Outlaws see growth in tough season

The Lady Outlaws basketball squad has faced a lot of adversity this season, but the players remain undaunted.

Sisters fell 31-49 at Woodburn on Tuesday, and lost 10-72 to Philomath on Friday.

The Lady Outlaws played a competitive game against Woodburn on Tuesday, and at the close of the first period it was knotted up 8-8. Sisters kept it close in the second, and Emma Lutz hit a buzzer-beater three to close the gap. At the half, the Outlaws were down 19-26.

Sisters continued to change up their defenses and tried to keep the Lady Bulldogs off balance. The Outlaws got good looks at the bucket, but their conversion percentage wasn’t great. At the close of the third, Sisters trailed by nine. Woodburn extended their lead in the fourth and beat the Outlaws by 18.

Payden Petterson led the Outlaws with 11, and Josie Patton, RylieReese Morgan, and Emma Lutz scored six apiece.

“The girls played with great focus and competitive spirit,” said Coach Brittaney Brown.

On senior night at home on Friday, the Lady Outlaws honored their three senior players; RylieReese Morgan, Hallie Schwartz, and Josie Aylor.

“We have really appreciated all of the hard work and effort of our senior girls,” said Brown. “We have truly been grateful for our great seniors who have consistently been a role model for our program and have been leaders on our team. They show up daily with great effort and great attitudes and we couldn’t be more proud of them for who they are as basketball players, but more importantly who they are as people.”

Sisters’ girls hit the court decked out in their pink uniforms in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. It was a rough night for the Lady Outlaws, and they fell 10-72 against top-ranked Philomath.

Sophomore Payden Petterson shared with The Nugget her thoughts on the season.

“We may not have the best winning record, or score the most points in a game, but one thing is for sure; we aren’t just teammates, but we are family,” said Petterson. “This season has been one of the best so far. Not only has our team grown and improved individually, but we have really bonded and become closer as teammates. The overall energy of the team is super-supportive. We are always there for each other, and care about one another, on and off the court. I am super-honored to be part of this team and program.”