Outlaws post overtime win

The Outlaws pulled off a 50-45 overtime win at La?Pine on Friday, December 13, and three days earlier defeated Elmira 59-56 at home in an endowment game.

In Friday’s game at La?Pine the Outlaws quickly jumped out with the lead, thanks to early three-balls from Brogan Petterson and Nate Weber. Sisters held the Hawks scoreless for the first six minutes, and then one of their players hit a couple of contested three-pointers. At the close of the quarter the Outlaws were on top 12-6.

Sisters continued to extend their lead in the second period. The Outlaws’ defense held the Hawks to six, while their offense tacked on another 10 points. Sam Nicklous stepped up and scored seven of the team’s 10 points with a three, a lay-in and two free throws. Weber added a deep three to make it a 22-12 advantage as the teams entered the half.

It was a tight third quarter, but the Outlaws were able to edge the Hawks 7-6. In the fourth, one of the Hawks hit four quick threes and La?Pine went on to outscore Sisters 20-9 to tie the game and force overtime.

In OT the Outlaws got a quick lead when Nicklous hit a three-pointer and then attacked the basket after Joe Scholl won the tip. From there, it was all free throws. Sisters went seven-for-eight from the line in overtime to outscore the Hawks 12-7 and post the win.

Nicklous led the scoring effort with 23 points.

Coach Rob Jensen said, “Sam was gritty while playing with a cold that kept him out most of the week.”

Scholl was a monster on the boards and finished the night with 17 rebounds, and also scored eight points. Weber recorded 10 points, Petterson recorded six points with seven defensive tips, and Connor Linn added four points and 10 more rebounds.

Jensen said, “While we should have won in regulation, this was a great test for us and really showed a winning mindset. The boys stepped up to the adversity and really handled the pressure. Everybody did their part to get the team the win.”

Sisters’ win over the Falcons on Tuesday was another great game. Toward the end of the contest the Falcons closed the gap to keep fans on the edge of their seats, but at the final whistle the Outlaws prevailed.

The Outlaws stayed with the Falcons for the first two-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter with the score tied 7-7, but then Falcons held them scoreless for 4.5 minutes, went on a 9-0 run to put the score at 7-16. In the final minute Petterson hit a three, but the Falcons answered with a bucket to close out the period with the Outlaws trailing 10-18.

Midway through the second quarter Nicklous hit a clutch three-ball to close the gap to 15-22. A bit later the Falcons got a technical foul called against them and the momentum shifted. Nicklous hit two of his three attempts at the line due to the foul, and the score narrowed to 18-22. In the final minute of the half, Weber drove to the basket, hit the shot and was fouled. Nate made the plus-one and closed the gap to 23-25. With 20 seconds left, Nate stole the ball, went the length of the court, and made the lay-in to even the score 25-25 as the teams entered the half.

Sisters didn’t score the first 2.5 minutes of the third quarter, but then rained down the three-ball. The Outlaws racked up 18 points in the quarter, all from behind the arc. Weber hit two threes, and Nicklous, Petterson, Connor Linn, and Max Palanuk all hit one. Sophomore Palanuk came in off the bench with 30 seconds left in the period and with poise and composure nailed the three with eight seconds left on the clock. The Outlaws defensive pressure forced Elmira to make unintended passes, which allowed Sisters to take a 43-38 lead to close out the third.

Sisters protected their lead in the final quarter, but Elmira did narrow the Outlaws lead to four at one point. The Outlaws kept their composure, continued to force turnovers, and converted on free throws down the stretch to edge out the Falcons by three with a score of 59-56.

Weber led the offensive charge with 18 points, followed by Nicklous who tallied 17 from his point guard position. Linn recorded 10 points, Petterson played through some pain to tally nine, and Palanuk added three points. Joe Scholl scored two points, grabbed five boards, and had two blocked shots.

First-year Head Coach Rob Jensen said, “It was a good win against a solid opponent. Elmira is well coached and they play really hard. The team shot well from the three with four players hitting at least two threes. Sam (Nicklous) and Nate (Weber) really performed well and we cut down on our turnovers as a team.”

Sisters went 10-for-17 for 59 percent from behind the arc.

The Outlaws were scheduled to play at home against Cottage Grove on Tuesday, December 13. They will travel to Marshfield on Thursday for a holiday tournament.