Outlaws move to first round of state

The Outlaws hosted Klamath Union (KU) in a play-in game on Friday, February 22, and walked off the court with a 48-42 victory. The win advances them to round one of the state playoffs. They will match up against No.2-ranked Seaside on Friday, March 1. This marks the fifth consecutive year the Outlaws have made it to the state playoffs.

It was a battle from start to finish in Friday's home win over KU. KU had a talented team, including Jagger Hogan, an excellent post, Darvis Holmes, an explosive player, and Zane Zorg, who can really shoot the ball.

At the close of the first quarter, the Outlaws trailed by one, 9-10. Jack Berg hit a three-ball to start the second quarter and got Sisters fired up. The Outlaws stepped up their play and executed well. Noah Richards drained a three at the two-minute mark and Sisters entered the half up by five, 21-16.

The third quarter was tight and intense, and teams were tied up five times. With just over one minute left in the third, Richards hit a shot to even the score at 29. Sisters scored six more points, highlighted by an alley-oop from Richards to Zach Anderson to close out the period on top with a score of 33-29.

Sisters pulled KU out of their zone in the fourth and spread the court. They worked hard for a lay-in, and KU went into a half-court trap. The game got wild with both teams turning the ball over, but Sisters played through the storm, hit key free throws and recorded the win. Anderson had a great fourth quarter, and scored eight of the Outlaws' 15 fourth-quarter points.

"It was a tough game," said Coach Rand Runco. "KU ran three defenses at us and we had to solve each one. The kids were patient and went to work. Defensively, we were good except for about nine possessions where we gave up some dribble-penetration, turned the ball over, and gave up some key lay-ins.

"But, the big picture was good," added Runco. "We kept playing and didn't get caught in our mistakes. The kids really played with a lot of heart and resilience, and we are really excited for them. It was a good game, and we hung on, won by six, and advance to state."

Anderson had a nice game for the Outlaws and finished with 16 points, including going seven-for-eight from the line. He was a perfect four-for-four in the final quarter.

Richards had 12 points, Berg scored nine, and Jude Carhart added five, along with some very nice steals.

Brad Eagan had one of his best games. Brad took care of the ball, dished out some great assists, and handled Klamath Union's pressure.

In the last game of league four days earlier, the Outlaws beat the Warriors 37-34 in overtime at Philomath.

Sisters finished league with a 6-6 record, and were 13-11 overall.