Outlaws win with buzzer-beater

The Outlaws' battle with Junction City (JC) on the home court on Friday, January 19, was intense and action-packed, with Sisters posting the win on a shot that fell at the buzzer. Three days earlier the Outlaws tallied a 54-38 win at home over the Huskies.

In Friday's game against JC, the Outlaws fell behind 5-0 at the start of the contest, but came back to take a 7-5 lead to close out the first period.

The Outlaws played good defense, shared the ball, and scored in the paint. Ryan Waddell scored 10 points for Sisters in the first half. The Tigers closed out the second quarter with a three at the buzzer, but the Outlaws still held a 19-11 lead as teams entered the half.

Sisters came out sluggish in the second half, and JC came out ready to play and cut into the Outlaws lead. The game was very close the rest of the way. JC took a two-point lead three times in the fourth quarter, but Sisters was tenacious and answered back each time.

The Outlaws had chances to hold onto their lead in the second half, but struggled from the free-throw line. Sisters only made six of 16 free throws in the second half, and only nine of 20 for the game. Despite their struggle at the stripe, the Outlaws hung tough and made the plays they needed to win the game.

In the final minute, the score was tied 33-33. JC held the ball, and then tried to score in the final 15 seconds. They drove to the bucket, but Jack Berg knocked the ball loose. The Tigers picked it up and shot, but Zach Anderson blocked the shot, which fell short. Noah Richards caught the ball, passed it to Brad Eagan at half-court, and Eagan passed it ahead to a streaking Taylor Scholl, who laid it up at the buzzer for the 35-33 win.

"It was pretty exciting stuff, and it's cool that each of our players on the court at the time was involved in the deciding play," said Coach David Godfrey. "It was a good win for our team, and everyone contributed. We held home court, and the win kept us in first

place."

Waddell led the team with 13 points, Anderson scored nine, and Richards scored six, all in the fourth quarter. Berg and Austin Lake tallied three points each.

Godfrey noted several of his players.

"Ryan (Waddell) did a good job starting for the first time this season. Jack (Berg) was solid on both ends. Austin (Lake) did a good job rebounding and defending. Zach (Anderson) scored and rebounded well, and hit two big free throws toward the end of the game. Noah (Richards) came up big for us in the fourth quarter, Brad (Eagan) was solid on the court, and, of course, Taylor scored the winning basket, but he also played well defensively."

Three days earlier, the Outlaws recorded a win against the Huskies.

It was a close first quarter, with the Outlaws only up by one, 14-13, at the close of the period. The Outlaws had a hard time scoring in the second quarter, and only put four points on the scoreboard. At the half, Sisters trailed by five, 23-18.

The Outlaws played a much better second-half, and outscored the Huskies 36-15 to win by 16.

"We stepped up our defense, and attacked the basket much better on offense in the second half," said Godfrey. "We challenged their shooters on defense, and shared the ball well on offense."

Sisters had two players finish in double-digits: Richards with 18 points, and Anderson with 10. Noah sparked the Outlaws in the third quarter, when he scored 11 of the Outlaws' 22 points.

Berg scored nine, Lake had eight, and Waddell added seven.

Sisters was to play at Elmira on Tuesday, January 23. The Outlaws will hit the road on Friday, January 26, with a game at Sutherlin. The squad leads the league with a 3-0 record.