Sandites win Highway 97 rivalry

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It was a game of free throws. 48 of the game's 129 points came from penalties. Sand Springs shot 25/33 against Sapulpa's 23/33. Kyle Keener shot a perfect 8/8.  

The greatest rivalry in Oklahoma never failed to live up to the hype in a drag out battle royale that the Sandites claimed 69-60.

Sapulpa scored first on a free throw, but the Sandites took an early lead and held it till midway through the second when the Cheiftains tied things up twice before taking a brief 28-25 lead. 

Keener, Savage, and Nichols brought most of the first early fireworks, then Haddock tied things back up with a three pointer early in the first.

Sapulpa took the lead back briefly by as much as 41-34 before a Sandite resurgence brought it to 51-46 to close the third.

It was a back and forth affair from there but ultimately the Sandites pulled ahead for a 69-60 finish. 

Four Sandites finished in double digits. Nichols and Savage shared the lead with 15, followed by Keener with 13 and Haddock with 12. 

Sapulpa's Julian Smith led all scorers with 25 points, followed by Keenan Balance with 14 and  Alex Ogunseye with 11. 

Sand Springs is now 2-0 for the season.