Coach proud of Outlaws regardless of record

The Outlaws dropped their game at Stayton on Tuesday, February 18, in a final score of 32-44, and at home against Sweet Home on Friday in their last league game of the season they lost 20-45.

In Tuesday’s game at Stayton, the Outlaws played solid defense throughout most of the game and held Stayton to just 44 total points. Sisters hit an exciting three-quarter-court shot to close out the first quarter, but the referees said the shot was no good. At the end of the first the Outlaws trailed 4-11.

Coach Rob Jensen said, “After reviewing the tape it was not the right call. It was kind of a momentum buzz-kill for us.”

Sisters was outscored 21-11 the next two quarters, but they kept battling and never quit. The Outlaws made a fourth-quarter run and outscored the Eagles 17-12, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit from the previous quarters.

Connor Linn scored 11 points in the fourth and finished with a game-high 13 points. Nate Weber recorded 10 points, and Sam Nicklous added four.

“We just couldn’t hit the shots when needed,” said Jensen. “Connor had his best night in a while and hit some big threes, while Nate continued to attack the hoop.”

In Friday’s game against the Huskies, the Outlaws came out strong. Sisters held an 8-6 lead at the close of the first, and after 12 minutes of play the score was knotted up 8-8. At that point the Huskies were unstoppable and went on a 17-1 run to take a 23-9 lead at the half.

Joe Scholl and Sam Nicklous were playing great, but got into foul trouble in the second, which took away the Outlaws’ flow. Sweet Home continued to widen the gap in the second half, and the Outlaws just couldn’t find the net on good shot attempts.

Brogan Petterson, Weber, Scholl, and Linn each scored four points.

Coach Jensen summed up the season.

“This season was a season of learning,” said Jensen. “We were about three possessions away from a lot more wins, but even though the results don’t show it, we improved every day. The boys never stopped working and remained good teammates and displayed positive sportsmanship throughout. It’s hard when the league has five top-10 caliber teams. I’m really proud of how they played.”