Lady Outlaws edge out Elmira on the hardwood

The Lady Outlaws bounced back from their heartbreaking overtime losses last week, and posted a narrow 43-42 win at home over Elmira on Tuesday, January 21. On Friday, they fell on the road to top-ranked Pleasant Hill (PH) in a final score of 40-46.

On Tuesday, the Outlaws had a great first quarter against the Falcons and at the close of the period held a 19-13 lead. Shae Wyland got the scoring started with a layup and the rest of the points were spread out between Audrey Corcoran, Verbena Brent, and Paityn Cotner. Corcoran led the scoring effort with 10 points. 

The second quarter was much tougher as the Outlaws had several turnovers, which the Falcons took advantage of. Elmira finished the quarter on a five-point run and trimmed the Outlaws’ lead to two at 28-26 to close out the first half. 

Coach Paul Patton said, “We felt pretty good being ahead at halftime because that hadn’t been the case in our close losses last week. We talked about keeping up the defensive intensity in the second half and cutting down on turnovers.”

The defense definitely was stronger as they held the Falcons top two scorers to only one field goal in the second half.

Four different players scored for the Outlaws in the third quarter, including Wyland, Corcoran, Maddie Durham, and Jorja Christianson. Durham hit a three with 1:25 left in the period and Christianson buried a three at the buzzer to give the Outlaws a 40-36 advantage.

Late in the third quarter, Wyland hurt her already injured thumb, and had to sit on the bench for the remainder of the game.

Sisters entered the fourth period with a four-point lead but had a very hard time getting their shots to fall. The Falcons went on a six-point run and took the lead at 40-42.  The Outlaws were held scoreless for over five minutes until Brent hit one of her two free throw attempts to narrow the gap to one at 41-42. Corcoran followed with a point from the foul line to tie it up. Brent positioned herself for the rebound on the far side of the basket and was fouled on her putback effort with .8 left on the clock. She made the first of her two attempts to give the Outlaws a one-point edge. Sisters held on, time expired, and the Lady Outlaws posted the win.

Corcoran scored 17 points, Brent followed with 11, and Durham added six.

Patton said, “It was sure good for the girls’ spirits to get a close win after our overtime losses last week. It was also nice that we stayed out of foul trouble, which has plagued us in our last two games. Audrey had a really good scoring first half, and even though her scoring fell off in the second, her ball handling and defense on their top scorer were instrumental in the win. Verbena has become a scoring threat and her attacking the basket got her to the foul line enough to be a difference maker in the game.

“Maddie was also key for us in hitting a couple three-pointers and showed improvement in her defensive play and rebounding,” added Patton. “I also have to compliment Paityn for her defensive efforts on one of their top scorers, Ava Greene, who she held to just seven points. It was an amazing win considering we didn’t have Shae, our top post defender and rebounder in the game the whole fourth quarter. The other girls stepped up and got the job done in what was a crucial win to keep our playoff hopes alive.”

On Friday against the PH Billies, the first quarter was a defensive battle, and neither team was able to break the single digit mark. Scoring picked up in the second period. Durham and Brent each made a three-pointer and finished with five points each in the quarter. The Billies got points from four different players and took a four-point lead at 17-21 as teams headed into the half.

Patton said, “We decided at the half to stick to our zone defense rather than switch to man-to-man, which is our usual defense.”

The Billies shut down the Outlaws scoring in the third quarter and held them scoreless for the first seven minutes. In the final minute of the period, Durham got a bucket on a cut to the basket and then hit a long ball just before the buzzer to cut the deficit to 10 going into the fourth quarter.

Sisters got their offense going in the final period and put 18 points on the scoreboard. However, the Billies kept pace with the Outlaws and put up 14 points to sustain their lead to the end. Brent scored nine of her game high 14 points in the quarter.

The Outlaws did get to within four points with just under a minute to go at 40-44, but were forced to foul. Time ran out and Sisters took the loss.

Freshmen Brent and Durham once again led the Outlaws in scoring with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Corcoran scored six, Wyland four, and Cotner added three.

The Billies’ Claire Crawford and 6-foot-1-inch Cheyenne Green were dominant in the post and scored 18 and 10 points, respectively, and hurt the Outlaws on the offensive boards. 

Patton said, “Pleasant Hill is the first place team in our league and have yet to lose a game in conference play, and they are ranked No. 4 in the state. So, for us to battle them to the end in a close game on the road was a fairly impressive feat.”

The Lady Outlaws currently sit in fourth place in league. Patton told The Nugget it’s their goal to make the playoffs, which requires they finish in the top three. They were scheduled to play at La Pine on Tuesday, January 28. On Friday they will play at home against Harrisburg, who they lost to in overtime in their first league game of the season. Harrisburg sits just ahead of the Outlaws in the third place spot.