The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Outlaws basketball squad posted three wins last week, including a 57-49 win at Elmira on Tuesday, January 30, and three days later a 62-57 win at home over Siuslaw. In a road game on Saturday against Creswell the Outlaws walked off the court with a 48-35 victory for their third straight win of the week.

On Tuesday against the Falcons the Outlaws got off to a slow start and immediately found themselves down 0-6 before Oliver Bernhardt made a layup to get them on the scoreboard. However, it didn't get any better for the Outlaws as the Falcon's fast break kept them on their heels. Elmira increased their lead, and at the end of the quarter Kale Gardner scored on the final possession to bring the score to 9-20.

The second quarter was a different story. The Outlaws' offense started to flow and the defense held the Falcons scoreless for the first four minutes. Diego Silva started the scoring with a turn-around jumper in the paint, followed by a defensive steal and coast-to-coast layup from Landon Scott. Sisters outscored the Falcons 14-4 in the period and cut the lead to one, 23-24, as teams entered the half.

Scoring went back-and-forth in the third quarter. Gardner and Bernhardt hit back-to-back long balls from behind the arc to put the Outlaws on top 37-31.

Sisters struck first in the final period with a Gardner three-pointer from the top of the key. Brody Fischer hit a free-throw line jumper, followed by a three-pointer to push the Outlaws to a 47-38 advantage. Sisters wouldn't let the Falcons get to within six points the remainder of the contest, and the Outlaws walked away with an eight-point win.

Coach Chad Rush said, "This was a good win for the team. To respond the way they did after getting hit in the mouth in that first quarter was a great testament to the growth the team has had."

Scott led the Outlaws with 17 points, Gardner scored 16, and Fischer contributed 11. Bernhardt added seven points and Silva pitched in with four.

Three days later the Outlaws posted a 62-57 win at home over the Vikings.

Sisters scored early when Silva stole an inbounds pass from the Vikings, took it strong to the basket, was fouled, and connected on both free-throws. Gardner followed with a three-pointer, and from there the lead changed back-and-forth between the two squads.

Sisters never let the Vikings get closer than five points in the final period. The Outlaws hit timely shots and limited Siuslaw's offensive possessions by cracking down on the Vikings potent offensive rebounding advantage.

Fischer led the team with 18 points and three assists. Scott scored 16 points, and tallied five rebounds and three steals. Gardner also put up 16 points in the contest, and Silva and Bernhardt added six points each.

Rush said, "This was an important win as we came into the game a half a game behind Siuslaw in the league standings. In our first match-up we gave up 12 offensive rebounds and allowed 18 second-chance points, and both of those categories were points of emphasis for the Outlaws. In this game we gave up 10 offensive rebounds and 12 second chance points so we achieved our goals. It was good to see the team make a collective effort on the glass in the second half to help us secure the win."

On Saturday, Sisters notched their third win of the week with a victory on the road at Creswell, in a make-up game from earlier in the season.

Teams traded baskets for most of the first quarter, and the game was knotted up several times. Scott put up five points in the period and at the end of one the Outlaws trailed 12-14. It was a low-scoring second quarter with the Outlaws edging out the Bulldogs 7-6. Sisters scored only one field goal when Gardner cut back door and got a perfect pass from Silva, and the remainder came from the charity stripe.

Sisters scored the first six points of the third quarter and took a 25-20 lead, which included a bucket from Silva, and a triple from Gardner. After a Bulldog timeout the Outlaws switched to a 2-3 zone to mix things up, however, the Bulldogs scored five points to knot it up 25-25. Sisters switched back to man-to-man, their defensive pressure took over, and they held the Bulldogs scoreless for the final five minutes of the quarter. Sisters scored on four consecutive possession to breakaway to a 10-point lead.

The Bulldogs cut the lead to 40-34 with 1:30 left on the clock, but the Outlaws answered with eight straight points to put the game out of reach. Scott scored seven of the Outlaws 13 fourth quarter points.

Scott led the team with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Gardner followed with 12 points and five assists. Silva contributed seven points and three assists and Fischer finished with six points, six rebounds, and three assists.

Rush said, "This was quite possibly the most complete defensive game we've put together so far this season. To hold a Bulldog team that averages 54 points a game to 35 points is a great accomplishment. We executed the game perfectly in stopping Creswell's inside post game and that took them away from what they wanted to do."

The Outlaws are tied for third place in league with Creswell as teams head into their final week of league play. Sisters was to play at Creswell on Tuesday, February 6. They will finish league play on the road at Harrisburg on Friday.