The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The girls basketball squad had a rough week with losses in all three of their games. Sisters lost at home 44-30 to Cascade on Tuesday, June 15, and a day later fell 39-35 at home against Woodburn. At home on Friday they lost 28-37 to second-place Stayton.

In Tuesday’s action the Outlaws fell behind quickly in the first half due to their numerous turnovers. At the half Sisters trailed 15-28.

Coach Carl Click said, “Cascade ran a couple of different pressure defenses that I thought we handled fairly well. After that we threw bad passes, or threw good passes that we didn’t catch and convert on the other end. We were also a little tentative about taking open shots. It just didn’t seem like we went to the basket with confidence and conviction.”

In the second half Sisters had less turnovers and played right with the Cougars. They were only outscored by one, 15-16, but couldn’t recover from the first-half deficit.

Click was happy with the Outlaws’ defense.

“There were several trips down the floor where we held them in check for 30 or 40 seconds with pressure, screen switches, and good team defense,” said Click. “It’s hard work.”

Maggie Lutz led the team with nine points, all three-point shots. Payden Petterson scored seven, and Emma Lutz added four. Gracie Vohs and Juhree Kizziar scored two points each, their first-ever varsity points. The Outlaws as a team had an impressive showing from the free-throw line, going seven for 10.

A day later against Woodburn it was a much closer contest, and at the half the Outlaws were only down by one, 14-15.

Sisters played a hard third quarter and took a one-point lead as teams headed into the final period. The Outlaws started the fourth quarter very well. Ila Reid hit an inside shot, and Maggie Lutz hit a triple to put the Outlaws up by six with four minutes left in the game.

After a time-out the Outlaws had three bad possessions that included two turnovers and a foul. The Bulldogs got a basket, converted a three throw, and then hit a shot from behind the arc to tie the game.

The score went back and forth from there. Woodburn scored four points and Reid and Petterson scored baskets for the Outlaws to make it 31-31. The Bulldogs took possession of the ball with 18 seconds left on the clock.

Click said, “Instead of our girls sitting back and waiting for them to take a last shot, they chased them around and pressured the ball. In the end, the Bulldogs only got off a weak shot. It was a courageous defensive effort to be aggressive instead of passive in the end, and it got us to overtime.”

In overtime, the Outlaws got called for several fouls. The Bulldogs went six-for-six from the line, and added a basket. Emma Lutz went four-for-four for the Outlaws. Down by two with just 18 seconds left on the clock, the Bulldogs stole the ball and ended the Outlaws’ chances.

Haleigh Froelich led the Outlaws with nine, Emma Lutz scored seven, and Maddie Lutz and Ila Reid each scored six. Petterson tallied five points, and Gracie Vohs added two.

On Friday the Outlaws were missing two of their starters, and a couple of the younger players stepped in with big contributions.

Freshman Juhree Kizziar got a steal and later in the game nailed a three-pointer. Maddie Symonds and Gracie Vohs contributed valuable minutes inside, and both were a part of the Outlaws’ great defensive effort. Symonds scored her first points of the season with a strong post move and a hook shot.

Click said, “We played a really strong defensive game against a strong team. We held the Eagles to two points in the final period. I was so happy and proud of the defensive effort. The girls played hard, smart defense and frustrated the other team. A few times their possessions lasted 30 seconds or more because they couldn’t crack us. At halftime we made a goal to keep them under 40 points and we did that.

“We didn’t win a game in the final week, but we played three really strong opponents and competed with each of them,” said Click. “It’s a sign of improvement, which is what this season was all about.”

The Outlaws finished up the season with a 4-9 record.