Outlaws host holiday tournament

The boys basketball team finished third at the Sisters Holiday Tournament, held Monday through Wednesday, December 28-30. Philomath took championship honors and Henley was runner-up. Estacada, Mazama, Baker, Banks and Madras were also in attendance for the annual event.

Sisters started the tourney with a disappointing 45-37 loss against Estacada. The Rangers played tough defense and were very patient on offense. The Outlaws were able to put fairly good pressure on the ball, and forced many turnovers in the first three quarters, but in the final period struggled on both ends of the court.

The Outlaws were unable to score or get the stops. They missed many looks at the basket and turned the ball over multiple times. Sisters was up by three at the half, and up by nine as they headed into the fourth period, but they were sloppy in their fundamentals and let the game slip away.

"It looked like a lot of one-on-one effort and not the team play that this team is building a reputation on," said Coach Rand Runco. "We did not play with energy, and definitely did not look like ourselves. Everyone was disappointed."

Steen Johnson was the Outlaws' leading scorer with 11 points. Scott Waddell recorded 10 points, and Tyler Head added eight. Rebounds were spread throughout the team.

Sisters learned from their mistakes, and bounced back to defeat Baker 64-42. The Outlaws put forth a great effort and very good team play. They were able to extend their lead and really push hard at the end.

The Outlaws played excellent defense on one of the best offensive players they've faced this year. Sand, from Baker, is a handful, and Steen Johnson did an outstanding job on him. Johnson had backup from Keegan Greaney, and the duo held Sand to 11 points in the game.

Sisters was outstanding in their defensive effort, and they shared the ball well on offense. The key to the game was the defense and the team's unselfish play. Greaney attacked the Bulldogs aggressively and scored 20 points. Steen Johnson tallied 10 points and first-year post, Connor Lake, added 11 points and nine boards.

In addition to Lake, Scott Waddell and Tyler Head were a force on the boards, and also combined for 13 points.

Jake Larson and Ben Saba also played a great defensive game.

"This was a well-balanced effort from posts and guards," said Runco. "It was nice to get all of the JV players in the game. They work so hard each day in practice pushing the varsity. It was nice to see such a great effort from everybody after a tough first game."

Sisters defeated Mazama 85-75 in a very exciting final game for a third-place finish.

The Vikings lost by four to No. 1-ranked Philomath in their first game of the tournament, which put them in the consolation bracket with the Outlaws. Mazama had a terrific individual player, Curtis Anderson, who was relentless in his attack and offensive rebounding.

Mazama started the game extremely hot, and went 6-for-6 from the three-point line in the first quarter. They shot 85 percent from the field in the first half, and only had one lay-in.

The Vikings hit tough contested shots, and the Outlaws basically traded threes for twos.

"Their goal was to force us into an up-tempo game, but we knew if we took high-percentage shots we could wear them down if we ran a little more offense. We encouraged the boys to stick with the game plan and we would wear them down," Runco said.

Sisters made their big move in the final quarter, and took the lead with three minutes left on the clock. The Outlaws had a few costly turnovers in the final seconds of the game, and the Vikings hit a shot to tie it up and send the game into overtime.

The Outlaws worked hard and outscored the Vikings 12-7 in overtime to earn the win in the wild game.

Greaney put up 27 points for the Outlaws, and Tyler Head added 16. Steen Johnson scored 12 points, Hayes Moore tallied 10 points, and Connor Lake added eight. Ben Saba hit a big three in the final quarter and finished the game with six points.

Lake came off the bench and sparked the team with energy, great rebounding, some big buckets, and he dove for balls, which really energized the team.

"We had a few too many turnovers, but overall we played a good game," said Runco. "The turnaround really was when Connor came in with energy and Jake (Larson) came in and shut down Riley Kinshaw, who had hit five three-point shots in a row."

Waddell and Isaac Mackenzie also played great minutes for the Outlaws in a great team effort that got the win.

Runco said, "We learned a lot in the tournament, and that we have to play as a team, share the ball, and play with energy."