Friday night’s Area Championship game had double the usual stakes as the winning team not only punched their ticket to the State Tournament, but got to do so against their biggest rivals.

Class 6A No. 4 ranked Sapulpa (21-4) prevailed 73-51 to improve to 2-1 against No. 5 Sand Springs (17-8) this season. The Sandites won their first meeting, but the Chieftains spoiled the Sandites’ regular season finale, and sabotaged their bid for an Area title.

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Sapulpa will advance to the State Tournament next Thursday, while the Sandites will get one more chance Saturday at 8:00 p.m. at Skiatook High School. They will play the winner of No. 9 Union (15-9) vs. No. 16 Putnam City North (12-13).

Sapulpa led for the majority of the first period, but always with the Sandites nipping at their heels. Cale Savage gave Sand Springs their first lead, 11-10, at the 3:30 mark with a three-pointer, and did it again just a minute later. Marlo Fox tied it at 15-15 with 1:36 to play, but the Chieftains ended the period 20-15 with a three from Jayde Duncan.

The Chieftains maintained their three-point advantage through most of the second period, but kept their foes in contention with numerous fouls. Josh Minney briefly tied it at 24-24 with a three-point play, but Hunter Hoggatt immediately put his team back out front with a long three and Camryn Dennis added to it with a three-point play of his own. Richardson put back a pair of shots from Cole Durkee and Cason Savage laid up to cut it back to 33-30, but Hoggatt and Vernon Durant rattled off three from the stripe and Dennis dunked to take a 38-30 advantage into the locker room.

Sand Springs never led in the second half.

Te’Zohn Taft gave his team their first double-digit advantage on the opening play of the half. Richardson hit a pair of twos and Minney scored twice from the stripe, but Jacoby Durant sank a three and Hoggatt hit a pair of free throws to make it 48-36. Jacoby Durant added two more before Durkee broke up the run with a pair of ones. Minney and Jaeden Hurd scored buckets late in the period and Daren Hawkins ended it with a free throw, but the Sandites were down 56-43.

Hoggatt hit a two to start the final period and Jacoby Durant followed it with a three. Richardson scored two, but Eli Williams added a goal of his own and Jacoby Durant hit a pair of free throws to make it 65-45. The Chieftains maintained their twenty-point lead for the remainder of the game.

Richardson led the Sandites with fourteen points and fifteen rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Cale Savage scored eleven points and Minney added ten.

Jacoby Durant led all scorers with sixteen points, followed by Taft with thirteen, Hoggatt with twelve, and Smith with eleven.

Sapulpa 73 CPHS 51.
1Q: SHS 20-15.
2Q: SHS 18-15.
3Q: SHS 18-13.
4Q: SHS 17-8.
Free Throws: SHS 14-of-33, CPHS 16-of-25.
Field Goals: SHS 26-of-56, CPHS 16-of-40.
Offensive Rebounds: SHS 11, CPHS 10.
Defensive Rebounds: SHS 15, CPHS 28.
Total Rebounds: SHS 26, CPHS 38.
Steals: SHS 12, CPHS 2.
Blocks: SHS 3, CPHS 4.
Fouls: SHS 21, CPHS 23.

(Sand Springs Stats)
Scoring: Richardson 14, Cale Savage 11, Minney 10, Durkee 5, Hurd 5, Fox 3, Cason Savage 2, Hawkins 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Richardson 5, Cale Savage 1, Minney 1, Durkee 1, Quier 1, Anderson 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Richardson 10, Cale Savage 3, Durkee 3, Cason Savage 3, Fox 2, Minney 2, Hurd 1, Hawkins 1, Quier 1, Hughes 1, Anderson 1.
Total Rebounds: Richardson 15, Cale Savage 4, Durkee 4, Minney 3, Fox 2, Cason Savage 3, Quier 2, Anderson 2, Hurd 1, Hawkins 1, Hughes 1.
Assists: Richardson 1, Fox 1.
Steals: Minney 1, Cason Savage 1.
Blocks: Richardson 2, Fox 1, Minney 1.
Fouls: Hawkins 5, Fox 4, Cason Savage 4, Richardson 3, Minney 3, Cale Savage 2, Durkee 1, Hawkins 1.

(Sapulpa Scoring): Jacoby Durant 16, Taft 13, Hoggatt 12, Smith 11, Dennis 8, Duncan 6, Williams 4, #30 2, Vernon Durant 1.