Girls basketball prepares for upcoming season

The Lady Outlaws currently have 19 girls on their roster —three seniors, six juniors, one sophomore, and nine freshmen — which is enough to put both a JV and a varsity squad on the court. The strong turnout of freshmen players should help make a solid JV squad, which bodes well for the future of the program.

Jenna Lake (senior) is a returning varsity starter. She is an accurate three-point shooter and will play at the forward position. 

Maggie Lutz (senior) returns to the squad after being out last season due to a knee injury. She will play at shooting guard or wing and will be a key player and team leader. Coach Paul Patton noted that Lutz is also a very good on-ball defender.

Ila Reid (senior) returns after missing last season due to a back injury. She will also be a team leader and one of the biggest contributors on the Outlaw’s squad. She will play at several positions, including forward, shooting guard and wing.

Shae Wyland, Holly Madron, Dax Martinez, Emma Sahlberg (all juniors) are back for another season. Holly Davis and Jorja Christianson (juniors) are both new to the team this year.

Wyland is a returning honorable mention All-Conference player and All-Conference Defensive Team and will play at the post position. Madron will see time as a shooting guard or a wing and will play on varsity, as well as swing down to help out on the JV team. Martinez will play at forward and will also swing down to help at JV. Sahlberg will see time as a post player.

Davis is new to basketball this year, but Patton noted that she has a great attitude and a desire to improve. Christianson is a new student to Sisters this year. She will play as a guard, and brings with her a strong basketball background, and is expected to be a key player for the Outlaws this year.

Norah Thorsett is the lone sophomore on the s quad. She will play at the point guard position on varsity and will also be a leader on the JV team.

The upperclassmen will make up the bulk of the varsity roster. Patton told The Nugget that this year they have the talent on the team to be competitive in league as long as they can stay healthy.

Nine freshmen join the team this year, including Audrey Corcoran and Paityn Cotner, who Patton stated will both play JV but swing as varsity players also.

“Audrey (point guard) is one of the better young players to come up in Sisters in a long time,” said Patton. “She has good ball handling skills, can finish on drives to the basket and has a nice outside shot. Paityn will play at guard, and has the skills and athleticism to excel quickly.”

Caitlin Carter and Katie Carter will play at the post position. Althea Crabtree, who is tall and capable both inside and outside, will see time at forward. Shanitah Few will also play at forward. Ashlynn Finnell and Analia Hodge will play at the wing position and Lola Gloeckner will play at guard.

Patton said, “After a week of practice I have been impressed with the girls’ effort and eagerness to learn. I’m excited to see this team come together in the next few weeks. We just need reps together to figure out our individual roles and to gel as a team. We focus each day on doing our best and being good teammates. We are committed to being a team that plays fast, pushes the tempo, and looks for good shots early in transition. We also want to get after people on defense and put them in the most disadvantaged position we can.”

Haylie Hudson and Ashley Reimer are new to the Outlaws’ coaching staff this year. Hudson is a Sisters alumni and will be the varsity assistant. Patton noted that Hudson will bring a positive presence and will be someone the girls can connect with. Reimer is a recent graduate of Northern Arizona University, and played basketball while she attended there. She will be the JV coach, and Patton stated she should do an excellent job of teaching the younger players the game.

“I’m really grateful to have these two young women on the staff for the girls on the team to relate to and be positively influenced by,” said Patton.

The Lady Outlaws will kick off their season on the road with a game at Burns on Wednesday, December 13.