tournament Saturday through Monday, December 29-31. Illinois Valley, Banks, Madras, Seaside, Scappoose, LaGrande and Henley plan to attend.