CPHS Basketball: Journey Armstead joins 1,000-point club in tournament win

5’9” junior star Journey Armstead joined an exclusive club Thursday evening in Verdigris, scoring her 1,000th point in a 52-40 win over Bishop Kelley (3-8). The second-year Sandite put up a modest 16 to lead all scorers in the first round of the 55th Annual Port City Classic, but it was was her fourth field goal of the night that elevated her to the four-figure career scoring mark.

Armstead scored 372 points as a freshman at East Central before transferring to Sand Springs. She scored a team-best 428 last season, including a 32-point performance against Jenks. The girls are only 11 games into the new season and she already has 205 more.

The last three Sandites to join the 1,000 Point Club are all playing NCAA Division 1 sports. Sophomore Holly Kersgieter is currently the leading scorer at the University of Kansas, averaging 16.3 per game over nine games this year. Sophomore Destiny Johnson has seen action in six games this year at the University of Tulsa, and Senior Sydney Pennington is a returning All-American on the Oklahoma State University softball team.

Armstead is currently averaging 18.64 points per game this season, and at that pace she could very well surpass Kersgieter’s 1,406 points next year. Pennington scored 1,386 for the Sandites and Johnson scored 1,315.

Class 6A No. 13 ranked Charles Page High School (6-5) fell behind 7-0 against the Kelley Comets on Thursday before Layne Kirkendoll got the Sandites on the board, then Armstead went off for nine points to take an 11-8 lead.

The rest of the team stepped up in the second quarter with baskets from five different players and took a 28-17 advantage into the half. Armstead’s next score came at the 5:46 mark of the third quarter, lifting her into the history books, and the team burned a timeout to celebrate the occasion.

Bishop Kelley briefly closed the gap to single digits late in the stanza, as close as 37-32, but Sand Springs went on a seven-point run and never let the Comets get close again. Armstead’s younger sister, freshman Sakauri Wilson, scored 14 points for a new career-high. Madeline Barton led the Comets with 12 and Ava Schneeburg added 10.

Lady Sandite Basketball will play in the tournament semifinals Friday at 8:30 p.m. against 5A No. 3 Tahlequah (10-2) who won their quarterfinal 76-18 against Edison (1-5). Bishop Kelley will play Edison at 4:00 p.m. in consolation. Although the tournament is technically the Catoosa Port City Classic, the girls games are being played at Verdigris High School due to a complete shut down of Catoosa athletics.

CPHS 52 BK 40
1Q: CPHS 11-8.
2Q: CPHS 17-9.
3Q: BK 15-11.
4Q: CPHS 13-8.
Free Throws: CPHS 8-of-15, BK 5-of-14.
Field Goals: CPHS 20-of-53, BK 14-of-37.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 11, BK 5.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 16, BK 20.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 27, BK 25.
Steals: CPHS 16, BK 5.
Blocks: CPHS 3.
Fouls: CPHS 16, BK 14.

(Sand Springs stats)
Scoring: Armstead 16, Wilson 14, Jackson 6, Kirkendoll 5, Jordan 4, Morris 3, Tanner 2, Hampton 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Jackson 3, Kirkendoll 3, Armstead 2, Wilson 1, Jordan 1, Hampton 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Wilson 3, Kirkendoll 3, Cheney 3, Armstead 2, Jackson 2, Morris 2, Jordan 1.
Total Rebounds: Kirkendoll 6, Jackson 5, Armstead 4, Wilson 4, Cheney 3, Jordan 2, Morris 2, Hampton 1.
Steals: Armstead 4, Wilson 3, Kirkendoll 2, Cheney 2, Morris 2, Jackson 1, Jordan 1, Tanner 1.
Assists: Armstead 5, Wilson 2, Jackson 1, Cheney 1.
Blocks: Kirkendoll 2, Morris 1.
Fouls: Kirkendoll 4, Jordan 4, Armstead 3, Jackson 2, Wilson 1, Morris 1, Tanner 1.