Outlaws tally three wins on hardwood

The boys basketball team played three good games this past week and tallied the win in each. Sisters started their week with a 54-33 win at home against Redmond, and three days later defeated Burns on the road in a final score of 47-37.

Sisters was scheduled to make up a game with Lebanon on Saturday, but the game was canceled for the second time due to weather-related travel constraints. Mountain View had their game with Hermiston canceled, so Athletic Director Tim Roth set up a game with Mt. View at the last minute. The Outlaws came out on top in that contest, 67-58.

On Tuesday against Redmond, the Outlaws started out sluggish on offense, but made up for it with a great defensive effort. Sisters' interior defense was especially strong, and shut down the Panthers' bigs, and the Outlaws guards forced a lot of turnovers.

Keegan Greaney went nine-for-10 from the line, and finished the game with 13 points. Ty Horner also had 13 points in the game, and Jack Berg added eight.

Runco noted that the Outlaws bigs, Tyler Head, Tanner Head, JW Bertagna, and Greaney, all did a great job defensively and on the glass. Ben Saba, Noah Richards, Berg and Greaney all kept pressure on the Panthers' guards.

The Outlaws did miss Jake Larson's defensive presence due to sickness, but sophomore Richards stepped up on defense and played well.

"It was a good win," said Runco. "The only low point was a hand injury to Tyler Head, who has been a two-year starter and is really a steady and tough player. We will have to step up in his absence."

Three days later, the Outlaws posted a road win against a good Burns squad, which boasts some really tough, strong posts.

Sisters started out slow, and at the close of the first quarter trailed the Highlanders 14-6. Midway through the second period, the Outlaws were down by 15.

Ben Saba was the spark the Outlaws needed in the second quarter, which got them back in the game. Saba scored 10 points in the quarter, and stepped up on defense.

"He was everywhere, tipping balls, making steals and finishing," said Runco, "The rest of the team followed, and we outscored them 21-14 in the quarter to have a two-point lead at the half."

Sisters continued their effort and stretched the lead in the third, and held off in the fourth for the win.

Greaney led the scoring effort with 13 points, and Richards and Saba posted 10 points each. Berg and Horner both had seven points in the contest.

"It was a good wake-up call on the road," said Runco. "It was a really tough game, and we believe we grew a lot as a team. Everyone did their part, and they stayed calm when we were down. I was so impressed how the team stepped up in Tyler's absence. Tanner Head did a great job in a new role and he, Ty (Horner), and Keegan (Greaney), stayed really steady on the glass."

Sisters got home from Burns at 1 a.m., had a morning walk-through, and turned around and headed to Mt. View. They knew that they would face a tough battle against the 5A Cougars, who boast Van Tassell, one of the best posts in the state. The Outlaws hoped to limit Van Tassell's touches and do their best to defend against the rest of the team.

The game proved to be quite a battle. Sisters couldn't stop the Cougars in the first quarter, and in the second they were plagued by some poor decisions with the ball; and turnovers led to easy buckets for the Cougars. Sisters entered the half down by eight, 32-24.

In the second half, the Outlaws played tough. They played with patience and poise, and got the ball inside to Horner, who went right at the Cougar posts. Van Tassel was charged with enough fouls that he was taken out of the game.

Sisters chipped away and fought for every point, and at the close of the third quarter closed the Cougar lead to three.

For most of the fourth, the Outlaws were three to four points down. With just over three minutes left on the clock, the Outlaws were down by six, but dug deep for three stops and three scores in a row.

The Outlaws broke the Cougars' press and hit 14 of 15 free throws in the fourth for a nice win.

Runco said, "Noah had a three-point shot and was fouled going to the basket two more times at key times in the fourth. Keegan had a huge put-back after a steal by Noah. Ben attacked their guards and got to the line, and Keegan kept penetrating and getting fouled. Ty, Tanner, and Jack locked down defensively, and we really fought. Our guards, Keegan, Ben, Noah, and Jack, worked extremely hard defensively."

Greaney finished with 18 points, followed by Richards, who put up 17. Horner recorded 11 points, and Saba and Berg each added eight.

Runco told The Nugget he was impressed with Horner's play.

"Ty has a lot of poise handling double-teams and being patient and not getting early, unnecessary fouls," said Runco. "He kept himself in the game, and was a force on both ends in crunch-time. He had a huge block when their post went for a dunk in the fourth, which was a key play. He was called for a foul, but it cut their momentum, and not having a lot of fouls allowed him to be really physical at the end of the game."

Runco attributed the win to the team's practices.

"The win was a great team effort," said Runco. "It was a really good effort by everyone, and really happened at practice this last week. Practice intensity stepped up a notch and we saw improvement across the boards. Guys are starting to figure out how our practice effort leads to the improvement we need."

Sisters was scheduled to play at home against Madras on January 10. On Friday, January 13, the Outlaws will kick off league at home against the Sweet Home Huskies. Tip-off is set for 5:45 p.m.