Lady Outlaws win one of three at Sisters Shootout

The Lady Outlaws won one of their three games at the Sisters Shootout held Thursday through Saturday, December 28-30. The tourney was round-robin style, and each team played three games. In addition to Sisters, teams from around the state were at the event, including Madras, Junction City, Henley, Sweet Home, Hidden Valley, Banks, and La Grande.

Sisters started the tourney against a very tough Junction City squad on Thursday, and lost 38-55. The Outlaws got off to a very slow start offensively and trailed 5-13 at the end of the period. Shae Wyland scored Sisters’ lone basket in the quarter and the other three points came at the stripe.

The Outlaws did a bit better in the second quarter, but were still outscored 9-14. Maggie Lutz, Jorja Christianson, and Holly Davis all scored a basket and Audrey Corcoran scored from behind the arc. At the half Sisters trailed 14-27.

Coach Paul Patton said, “Our defense had some breakdowns and gave up too many offensive rebounds.”

Patton told The Nugget that the Outlaws did a better job of being aggressive on offense in the second half, and got them to the free throw line three times, where they hit four of their six attempts.

Sisters was outscored by five in the quarter and Junction City extended their lead to 18 points for a 24-42 score at the end of the third.

The Outlaws were more aggressive on offense in the final quarter, and both Corcoran and Reid hit shots from behind the arc. Sisters scored 14 points in the quarter, but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers kept hitting their shots, and closed out the win by a 17 point margin.

“Both our offensive and defensive intensity picked up in the final quarter, and we forced them (JC) into some low percentage shots,” said Patton. “Unfortunately, they continued to hit the offensive glass for some putbacks that kept us from closing the gap on the scoreboard.”

Corcoran led the team with 10 points and also had four steals in the game. Reid scored eight of her nine points in the second half. Wyland also scored nine points, and in addition had 14 rebounds and five steals. Maggie Lutz contributed five points, and Davis added three.

Patton said, “Shae (Wyland) had another strong performance as a scoring threat and especially as a rebounder. She once again was a defensive force blocking or altering numerous shots. Audrey (Corcoran) had a good game too as our point guard. Being a freshman she will continue to improve rapidly with each varsity game. Ila (Reid) was another key contributor, and just back from an ankle sprain that kept her out of our last game.”

A day later the Outlaws trounced the Hidden Valley Mustangs 53-28.

Sisters came out with energy, and it really showed in their defense, which held the Mustangs to just two points in the first quarter. Sisters moved the ball better on offense, were more active on the boards on both ends of the court, and were up 10-2 at the end of the first period.

Wyland scored the first four points of the second quarter and the Outlaws extended their lead even further. Jorja Christianson hit a great shot from behind the arc, Corcoran scored a layup on a fast break, and Reid hit one of two free throw attempts. A couple of turnovers just before the half allowed Hidden Valley to get some easy buckets. At the half Sisters was up by 12, 20-8.

Patton said, “At halftime we talked about keeping on doing the good things we’d been doing, in particular, applying pressure on defense and going after the rebounds.”

In the third, Maggie Lutz and Jorja Christianson both hit three-point shots, and Holly Davis hit a deep two-pointer at the buzzer to keep the Outlaws’ momentum going. Sisters outscored the Mustangs 18-8 in the period, and stretched their lead to 20 with a commanding 38-16 advantage at the close of the third.

Sisters stayed aggressive on both ends of the court in the fourth and put 15 more points on the scoreboard. The scoring spree ended with Nora Thorsett downing a three with 35 seconds left in the game.

Reid scored 15 points and had eight rebounds in the contest, and Wyland scored 10 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and had four assists. Jorja Christianson scored nine points, Lutz had seven points and six rebounds, and Corcoran finished the night with six points, six rebounds and four assists.

Patton said, “Shae had another strong performance for us, and was a defensive force with blocked shots and she triggered our fast break game with her full court runs. Audrey also had a solid game at point guard.”

“It was nice to see Jorja hit her range from behind the arc by hitting three long range shots,” added Patton. “Maggie gave us a boost with her toughness on ball defense, rebounding, and scoring threat. We continued our tactic of playing as many girls as we can, with 10 girls seeing significant playing time and making contributions to the victory.”

Sisters wrapped up their play in a close, hard fought battle against the Madras White Buffs and lost 41-48.

It was a fast and furious first quarter with action back and forth between the teams. The White Buffs came out with a press and the Outlaws handled it fairly well. Maggie Lutz hit a big three midway through the period to close the gap to 10-13, and Ila Reid grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback at the buzzer to make it 16-19. Reid finished the period with nine of the team’s 16 points.

Emma Sahlberg started the second quarter scoring with an offensive board and putback to put the Outlaws within one at 18-19, and Jorja Christianson’s three-point play tied it up 21-21. Halfway through the period Maggie Lutz hit a three from the corner and on the next possession banked in a three-pointer to put Outlaws on top 27-22. The White Buffs scored once more and at the half Sisters held a 27-24 advantage. Shae Wyland was a beast on the boards and had several blocked shots. The Outlaws’ offense was tight and they limited Madras to just five points.

Patton said, “We were feeling pretty good at halftime to be up against a quality opponent like Madras.”

Sisters couldn’t get their offense going in the third, and when they did their shots wouldn’t fall. The White Buffs held the Outlaws scoreless the first seven minutes of the quarter, and put up 10 points of their own. In the final minute, Wyland hit one of her two free throw attempts and Paityn Cotner closed out the period with a steal and layup to close the White Buff’s lead to four at 30-34.

Reid started the final period with a steal and ran the length of the floor for a layup to make it a 32-34 game. Unfortunately, Madras went on a seven point run and extended their lead. With 40 seconds left on the clock, Wyland stole the ball and scored to close the gap to four 41-45. The Outlaws were forced to foul down the stretch and the White Buffs hit three of their four attempts and won by seven in a final score of 41-48.

The game could have easily gone Sisters way if they’d done a better job at the free-throw line. They hit only six of their 23 attempts, while Madras went 8-for-13.

Reid scored 13 points and had three steals, Lutz recorded nine points, and Wyland scored eight points, pulled down 17 boards, and had four steals. Corcoran finished the night with four points, five rebounds and three steals.

Patton said “I’m super-proud of the girls for playing such a competitive game against a quality opponent. It really speaks to the improvement the team made over the three day tournament. We are starting to figure out our roles on the team and how to play together on both ends of the court.”