Lady Outlaws corral Caldera

The Lady Outlaws earned a 55-46 win over Caldera’s JV squad on Saturday, January 8. Their roster was reduced to a total of 14 girls due to illness, and the JV game had to be cancelled.

Caldera got off to a great start, quickly went up 8-0, and forced the Outlaws to take a time-out to regroup. The Outlaws were able to settle down and refocus, and went on a run that put them on top 14-12 to close out the quarter. Ashlynn Moffat was instrumental in the comeback with two big shots from behind the arc.

Sisters struggled in the second period and only scored nine points to Caldera’s 13, and trailed 23-25 as teams entered the half.

The Outlaws had a strong third quarter and put 16 points on the scoreboard. Payden Peterson led the scoring effort with nine points off three long balls. Caldera netted 14 points, and at the close of the third period the score was even 39-39.

Sisters kept their offense rolling in the final quarter and tallied 16 more points. Peterson stayed hot from behind the arc and scored two more three-pointers. Haleigh Froelich chipped in five points, and Juhree Kizziar hit a big three. The Lady Outlaws defense was also impressive down the stretch, and tightened up to hold Caldera to just seven points in the quarter to secure the win.

Peterson had her best game of the year, finishing with 19 points. All of her buckets were three-point shots. Moffat had a strong performance, tallying eight points, and pulling down three boards.

Froelich led the team with nine rebounds, and also scored seven points and recorded three steals. Josie Patton was a big factor in the Outlaws’ defensive success, with five steals, and four rebounds, three of those in the final quarter. Shae Wyland had four rebounds, and Delaney McAfee helped out by dishing out four assists.

Coach Paul Patton told The Nugget the team played without their starting point guard, Emma Lutz, and backup point guard, Maggie Lutz. Ellie Mayes had to fill in at that crucial position, and Patton said she did an admirable job. Kizziar also got a lot of minutes at the point guard spot and Patton said she made positive contributions in almost every statistical category.

Ila Reid, who is a big part of the Outlaws’ post-player rotation and gives them inside points and rebounds, was also unable to play due to illness. Reese Harwell and Sage Wyland stepped up as post players and got in solid minutes in relief roles.

Hadley Schar returned to action for the Outlaws after being out five weeks with a shoulder injury. Schar helped out and subbed in at three different perimeter positions.

The Lady Outlaws hope to be healthy by next week as they were to open league with a home game on Tuesday, January 11, against Stayton. They will play at home against Sweet Home on Friday, January 14.