Lady Outlaws plagued by illness

The Lady Outlaws had a rough week, with several players out due to illness. The depleted roster was a big factor in their 39-30 loss to the Lions at Cottage Grove on Tuesday, December 13, and three days later their 20-45 loss at Yamhill-Carlton (YC).

On Tuesday the Outlaws traveled with just eight of their 13 players, with four out sick and one that had to stay in Sisters for a choir event. With key players out, and a short bench, the teamput forth their best effort, but it just wasn’t enough to pull off a win.

Players had to step into positions they don’t normally play, and after a slow start in the first quarter, the Outlaws played catch-up the entire game.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Sisters was able to cut the Lion’s lead to six points, but down the stretch they committed a few turnovers and the Lions hit a lay-in at the buzzer to secure the win. The Outlaws did outscore the Lions 12-8 in the period, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the earlier deficit.

Jenna Lake and Ellie Mayes led the Outlaws with nine points each. Ashlynn Moffat recorded four points, Haleigh Froehlich and Hadley Schar tallied three points each, and Shae Wyland pitched in two.

Coach Paul Patton noted both Froehlich and Wyland, who dug deep and gave it their all despite the fact they’ve both been fighting sickness.

Of the game Patton said, “We were focused on doing a better job of keeping our opponent off the offensive glass, and after allowing four offensive rebounds in the first quarter, we did much better at screening out the rest of the game.”

Patton added, “I keep saying we just need to get more reps in practice, but that’s hard to do when so many players are out sick or injured. Hopefully, we’ll get all these troubles done and over with soon, and be good to go in the second half of the season.”

In Friday’s game only seven players were able to make the road trip. Four key players were out, including Patton, Froehlich, Schar, and Sage Wyland.

Sisters had a good first quarter and got two long balls from Lake and one three-pointer from Delaney McAfee. Emma Sahlberg got her first varsity points of the year with two free-throws, and at the close of the period the Outlaws held a slim 13-12 advantage.

In the second quarter the Outlaws couldn’t make a shot, while YC tacked on 15 points to their score, with an off-balance bank-shot three-pointer at the buzzer to close out the half.

Yamhill-Carlton continued to extend their lead in the second half, while the Outlaws struggled to make shots and take care of the ball. Sisters was outscored 7-14 in the second half and had to record the loss.

Lake led the Outlaws with 13 points.

Sisters was scheduled to play on the road at Sweet Home on Tuesday, December 20. They will play at home against Estacada on Wednesday, just one day later.