Fast-paced game ends in victory

Sisters held on at the end to earn a 47-45 victory over the visiting Cottage Grove (CG) Lions on Friday, February 2. It was a tight, intense, action-packed contest from buzzer to buzzer.

The first two-and-a-half minutes of the contest were back and forth, and neither team was able to get a shot to drop. Finally, CG hit a big three to get the scoring started. Sisters answered back on the next possession when Zach Anderson scored a bucket to make the score 2-3. The score remained close, and with approximately one and a half minutes left in the period, Ty Horner grabbed an offensive rebound and made an easy lay-in to bring the Outlaws to within one, at 11-12.

CG hit another big three to kick off the second quarter, and after two minutes of play had pushed to a 19-11 advantage. A nice in-bounds pass to Horner resulted in a basket, and was followed by a drive the length of the court by Brad Eagan, who finished with a lay-in and brought the Outlaws to within four, 15-19. Noah Richards and Isaiah Rush both hit shots from behind the arc to keep the Outlaws within reach, and at the half Sisters trailed 23-29.

In the third, both teams had trouble hitting their shots, and no one scored for over three minutes. After the lull, Horner came on strong, scored seven points, and for the first time in the contest the Outlaws took the lead at 30-29. Sisters scored two great baskets in the last minute: Rush stole the ball and went the length of the court to score, and Anderson had a nice lay-in. Sisters held the Lions to just two points in the quarter.

In the fourth, Cottage Grove scored nine points from the line, which kept the game close. It came right down to the wire, and with 3.3 seconds left in the game, CG closed the gap to one, at 46-45. The Lions were forced to foul, and with .8 seconds left, Horner rattled in his first shot at the stripe, but missed the second. All the Lions could do was make a court-long throw at their basket, which didn't go in.

This marked the second two-point win the Outlaws have had with Cottage Grove. At Cottage Grove earlier in the season, Sisters defeated the Lions 50-48 at the buzzer.

Coach David Godfrey said, "It was a really good win for us. We overcame turnovers and missed free throws to come out on top. We only made eight of 18 free throws for the game, and were four of eight in the last quarter. But, it was enough to win.

"We scored consistently throughout the game," added Godfrey. "It was our defense that kept us close, and put us ahead in the third quarter. Cottage Grove is a strong team, and we had to play well to beat them. It was great to have Ty and Isaiah back from injury. They both played well; they showed good senior leadership, as well as scoring for us."

Godfrey also noted Eagan and Berg's play, and stated that Brad had a good defensive game, as well as contributing points; and Berg had a solid game rebounding, on defense, and scrapping for loose balls.

Horner led the Outlaws with 20 points. Richards, Eagan, and Rush each scored six points, Anderson had four, and Jack Berg added three.

Sisters is currently tied with Sutherlin for first place in league. Both teams have a 5-1 record. Cottage Grove is in second at 4-2. The Outlaws were to play at Sweet Home on Tuesday, February 6. Sisters will play at Junction City on Friday.