Outlaws dribble to second-place tournament finish

The Outlaws had a good showing at the annual Sisters Holiday Tournament held Monday through Wednesday, December 29-31. Sisters finished second, behind No. 2 state ranked Scappoose. Banks took third.

Sisters started the tourney with a big 63-32 win over Illinois Valley. The Outlaws played four consistent quarters and transitioned well throughout the contest. Sisters was up 32-12 at the half and held onto the lead to the final buzzer. The Outlaws shared the ball, and scoring was spread throughout the team. Sophomore Keegan Greaney led the team with 12 points, Connor Schaab scored 11, Tysen Gill and Isaac Mackenzie contributed eight, Steen Johnson recorded seven and Ben Larson and Lane Gladden pitched in with six points each.

Coach Rand Runco noted that Gladden and Mackenzie were outstanding getting out on the break.

"It was a great team effort on both ends, and we had every player score in the game," said Runco. "Our energy level and team effort was great."

Sisters went on to defeat Banks 47-24 in the semi-finals. The Outlaws played great defense and did an excellent job on their offensive transition. Gill, Schaab, and Mackenzie did an outstanding job against Banks' big man, six-foot-six-inch Dallin Shurts. The Outlaws applied huge ball pressure to the Braves' perimeter and made it difficult to pass the ball into the post.

Sisters had great team chemistry and put together four very good quarters. They faced a 2-3 zone and a 1-2-2 zone-and-man and executed well against both. At the half the Outlaws held a 30-12 advantage and went on to outscore Banks 17-12 in the final half.

"Tysen (Gill) was everywhere and was incredible defensively," said Runco.

The Outlaws held the post to one point and forced over 15 turnovers. Gill and Schaab cleaned up the glass and the Outlaws' perimeter ran the court.

"Banks has a very quick team and a tough big man that scored 20 points against Henley the night before," said Runco.

The Outlaws faced No. 2 ranked Scappoose in the championship game. Scappoose is a very good team with big, athletic players who average over 65 points per game.

Brennen Macnabb is one of the best three-point shooters in the state and was 10-for-14 from behind the arc in the games against Madras and Seaside. Chase Johnson is a tough 6-foot 3-inch player and a candidate for Player-of-the-Year in the Cowapa League.

The match-up against the two teams was a great championship game. The Outlaws defense did an outstanding job against the Indians. Hayes Moore and Ben Larson did a terrific job on Macnabb and held him to seven points and one three-point shot. Gill held Johnson to seven points in the game.

Sisters out-rebounded Scappoose and led most of the game. Sisters held a 22-20 lead at the half and were up 30-27 at the close of the third quarter.

The Outlaws missed a few key shots in the final quarter and then faced the Indians' delay game. Sisters went down by three and Ben Larson went the length of the court for a lay-in to get to within one.

The Outlaws were forced to foul and the Indians hit both free-throws with 15 seconds left on the clock. Sisters took a time out and then had two three-point shots blocked. Scappoose recorded the win in a final score of 37-34.

Moore led the Outlaws with nine points, Larson recorded eight, Greaney contributed seven, and Gill added six.

"It was a great effort, but we just had a few too many turnovers throughout the game to pull away," said Runco. "It was a good game and had a league play-off feel. It was a perfect pre-season game and we all learned a lot."

Sisters was frustrated they didn't get to the line more. The Outlaws only went to the line four times against the very physical Indian squad, who went to the line 14 times.

The Outlaws turned the ball over 15 times compared to the Indians, who only turned the ball over six times.

Of the tourney Runco said, "It was a good tournament and we played very tough defense and beat each team on the boards. Overall, we improved greatly and played at a high level. The boys really bought in on the defensive end, and offensive transition really improved."

Sisters was to play at North Marion on Tuesday, January 6. The Outlaws will play at home against 5A Redmond on Friday, Januaryâ¯9.