Lady Outlaws win two on the hardwood

The Lady Outlaws had a great week on the court, notching two wins in league play, to bring their record to 2-1.

Sisters defeated Cottage Grove 33-30 at home on Wednesday, January 20, and two days later recorded a 52-25 road win at Sweet Home.

Wednesday's win at home against the Lions was all about team effort. The Lady Outlaws jumped out quick and at the end of the first quarter held a 10-6 lead. Cottage Grove outscored Sisters 9-4 in the second and held a slim one-point lead at the half with a score of 15-14.

Sisters re-grouped at the half and came out strong in the third. The Outlaws put up 16 points and regained the lead, 30-25, to close out the third period.

The Outlaws kept the momentum and held onto the lead down the stretch to close out the final quarter and record the win.

"This game was the right combination of leadership from our senior players, and great poise and control from our younger players," said Coach Casey Pallister. "We showed greater understanding of our roles, played aggressively, and remembered that the foundation of our team is built on solid man-to-man defense. It was great to see the girls rise above the adversity they have faced, and show some real grit and determination."

Olivia Stewart led the Outlaws with 16 points and went 8-for-10 from the line. Nina Horner contributed six points and pulled down several boards.

Bethany Bachmeier had a great game. Bachmeier played physical defense in the post that limited the effectiveness of Hannah Arnold, one of the Lions' best players. Bethany held Arnold to just four points in the game.

Bachmeier scored nine points, and hit a free-throw at the end of the game that sealed the victory.

The Outlaws did a fine job at the free-throw line, and finished the night nine-for-12.

Two days later, Sisters crushed the Huskies on their home court.

The Outlaws racked up 19 points in the first quarter, added 14 in the second, and headed into the half with a commanding 33-11 advantage.

Sisters outscored the Huskies 19-14 in the second half to nail down the win.

The Outlaws' defense forced numerous turnovers, and they recorded 15 steals in the game.

"This was a great win for us," said Pallister. "I think it proved to the girls what they are capable of, and how their hard work is beginning to pay dividends. The real beauty of this game was the balanced attack. Each player contributed in important ways. I'm excited to see that we have some momentum going into two challenging games next week."

Horner was the Outlaws leading scorer with 15 points. Nina also pulled down 11 boards and had four steals in the game.

Stewart scored 11 points, and had four steals. Rylee Weber contributed 10 points, and Bachmeier scored seven, including one three-pointer. Alexa Stewart tallied five points, including one three-pointer, and Jules Meeter added four points to the balanced scoring effort.

Horner commented on the Lady Outlaws' two wins:

"We're really excited about our wins this week. It's a really good indicator of what we're capable of and how all of our hard work these past few months is coming together. We've realized that when we work together as a unit we get good results, and I think we're finally settling into the pace and intensity of the game at this level.

"It's been awesome to find that we can compete with the other teams in this league, and we're ready to continue making progress and having success for the rest of the season."

The Outlaws were to play at Junction City on Tuesday, January 26. Sisters will play at home against Elmira on Friday, January 29.