Boys hoops team falls in overtime

The Outlaws traveled to Trinity Lutheran (TL) on Tuesday, December 10, where the teams battled back and forth in a nail-biting contest that went into overtime and ended in a 65-66 Outlaws’ loss.

Sisters was evenly matched up against the TL Saints, a talented 2A squad that is a state contender at that level. In the first quarter, the score went back and forth, with neither team holding more than a three-point lead.

Kale Gardner scored Sisters’ first points off a three-pointer on a nice pass from Oliver Bernhardt, and Kieren Labhart downed a long ball on a Bodie Schar assist with just over one minute left in the period to give the Outlaws an 18-15 lead. That was quickly erased when the Saints’ senior Andrew Imhoff hit a three to tie the score 18-18 to end the first quarter.

Sisters scored the first four points of the second quarter, a floater in the key by Landen Scott, followed by an offensive rebound put-back by Labhart, which put the Outlaws up 22-18. The score stayed close, was tied four times, and at the half was even at 30-30.

TL scored the first bucket of the third quarter, but then Garrett Sager hit back-to-back lay-ups to give the Outlaws a two-point edge at 34-32. The score tied again at 34-34, and then Sager hit a spinning lay-up, and on the next possession found a cutting Bernhardt for a lay-up at the rim, which gave the Outlaws a 38-34 advantage. Sisters maintained a three- to four-point lead until the Saints cut the lead to one point with 50 seconds left in the quarter. Sisters closed out the period with a transition lay-up from Levi Szesze and a driving lay-up from Scott with three seconds left on the clock, and headed into the final period up by five, 48-43.

Sisters only scored two field goals in the final quarter. They did have chances to put the game away at the foul line, but only went six-for-10 in the home stretch which kept the Saints alive.

With 18 seconds left on the clock the Outlaws were up by three. The Saints called a time out, and drew up a play for their super-senior, Imhoff, who hit a tough, contested three-pointer with a hand in his face with seven seconds left. The Outlaws inbounded the ball, and got a shot off from Scott, but it bounced off the front of the rim, and the game went into overtime.

In overtime, with 2:40 left on the clock, Sager got a defensive stop and scored on a transition lay-up and pass from Scott to put the Outlaws on top 63-61. Sisters missed four free throws and found themselves down by three with 14 seconds left in the game. The Outlaws were unable to convert on a three-point attempt, but Bernhardt found Labhart under the basket for a lay-up and cut the lead to one, 65-6 with 4.6 seconds left. 

The Saints inbounded the ball and the Outlaws immediately fouled. TL missed both their shots at the foul line and the Outlaws had one final chance. Gardner grabbed the rebound, found a streaking Sager and made the long pass. Sager took it to the three-point line, and put up a shot at the buzzer that just rattled off the rim, and the Outlaws had to record the loss.

Scott finished the night with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Gardner scored 16 points, and pulled down seven boards, and Labhart contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, and one blocked shot. Sager scored eight, and Szesze added six.

Coach Chad Rush said, “This was a great game! These teams were evenly matched and the competition throughout the quarters showed that. We hurt ourselves in a couple of categories (9/20 from the free throw line and 21 turnovers) that ultimately provided the Saints an opportunity to stay within striking distance and eventually pull out the one-point overtime victory.

“I was proud of the boys for the way they competed throughout the whole game,” added Rush. “This is a type of game that you cannot simulate in practice, so to be able to go through this early in our season will ultimately help us in the future when we face similar situations that presented itself tonight. I am looking forward to getting back on the floor at Mazama and see what the team took away from this game and how we will have improved.”