The Outlaws started their week with a 61-32 loss at The Dalles on Tuesday, December 5, but four days later they bounced back with a 69-48 victory at home against Yamhill-Carlton.

In Wednesday’s matchup against the Riverhawks the Outlaws came out aggressive and with intensity and purpose. Garrett Sager got Sisters on the scoreboard first when he hit one of two free-throw attempts after a nice backdoor cut and pass from Landon Scott. Later, Sisters took a 7-5 lead on a layup from Scoot and then a 9-7 lead on a steal and layup from Kale Gardner. Unfortunately, the Riverhawks closed out the quarter on a 7-0 run and took a five-point lead at the close of the quarter.

Levi Szesze hit a tough shot in the paint to get the Outlaws going in the second period. Halfway through the quarter, the Riverhawks were up by nine, but the Outlaws went on an 8-0 run to cut their lead to one. Brody Fischer hit back-to-back threes and Scott got a steal for an easy transition layup. The Riverhawks went on a 9-3 run of their own and at the half Sisters trailed22-31.

In the third quarter, Scott cut the lead to seven on a drive and a floater shot in the middle of the key. From there the Outlaws went cold and only scored one more bucket. Diego Silva took a pass from Fischer in front of the rim for the two points with one minute left in the period.

Sisters did have some good looks but only shot 18 percent for the quarter, while the Riverhawks shot 43 percent and put up 20 points.

The Outlaws got off to a slow start in the final period and were held scoreless for over two minutes. Gardner took a pass from Austin Dean under the basket and made a contested layup for Sisters’ first points in the quarter. Near the end of the game Scott made a layup and Oliver Bernhardt made one at the buzzer for the Outlaws’ final points.

Gardner and Scott both finished with eight points, and Fischer scored six. Scott led the squad with seven rebounds, and Diego Silva tallied four. Garrett Sager pitched in with three assists.

Coach Chad Rush said, “This was a game that I believe will end up being good for us as we come to face some of the physical and aggressive teams in our conference. This game showed us the importance of taking care of the ball. I am confident that we will bounce back from this and learn valuable lessons.”

Four days later they definitely bounced back, and defeated Yamhill Carlton (YC) by 21 points.

Scott got the Outlaws on the scoreboard with seven straight points in just over a minute into the contest. Sisters continued to score easily, and both Silva and Fischer hit great shots from behind the arc. The Outlaws forced the Tigers into nine turnovers, which led to 11 points, and at the close of the period the Outlaws held a 25-14 lead.

The second quarter wasn’t nearly as explosive for the Outlaws, due to the fact the Tigers switched  to a 1-2-2 zone, which kept them stymied on the offensive end. However, the Outlaws’ defense was strong and held the Tigers scoreless for over four and a half minutes in the period. Sisters outscored YC by one, 10-9, with Fischer scoring five of their nine points. At the half Sisters was on top 35-23.

Teams traded scores for the first three minutes of the third and then YC scored seven points in a row to close the gap to four at 44-40 with three minutes left in the period. Sisters finished the quarter on a 7-4 run and took a seven-point lead as teams headed into the final quarter. The Tigers’ Kyle Slater hit an amazing half-court shot at the buzzer to cut the Outlaws’ lead from 10 down to seven points, 51-44.

In the final quarter, the Outlaws played tight, aggressive defense that contested every shot the Tigers attempted, and held them to just 10 percent shooting (1-for-10). On the flip side, the Outlaws shot their highest percentage of the night at 61 percent (8-for-13). The combination of great defense and effective offense was too much for the Tigers to handle, and resulted in a 21-point victory for the Outlaws.

Scott hit two long balls from the right corner in that final quarter and scored 10 of the Outlaws’ 18 fourth-quarter points.  

Scott led the Outlaws’ scoring spree with 26 points, and also pulled down five rebounds and had three steals. Oliver Bernhardt finished with 13 points and six rebounds, while Fischer scored 12 points and tallied five rebounds. Silva contributed seven points, and Gardner recorded five points and three steals. Garrett Sager had six rebounds and Austin Dean added four.

“I was very proud of the effort the team put in tonight,” said Rush. “This was a complete team effort with each player contributing to this victory. For some, it was scoring when scoring was needed, and for others it was a defensive intensity and effort to stop the Tigers at the right time. I could not be more proud of these young men.”

Sisters was to play at home against Cottage Grove on Tuesday, December 12. They will play on the road at South Umpqua on Friday.