CPHS Basketball: Sandites headed to State after win over undefeated Bartlesville

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CLAREMORE - The undefeated Class 6A No. 2 ranked Bartlesville High School Girls' Basketball team (25-1) is undefeated no more. The Sand Springs Sandites repaid a 53-42 regular season loss with a 52-40 Area Championship win to clinch their spot on the State Tournament bracket.

No. 13 Charles Page High School (18-7) will play the OSSAA 6A State Tournament for the second-straight year after topping the Frontier Valley Conference Champions. Bartlesville will have to beat the winner of No. 11 Norman North (17-8) vs. No. 14 Shawnee (21-4) Saturday afternoon at Daniel Webster High School if they want to make the State Tournament. 

It took Bartlesville half a minute to find a lane on their opening drive. They didn’t find the basket, however, and Destiny Johnson took the rebound to the house. The Bruins missed three field goal attempts and gave up two free throws to Jacie Taber before finding their rhythm with layups from Jena Williams and Erin Shoemaker.

Johnson made two more layups for an 8-4 lead before Avery Allen hit the first three-pointer of the night. Taber hit another from the charity stripe and Holly Kersgieter made a two for an 11-7 lead before Shoemaker completed a three-point play to close the first quarter.

Isabella Regalado and Shoemaker traded threes to start the second period. Regalado went to the line and made one free throw, then Johnson rebounded the second for a 17-14 advantage. Williams made a free throw, then Shoemaker and Williams hit back-to-back threes for the first Bruin lead of the game with two minutes left on the half. Bartlesville held a 24-19 lead to end the period.

The Sandites were explosive in the second half, kicking things off with a three-point play from Kersgieter. Destiny Harris made a three, then the Sandites went on a six-point run. Shoemaker iced another three then Regalado scored five and Kersgieter made three more for the biggest lead of the game at 36-30 before Vivian Culver scored three to end the period.

The Bruins battled back early in the fourth to tie it at 39-39, but Sand Springs ran away with a ten-point streak from there for a double-digit lead with 42 seconds left. 

Kersgieter, a University of Kansas-committed junior, led all scorers with nineteen points, followed by Johnson with twelve, Regalado with eleven, and Taber with eight. Shoemaker led the Bruins with eighteen and Williams contributed thirteen. Johnson had a double-double with twelve rebounds.

CPHS 50 BHS 42

1Q CPHS 11-10
2Q BHS 14-8
3Q CPHS 17-9
4Q CPHS 14-9

Free Throws: CPHS 15-of-21, BHS 7-of-12. 
Field Goals: CPHS 16-of-35, BHS 14-of-55.
Offensive Rebounds: BHS 6, CPHS 2.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 34, BHS 16.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 36, BHS 22.
Steals: BHS 7.
Blocks: CPHS 3.
Fouls: BHS 15, CPHS 13.

(Sand Springs Stats)
Scoring: Kersgieter 19, Johnson 12, Regalado 11, Taber 8.
Offensive Rebounds: Johnson 1, Kersgieter 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Johnson 11, Kersgieter 8, Regalado 7, Taber 5, Presnell 2, Berge 1.
Total Rebounds: Johnson 12, Kersgieter 9, Regalado 7, Taber 5, Presnell 2, Berge 1. 
Assists: Johnson 2, Kersgieter 1.
Blocks: Johnson 2, Taber 1.
Fouls: Taber 5, Johnson 2, Presnell 2, Kersgieter 2, Regalado 1, Padilla 1.

(Bartlesville Stats)
Scoring: Shoemaker 18, Williams 13, Allen 3, Harris 3, Culver 3, Parker 2.
Fouls: Shoemaker 5, Harris 4, Parker 3, Allen 2, Williams 1.