Outlaws post win over Crook County

The Outlaws posted a 68-34 home win over the Cowboys on Friday, December 2, in their pre-season opener.

Crook County has two good shooters on their squad, and the Outlaws focused on taking away their penetration and going to their three-point shooters. In the first quarter, the Cowboys hit three tough shots from behind the arc and a tough jump-shot to give them 11 points in the quarter, but the Outlaws had some great shots of their own. Jack Berg got the Outlaws' scoring effort started against the Cowboys' zone with two big threes, which gave them an early lead that they never gave up. At the close of the first period Sisters was on top 12-11.

Sisters' defense clamped down and made it difficult for the Cowboys to score. The Outlaws put up 25 points in the second quarter and held the Cowboys to nine, which gave them a 37-20 lead at the half.

"Our defensive pressure was OK, but our team defense was great, which led to some good opportunities," said Coach Rand Runco.

Sisters kept up their effort and execution in the second half and extended their lead even further, which allowed many players to get in good minutes on the court.

Keegan Greaney in particular did a superb job on defense, and according to Runco shut down every player he defended.

The Outlaws really hit the Cowboys on the glass, and grabbed 14 offensive boards. Greaney led that charge with five offensive boards. Keegan also tallied 16 points and had three assists.

Sisters' perimeter players, Greaney, Jack Berg, Jake Larson, and Noah Richards defended the perimeter well after giving up a few threes early in the contest.

"Our front line of Tyler Head, Ty Horner, Tanner Head and JW Bertagna did an excellent job taking away the Cowboys' inside game and changed many of the Cowboys' shots," noted Runco.

The Outlaws also did a nice job rebounding on the defensive end. Horner had a very good game and played steady in his first game back with the Outlaws.

"I was very impressed with Ty's composure and him letting the game come to him," said Runco. "He scored in the paint, from the line, and the three-point line."

Horner put up 19 points for the Outlaws. Ty hit nine in the paint, was seven-for-seven from the free-throw line, and had two three-pointers.

Sisters had nine players contribute points, and Runco told The Nugget that it was nice to have such balanced scoring.

The Outlaws got 32 points from their "bigs," and 36 points from their perimeter players.

Runco said, "It was a good night for the Outlaws. We shared the ball well, and handled their zones well."

The Outlaws were scheduled to play at The Dalles on Friday, December 9, but bad winter-travel conditions caused The Dalles to cancel school, and Sisters was able to pick up a game against the Lava Bears in Bend. Sisters lost their lead against Bend in the fourth quarter and suffered a frustrating 41-39 loss.

Sisters was excited to play one of the local big schools and see how they matched up. The game proved to be a good battle with both teams playing tough defense. It was a tight first quarter, and at the close of the period the Lava Bears held a slim 11-9 advantage.

Tyler Head and Jack Berg both connected for big shots in the first half, with Head going to the rim and Berg hitting key shots from behind the arc.

The Outlaws missed five open looks at the rim in the first half, which kept the game close rather than Sisters having a bigger lead at the half. Sisters out-scored Bend 10-5 in the second quarter and entered the half with a 19-15 lead.

Sisters continued to pull ahead in the third quarter and at one point held a 10-point lead.

Coach Runco told The Nugget that the Outlaws just ran out of gas in the final quarter. The Lava Bears hit three of their seven three-point shots in the fourth. Sisters missed open looks and had some untimely turnovers late in the game.

The Lava Bears tied it up with one minute left on the clock. Sisters got a good look at the basket with 35 seconds left, but the shot didn't fall. Bend executed well, and held defensively until their forward hit a 15-foot jumper with 1.3 seconds left.

Sisters called a time-out for a last-second full-court play, but the ball was deflected, and the Outlaws took the tough loss.

Runco said, "The boys played hard, but we lost our composure a bit at the end. Defensively we were sound, but we had a few too many unforced turnovers and didn't get to the line as much as we hoped.

"Defensively, it was a good showing by all, other than a few missed assignments in the fourth that left shooters open. We can really learn a lot from this game, and we are excited about the next week."

Berg led the Outlaws with 11 points, and Head followed with 10. Keegan Greaney put up five points and Ty Horner added four. Head and Horner led the Outlaws on the glass.

Sisters was to play Summit on Tuesday, December 13. The Outlaws will play at the Seaside Invite Thursday through Saturday, December 15-17, and will open with a game against the top-ranked Gulls.