Lady Outlaws beat 4A teams on the road

The Lady Outlaws traveled to Klamath Falls and beat 4A Mazama 64-44 on Friday, December 13, and a day later posted a 64-43 win over 4A Klamath Union (KU).

Sisters jumped out quick in Friday’s contest against the Mazama Vikings and at the close of the quarter were on top 25-8.  Audrey Corcoran led the scoring spree with nine points, Shae Wyland put up eight, Paityn Cotner contributed five, and Verbena Brent added three.

The Outlaws scoring slowed a bit in the second period, but six different players put points on the board, including Jorja Christianson and Maddie Durham, who each hit a long ball from beyond the arc. Sisters defense was excellent as they held Mazama to just five points in the quarter. The Outlaws held a 37-13 lead as teams entered the half.

Coach Paul Patton said, “At the half we agreed we were doing a good job of controlling the boards on both ends and looking to fast-break, but thought we could do a better job moving the ball on offense and communicating on defense.”

Sisters put up 11 points in the third, nine from Corcoran and two from Cotner. The Vikings scored nine points, five which came from the foul line, and at the end of three Sisters was up 49-22.

Corcoran caught a painful knee to the thigh near the end of the third, and took a break in the fourth. Sisters emptied their bench and allowed girls who usually only play JV get some time on the court at the varsity level. Mazama had a bit more success as a result and doubled their score with 22 points. Sisters added 15 in the period and won the contest by 20.

The Outlaws were only eight for 19 from the foul line for 42 percent and will work to improve in that area. 

Corcoran finished the night with 19 points and Wyland scored 14. Brent had her best scoring night so far with 10. 

Cotner tallied seven, Stella Moen, who stepped up from JV had six, and Christianson added five. Additional stats were unavailable.

Patton did note that Wyland was strong on defense, rebounding, and was a big part of the Outlaws’ scoring on the offensive end.

Patton said, “I was thrilled with our fast start against a squad that looked like they might give us some trouble. They were tall and athletic, but we just outplayed and out-shot them.”

A day later the Outlaws notched a victory over 4A Klamath Union.

Once again Sisters got off to a fast start with Corcoran putting up nine points in the first period. Christianson hit two threes and Durham hit one from long range. The Outlaws’ defense was very active, and the refs were calling it tight. KU got to the foul line 12 times in the period and made six. At the close of the first quarter Sisters held a 22-8 lead.

Wyland and Durham both picked up two quick fouls and were on the bench most of the second quarter. Corcoran scored nine additional points and Christianson hit her third three-pointer of the contest. The Outlaws’ defense held the KU Pelicans to nine points in the quarter. Teams entered the half with the Outlaws on top 38-17.

Patton said, “At halftime we talked about just continuing to do what we were doing to build the lead — tough defense, no second shots, and move the ball on offense.”

In the third the Outlaws got a bit impatient on the offensive end and their quick-shot misses gave the Pelicans opportunities to take it the other way. KU scored 21 in the quarter, while the Outlaws put up 15.

In the final quarter, the Outlaws tightened up their defense and held the Pelicans to just five points. Sisters held onto the lead and recorded the 21-point victory.

Corcoran scored 28 points, and Christianson had her best game so far with 14 points, including four three-pointers. Brent had her second 10-point game in a row and was steady on both ends of the court. Cotner tallied six, and Durham added five. The team was 54 percent from the free-throw line, an improvement from the previous night.

Patton said, “It was a great team-effort win, with our subs stepping up with big minutes when we got into foul trouble. It was nice to see us get tested a little bit with foul trouble and the other team going on a run. The team responded well with players filling in and the team pushing back with our own offensive surge.”

“Althea (Crabtree) was great filling in at the post with strong defense and rebounding,” added Patton. “Norah (Thorsett) played well at three different positions throughout the game. Paityn stood out and chipped in six points and played pesky defense on their best players. Stella played in all four quarters at the wing for us and was good defensively. We’re a little banged up right now from the hard-fought games, but hopefully we’ll heal up quickly because we’ve got three games next week.”

The Lady Outlaws were scheduled to play at Culver on Tuesday, December 17. They will play at home against South Umpqua on Thursday, December 19, and on Friday will play on the road at Gervais.