Sisters athletes earn spotlight

Outlaws wrestler Daisy Patterson and basketball plenary Max Palanuk were selected by coaches at Sisters High School for a moment in the spotlight.

Wrestling Coach Gary Thorson said, “Daisy will be the first female wrestler to letter and compete all four years for Sisters High School. So far this year, she has a record of 16-7 and has been instrumental in helping to grow the numbers in our program and has been a great help in leading and modeling the other girls who have wrestled for us this year.”

Patterson took third place at the Lady Dragon Invitational in Dallas where she went 4-1 in her tournament and collected four pins for the Outlaws. On Saturday, January 29, she went 2-0 with two pins at The Todd Sermon Invitational in Albany.

“Daisy has a great work ethic and positive attitude that rubs off on everyone,” Thorson said. “She has taken on the unofficial title of ‘Team Mom,’ as she takes care of many of the needs of the other wrestlers and is a huge help to everyone!”

Coach Chad Rush praised Palanuk’s leadership on and off the court.

“Max has established himself as a leader on and off the floor this season,” he said. “Through 15 games, Max is averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting 44 percent (35 percent from the three-point line). He has been a consistent scorer for a team that has struggled to find a flow and rhythm on the offensive end at times. Max has gained the attention of our opponents, always drawing the team’s best defender. He also is third on the team in rebounding at 4.4 per game.”

Rush continued, “Max has worked hard to make his senior year the best possible. He is very coachable and has changed aspects of his game that coaches have asked him to change. He has done it despite it being harder work. His buy-in to the changes in the basketball program expectations has been instrumental in helping the team win as many games this season as in the previous two seasons combined.”