Outlaws basketball on a roll

The Outlaws posted a 53-40 win at Elmira on December 4 and a 64-24 win over La Pine at home two days later, which boosted their overall record to 3-1.

Sisters put together excellent team effort in their win against the Falcons. It was a fairly close contest until the end, when the Outlaws were able to pull away and win by a 14-point margin.

In the second quarter of the game, the Outlaws had built an eight-point lead, and extended their lead to 12 in the third period. The Falcons made a run in the fourth, but Sisters continued to score, and controlled the ball to the final buzzer and recorded the win.

Point guard Brad Eagan did a great job on defense and probed the Falcons on each possession, while Ryan Waddell continued to beat players up in the paint. Zach Anderson was a threat on both ends of the court; he gave the defense energy and steadily put points on the scoreboard.

Jack Berg wasn't feeling his best, but toughed it out and also battled on both ends of the court. He really stepped up his play in the final period and his veteran experience was evident, as he scored 10 of his 14 points in the quarter.

Scoring was spread throughout the squad; Anderson and Waddell finished with 16 points, Berg scored 14, Jude Carhart recorded five points, and Eagan added four. Brad also had seven assists in the contest.

Brogan Petterson, Nate Weber, and Joe Scholl came off the bench and made good contributions in the road win.

Two days later, the Outlaws posted a huge win over the Hawks.

La Pine started the game with a 2-3 zone, and the Outlaws were patient, yet aggressive, in their counter-attack. Sisters hit their shots, got the ball inside and rebounded well offensively. They gained momentum, and then ran the court hard. At the close of the first quarter Sisters held a commanding 22-2 advantage.

Sisters forced numerous turnovers and converted them into baskets. They built a good halftime lead and walked off the court at the half on top 35-6.

Coach Rand Runco told The Nugget he was afraid the Outlaws would let up, but that was not the case. The Outlaws remained focused and played with intensity. They consistently stung the Hawks by running the court and getting out in transition for several lay-ins. In the fourth quarter, the Outlaws went to their bench and the younger players got a chance to get time in on the court and wrap up the win.

Sisters finished the night with 22 two-point baskets, and five three-point buckets. The scoring effort was due to the efforts of several players; Waddell recorded 14, and Anderson finished with 11 points, two of which included a nice open-court dunk off a beautiful pass from Eagan that got the crowd up on their feet. Weber scored seven, Eagan posted six, and Berg tacked on five.

Eagan pushed the ball well at the point-guard position, Anderson and Waddell were relentless on the offensive boards, and junior Joe Scholl stood out on the defensive glass.

Runco said, "La Pine is an athletic group and they're going to be a good team. We were just able to jump on them early, and the boys played with excellent energy. It was a good win at home, and we plan on keeping that momentum going."

Senior point guard Brad Eagan said, "We had an unfortunate first-game loss to start the season, but have come back to win three in a row. We've been playing well as a team, and we get better each game we play. In our game against La Pine our transition game was the best it's been all year, and we were really solid on the offensive boards."

The Outlaws traveled to Cottage Grove (CG) earlier in the week, on Tuesday, and won 58-55 in a nail-biter that went into double overtime.

Cottage Grove proved to be a wild road game for Sisters. The Outlaws were plagued by several unforced turnovers and had difficulty finishing, so the contest stayed much closer than the Outlaws had hoped.

Sisters had trouble containing two of the Lions' big posts, but continued to fight. Cottage Grove continually passed the ball inside, and the Outlaws couldn't stop them.

"I was really impressed by our discipline," said Runco. "We knew we had to be very disciplined, not foul their big posts, and stay home on the sharp-shooting guards. We were not able to help on the post, due to the shooting ability of the guards, so Ryan and Zach had to try and hold off the six-foot-five and six-foot-six posts by themselves."

The Outlaws struggled with a few more turnovers than usual, but were able to hold their own on the glass.

Sisters held the lead until the end when CG tied it up and sent it into overtime. The Outlaws kept their composure, and held on for another overtime. Finally, in the second overtime, Sisters pulled away and took a five-point lead, but the Lions hit a lay-in in the last few seconds to cut the lead to three. The Outlaws used their final timeout to inbound the ball and run the clock out for the win.

Jack Berg said, "The game was mind-blowing! It kept going back and forth, but we stayed calm and composed, trusted each other, and didn't freak out even though it went into overtime twice. It was a fun win."

Sisters will get in four practices this week before they face Burns at home on Friday night, December 21. The following week the Outlaws will host their annual Holiday Tournament, which will bring in some of the top 4A teams in the state.