Pennington scores 22 as #12 Lady Sandites avenge week 2 loss to Bixby, 60-48
/By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
Three Sandites doubled in a 12-point conference win over the Bixby Lady Spartans (7-12) Friday night at Ed Dubie Field House (13-5). Sydney Pennington led the No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School girls' team with 22 points, trailing by 1 to the Lady Spartans' Addison Richards. Gloria Mutiri added 13 and Destiney Johnson had 11.
The Spartans were the second opponent of the season for the Sand Springs girls who were dealt a 61-51 upset loss in their first Frontier Valley Conference game to then No.17 ranked Bixby. Friday night's Homecoming game was not only a victory, but a moral victory as well as it snapped a three-game losing streak.
The home girls took a quick 6-0 lead before Richards sank her first of three threes. From there the Lady Spartans battled back to take a 12-10 lead. Johnson hit a three, followed by Dariann Myles with a three of her own. Pennington was fouled and sank both free throws, but Myles hit yet another three to ride an 18-16 lead into the second quarter.
The next period would not be as kind to the Lady Spartans as Mutiri hit a pair of layups to take the Sandite lead back once and for all. The Lady Sandites outscored Bixby 18-6 and Pennington scored a transition layup right at the buzzer for a 34-24 haltime lead.
The Sandites won the next two periods as well, by close scores of 13-12 and 13-10 respectively. The closest Bixby would come to the Sandites would be eight points down early in the third, and by the time it was over Sand Springs had more than avenged their conference-opening loss.
The Lady Sandites are now fifth in Frontier Valley with a conference record of 5-4 with five games left before Regionals. The girls will next see action Tuesday night at No. 1 Sapulpa.
The JV girls posted a 31-27 victory to improve to 8-3 this season.