Outlaws basketball honors seniors

The Outlaws’ five seniors, Austin Dean, Brody Fischer, Ila Reid, Maggie Lutz, and Jenna Lake were honored between the varsity girls and boys games in Tuesday’s contest at home against Creswell.

Coach Chad Rush told The Nugget he started coaching both Dean and Fischer when he coached at the middle school and they were in seventh grade. He noted that from early on they were already team-first players, great teammates, and coachable players.

Rush said, “Austin was our steady rock all season. He doesn’t get flustered or thrown out of sorts when things go sideways. He was always there to be a calming presence for the team. His defense and three-point shooting were tremendous assets for us this year. His continued steady play and precision shooting will be needed as we try and make a push into the playoffs.”

Rush added thoughts about Fischer. “Brody was our tallest player this year, but was one of our deadliest shooters from the perimeter, which is something he has always excelled at. I am extremely proud of the hard work that Brody showed this season, both off the floor where he established himself as a leader of the team, and on the floor where his rebounding, interior defense, and consistent shooting were very important to the recent run that the team has made.”

Coach Paul Patton also made special note of each of his three senior players.

“Ila is one of our captains and a natural leader,” said Patton. “She has a strong competitive drive and works hard every day. She missed all of last year with a back injury and is making the most of her senior year by leading the team on a quest to make the playoffs.

“Maggie is our other captain and she too missed all of last season due to a knee injury,” said Patton. “Maggie is our best shut-down defender who we put on the other team’s best perimeter player. She has a great positive impact on the players around her and we always do better when she’s on the court.”

“Jenna has a great love for the game of basketball and brings joy to the team,” stated Patton. “She loves to shot the three-pointer and her threat to score from distance really helps the teams. She is a capable all-around player who has plans to play college basketball.”