Yonnie Morris Leads Lady Sandites Back to State with 52-39 Upset of Choctaw

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On Friday, the Charles Page High School boys led Southmoore by 15 points early in their game before the Sabercats came back to win it in an Area elimination game.

The girls team nearly fell to the same fate. After surging out to a 16-3 first quarter lead against No. 3 Choctaw (24-2) in the Area consolation finals, the Sandites suffered an even more lopsided second quarter and trailed early in the third before rallying to a 52-39 victory.

“I didn’t want to lose,” said senior Northeastern Oklahoma A&M commit Tiaona “Yonnie Morris. “Everybody hyped up Choctaw. They were undefeated until they played Owasso.”

Things couldn’t have started more perfectly for No. 8 Sand Springs (21-7), who scored on layups from Sakauri Wilson and Morris for a 6-0 lead before a three-pointer from Adison Karaeer cut it in half.

After that lone bucket, the Sandites ended the quarter on a 10-0 run as the Yellowjackets shot 1-of-12 from the field.

“I think early on we did a great job of pressuring them,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We did a great job of talking, communicating, and just being together in one accord.”

Then Choctaw went on a 14-0 run to take a 17-16 advantage at the 4:10 mark of the second quarter.

“Second quarter we didn’t communicate as well,” said Berry. “They got on a run and they hit four or five threes in a row and that’s what kind of team they are. They can do that. Luckily we had some people step up in the second half, make some big shots, make some timely plays for us.”

After leading 21-19 at halftime, Choctaw built its lead to 29-22 on three-pointers from Oklahoma City University commit Brooke Curry and Oklahoma Baptist commit Katelyn Davis.

Then things shifted back to the Sandites, who went on an 11-0 run to end the quarter and would never trail again.

Morris hit back-to-back buckets before freshman Tianna Butler drained a corner three to tie it at 29-29 with 2:47 in the quarter.

Freshman Aaliyah Simone assisted on two buckets off turnovers, stripping a blocked shot and finding Butler for a floater before coming away with a steal that she sent downcourt to Hope Bump.

“I’ve been saying it all year long - those two are special freshmen,” said Berry. “They’re big time.”

Despite being back out front, the Sandites suffered a scare when Wilson went down with an apparent ankle injury on the final play of the third while Sand Springs was only up 33-29.

Wilson limped to the locker room for a moment but soon returned to the floor and was ready to sub back in.

“I never question that girl,” said Berry. “She’s a tough player. She’s been through many injuries many times and she always just gets right back up.”

After a three-pointer from Davis made it 38-34 early in the fourth, Sand Springs went on a 9-0 run and maintained a double-digit margin for the remainder of the game.

Morris led the Sandites with 16 points, followed by Bump with 14 and Wilson with 12. Davis was the only Yellowjacket in double digits with a game-best 17 points on five treys.

Sand Springs has made it to the doorstep of the State tournament four times under Berry and this is the second time they have managed to cross the threshold. The Sandites won an Area title in 2022 but lost in the consolation finals in 2021 and 2023.

“This is a special senior group right here,” said Berry. “They’ve been in this game four straight years, every year they’ve been in school, and we’re 2-2 now.”

“I’m more than happy for these girls. They’ve been through a lot this year - injuries, people come in, come out. It’s just been a hard year for them. I’m just glad that they get to experience this ride.”

“It’s a great feeling,” added Morris. “We really wanted to make it to State last year but we just had some circumstances where we weren’t clicking and it made it hard, but this year we really took practice seriously and Berry emphasized on the communicating and focusing a lot and we just got the job done.”

Among the obstacles for Sand Springs were season-ending injuries of Calla Fueshko, Abigail Martin, and KiAryn Taylor, and a long wait for OSSAA clearance for Bump, a junior Claremore transfer, who didn’t get to play till a month into the season.

“A lot of people did have to step up, especially our two freshmen: Tianna and Aaliyah,” said Morris. “They had to step up and play big roles and we appreciate them for that.”

The State tournament will kick off Wednesday in Norman at the University of Oklahoma’s Lloyd Noble Center. Times and matchups have yet to be announced. Quarterfinals will be Wednesday, semifinals will be Friday, and the Championship game will be Saturday.

Joining Sand Springs in the State tournament will be No. 1 Edmond North (24-1), No. 2 Putnam City West (24-1), No. 4 Edmond Memorial (22-3), No. 5 Owasso (21-5), No. 6 Putnam City North (20-6), No. 9 Bixby (20-7), and No. 10 Mustang (20-7).

Sand Springs split games with Edmond Memorial and Owasso this season while losing its only meeting with Putnam City North in a close one.

The Sandites are in pursuit of their first State Championship since 1994.

CPHS 52 Choctaw 39

1Q: CPHS 16-3.
2Q: Choctaw 18-3.
3Q: CPHS 14-8.
4Q: CPHS 19-10.
Free Throws: CPHS 12-of-19, Choctaw 3-of-4.
Field Goals: CPHS 18-of-39, Choctaw 14-of-49.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 7, Choctaw 10.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 17, Choctaw 14.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 24, Choctaw 24.
Steals: CPHS 6, Choctaw 1.
Blocks: CPHS 6, Choctaw 2.
Fouls: CPHS 10, Choctaw 14.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Morris 16, Bump 14, Wilson 12, Ti. Butler 7, Simone 3.
Offensive Rebounds: Bump 3, Wilson 1, Morris 1, Simone 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Bump 4, Ti. Butler 4, Wilson 3, Morris 3, Simone 3.
Total Rebounds: Bump 7, Ti. Butler 5, Wilson 4, Morris 4, Simone 4.
Steals: Wilson 2, Bump 1, Morris 1, Simone 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Assists: Wilson 3, Simone 2, Morris 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 3, Simone 2, Bump 1.
Fouls: Bump 3, Morris 3, Wilson 2, Simone 2.

Choctaw Stats

Points: Davis 17, Bro. Curry 8, Hawk 4, Karaeer 3, Pruitt 3, Duval 2, Pherigo 2.
Fouls: Davis 4, Bro. Cury 2, Bre Curry 2, Pruitt 2, Karaeer 1, Duval 1, Hawk 1, Pherigo 1.

Lady Sandites Topple Trojans 50-33 in Playoffs, Play Choctaw Saturday

The No. 8 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (20-7) used a balanced team effort and an explosive second half to take down No. 15 Jenks (15-12) in the first round of the Area consolation playoffs Thursday night in Sapulpa, winning 50-33 in a game they controlled from start to finish.

Sand Springs never once trailed, though the Trojans hung fairly close through the first half, only down 21-17 to start the third and 36-25 entering the fourth.

Back-to-back-to-back three pointers from Taiona Morris, Tianna Butler, and Aaliyah Simone early in the fourth put the game firmly out of reach.

“We made shots,” said head coach Josh Berry. “That third quarter we finally made some shots and made a couple threes, got a couple layups in, so it kind of opened up for them.”

It was the Sandites’ first meeting of the season with their former conference foes and their 20th consecutive victory over the Lady Trojans in a streak dating back to 2013.

The teams traded buckets to a 4-4 tie before a three-pointer from Sakauri Wilson gave Sand Springs the lead for the remainder of the game. Wilson also scored the Sandites’ first two buckets, on putbacks, and had 11 points and 4 rebounds in the first quarter alone.

Sand Springs dominated the boards early on but Jenks boxed out better after the first quarter and the two teams matched up fairly well in that regard.

Sand Springs had the better defense, however, and came away with 11 steals on the night while holding Rice-commit Jill Twiehaus to only 11 points.

“She’s a great talent,” said Berry. “We just wanted to make her work for every single shot that she gets.”

While Wilson was limited offensively in the second half, her teammates stepped up and four different Lady Sandites finished in double digits.

Freshman Tianna Butler had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks while Hope Bump had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals.

“We have multiple people that can score the basketball so that’s a good thing,” said Berry. “Hopefully they all score the ball come Saturday.”

Morris started the night 0-of-9 on first-half field goals but dialed it in for the second half to score 10 points.

“She’s gotten so much better,” said Berry. “She just keeps getting better and better as the year goes on. I just tell her ‘keep playing hard, focus on that part of it, the ball’s going to find the hole eventually.’ She’s too good for it not to find the hole.”

Sand Springs will return to action Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the Area consolation finals at Sapulpa against No. 3 Choctaw (24-1), who suffered its first loss of the season 34-31 against No. 5 Owasso (21-5) in the championship game.

“Great team, good coach,” said Berry. “It’s gonna be a battle. You go out there and you fight from start to finish. Whatever happens happens.”

CPHS 50 Jenks 33

1Q: CPHS 14-8.
2Q: Jenks 9-7.
3Q: CPHS 15-8.
4Q: CPHS 14-8.
Free Throws: CPHS 5-of-9, Jenks 6-of-17.
Field Goals: CPHS 19-of-52, Jenks 13-of-42.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 9, Jenks 10.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 14, Jenks 14.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 23, Jenks 24.
Steals: CPHS 11, Jenks 4.
Blocks: CPHS 4, Jenks 6.
Fouls: CPHS 14, Jenks 9.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Wilson 16, Ti. Butler 11, Bump 10, Morris 10, Simone 3.
Offensive Rebounds: Wilson 3, Ti. Butler 3, Bump 2, Morris 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Bump 4, Ti. Butler 4, Simone 3, Wilson 2, Morris 1.
Total Rebounds: Ti. Butler 7, Bump 6, Wilson 5, Simone 3, Morris 2.
Steals: Bump 6, Ta. Butler 2, Wilson 2, Simone 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Assists: Bumps 2, Morris 2, Wilson 1, Ti. Butler 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 3, Bump 1.
Fouls: Bump 3, Wilson 3, Simone 3, Ti. Butler 3, Morris 2.

Jenks Statistics

Points: Ifeoma 12, Twiehaus 11, Dodder 4, White 3, Anderson 2, Jones 1.
Fouls: Jones 3, Ifeoma 2, White 1, Dodder 1, Sykes 1, Zhang 1.

Sandites Split With Union: Girls Win 37-33 Behind Wilson's 16 Points

Although the two meetings between Sand Springs and Union were very similar this year, the end results couldn’t have been more different as the No. 6 ranked Lady Sandites (15-5, 9-2) paid back a January upset with a 37-33 victory over No. 14 Union (12-8, 7-5) Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House.

A dog fight from the very beginning, neither team ever led by more than six points in the defensive battle that was the Sandites’ lowest scoring victory in at least a decade.

“It was great defense on both ends,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We both missed some shots, but that’s what happens. This was a big-time game…both groups gave it all they had and fortunately we came out on top this time.”

Union previously upset the Sandites 49-47 just two weeks ago, but despite that loss, the Sandites still have hopes of a district title if they can knock off No. 4 Edmond Memorial (15-3, 10-1) Thursday on the road.

“They know it’s there, they know what we’ve got to do, they know what kind of challenge it’s going to be to beat somebody like that three times,” said Berry.

Sand Springs previously bested the Bulldogs 41-33 in the season-opener and 58-54 at the Carl Albert tournament in late January.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you play them, you’ve got to play that way every single time,” said Berry. “It’s a new game. We’ll go up there and give it all we’ve got and that’s all we can do.”

In Tuesday’s game the Sandites jumped out to a 4-0 lead on baskets from Aaliyah Simone and Tianna Butler, but Union soon make it 5-4 on a three-pointer from Bella McSwain.

Butler briefly regained the lead for the home team, but Aaliyah Smith scored back-to-back buckets and the visitors stayed out front till the 4:09 mark of the second quarter when Hope Bump tied it at 18-18.

Tianna Butler gave her team another lead with 2:21 in the half but a putback from Smith tied it again and a trio of free throws put the visitors out front till a buzzer-beater three from Tayja Butler made it a 23-23 tie at halftime.

Simone, who scored 43 points over the two previous games, was in foul trouble for most of the game after drawing three in the first half and a fourth early in the third, limiting her scoring to the one bucket that opened the game.

Tianna Butler and Sakauri Wilson put the Sandites up 27-23 before Union went on a 9-0 run late in the third. Tiaona Morris broke that streak and got the Sandites back within a point to open the fourth.

The Sandites ramped up their defense from there, only surrendering a single free throw in the final stanza while Wilson scored six points in a row to close the game.

Wilson ended the night with 16 points, 8 steals, and 6 assists in her 11th time this season leading the team.

“I love her. She’s a special kid and a special talent,” said Berry. “She’s done it on both ends for us, she’s finished games. I’m just excited for her.”

The Lady Sandites will tip off at 6:30 p.m. in Edmond and will also play Friday on the road at U.S. Grant (4-15, 0-12).

The No. 13 ranked boys (13-7, 5-6) suffered a 67-43 loss in their game against No. 2 Union (19-2, 11-1), falling in an early hole that they could never quite claw their way out of.

Although the Sandites never once led, they hung close enough to keep hope alive till late in the game.

After trailing 33-15 at halftime, they went on a 9-2 run to cut it as close as 35-24. After a three-pointer from Deke Thompson, Kason Evans came away with a steal and it felt like momentum was firmly with the Sandites.

Unfortunately, the takeaway was nullified after a technical foul on the Sandites and a pair of Union free throws broke up the momentum.

Sand Springs won the third quarter 17-15 but Union went on a 14-1 run over the middle part of the fourth to put the comeback firmly out of reach.

Thompson led all scorers with 21 points and 5 rebounds in his 12th 20-point game of the season. The junior Jenks transfer is averaging 19.75 points per game this season.

CPHS 37 Union 33 (Girls)

1Q: Union 14-13.
2Q: CPHS 10-9.
3Q: Union 9-6.
4Q: CPHS 8-1.
Free Throws: CPHS 4-of-9, Union 7-of-10.
Field Goals: CPHS 15-of-48, Union 12-of-34.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 5, Union 4.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 13, Union 21.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 18, Union 25.
Steals: CPHS 9, Union 3.
Blocks: CPHS 2, Union 1.
Fouls: CPHS 13, Union 15.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Wilson 16, Ti. Butler 8, Bump 4, Morris 4, Ta. Butler 3, Simone 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Morris 3, Bump 1, Simone 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Morris 5, Ti. Butler 3, Simone 2, Bump 1, Wilson 1, Gilton 1.
Total Rebounds: Morris 8, Ti. Butler 3, Simone 3, Bump 2, Wilson 1, Gilton 1.
Steals: Wilson 8, Morris 1.
Assists: Wilson 6, Morris 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 2.
Fouls: Simone 4, Bump 2, Wilson 2, Gilton 2, Morris 1, Ti. Butler 1, Ta. Butler 1.

Union Stats

Points: A. Smith 10, E. Smith 7, Bettis 6, McSwain 3, Edwards 3, W. Smith 2, Woodard 2.
Fouls: McSwain 4, Woodard 3, Bettis 2, W. Smith 2, E. Smith 2, A. Smith 1, Edwards 1.

Union 67 CPHS 43 (Boys)

1Q: Union 16-9.
2Q: Union 17-6.
3Q: CPHS 17-15.
4Q: Union 19-11.
Free Throws: Union 7-of-13, CPHS 9-of-18.
Field Goals: Union 26-of-51, CPHS 15-of-48.
Offensive Rebounds: Union 10, CPHS 9.
Defensive Rebounds: Union 22, CPHS 13.
Total Rebounds: Union 32, CPHS 22.
Steals: Union 4, CPHS 7.
Blocks: Union 1, CPHS 5.
Fouls: Union 21, CPHS 16.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Thompson 21, Evans 8, Allen 6, Kelly 5, Roper 2, Johnson 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Evans 3, Thompson 2, Allen 2, Johnson 2.
Defensive Rebounds: Roper 3, Thompson 3, Allen 2, Johnson 2, Evans 2, Fueshko 1.
Total Rebounds: Thompson 5, Evans 5, Allen 4, Johnson 4, Roper 3, Fueshko 1.
Steals: Young 2, Roper 1, Johnson 1, Evans 1, Shope 1, K. Smith 1.
Assists: Kelly 1, Evans 1.
Blocks: Johnson 4, Evans 1.
Fouls: Roper 3, Allen 3, Thompson 2, Johnson 2, Evans 2, Young 2, Kelly 1, Shope 1.

Union Stats

Points: Madrid 15, Fuller 13, Gilyard 13, Gunn 11, Chappelle 6, Chaney-Jones 5, Flemons 2, Ugbah 2.
Fouls: Dorsey 4, Flemons 4, Gunn 3, Madrid 3, Malham 2, Chaney-Jones 2, Gilyard 1, Chappelle 1, Bond 1.

Bump and Simone Lead Sandites to Dominant District Wins

A season-high from Hope Bump and some freshman firepower from Aaliyah Simone led to a perfect week for the Charles Page High School girls’ basketball team.

No. 6 Sand Springs (14-5, 8-2) won 69-43 against Enid (7-12, 2-7) on Homecoming Tuesday, 77-53 at Putnam City (8-12, 3-6) on Friday, and 51-36 against U.S. Grant (4-14, 0-11) on Saturday.

On Tuesday Sand Springs stormed out to a 22-4 first quarter lead and by halftime they led 43-17, their biggest such margins of the season.

Bump led all scorers with 21 points, followed by Taiona Morris with 11 as the only other Sandite in double digits. Sakauri Wilson and Simone added 9 apiece.

On Friday they had yet another dominant first quarter behind seven steals from Wilson. Morris scored the first three field goals of the game for an 8-1 advantage and by the end of the quarter the visitors were up 19-6.

They worked their lead up to 30-14 before the Pirates went on a 7-0 run to keep it within single digits at halftime.

By halftime Bump and Morris had three fouls apiece. Jordan Gilton fouled out in the third quarter, Morris fouled out early in the fourth, and Wilson fouled out with more than three minutes left to play, but it didn’t slow the visitors down as they still won the second half 47-32.

“It was a different atmosphere for us,” said head coach Josh Berry. “It was kind of a little wild so I’m just proud we got the win and we were able to come out of there unscathed and able to move on.”

Simone scored 12 points in the third quarter alone and ended the night with a career-high 23 points to lead all players, shooting 9-of-14 in the field and 5-of-6 at the charity stripe.

Wilson scored 19 points, Morris had 15, and Bump had 11 points with 9 rebounds in the win.

Against Grant on Saturday the Sandites were able to open the game on an 18-0 run over the first five minutes before the starters were benched and the visitors finally got on the board.

The starting five went back in the game to open the second quarter and worked their lead up to 33-7 before a full swap at the 4:00 mark. The Generals trailed 33-10 at halftime.

“We were just trying to make sure that nobody got hurt, we still do things the right way, and we get a win,” said Berry.

After taking a 28-point lead into the fourth quarter, the second string played out the duration of the game and the Generals whittled it back down to a more respectable 15-point loss.

Simone led all scorers for the second straight game with 20 points.

“She has had a couple of big games and that’s good for her,” said Berry. “I think it’s going to be good for us going forward. We know what the seniors can bring to the group and so now we get some more consistency from everyone else and it just depends on the night and how they’re guarding us on who’s going to have a good night for that night.”

Bump added 10 points to go with 6 rebounds and 5 steals while Tianna Butler had 7 points and 8 rebounds.

Now the winners of four in a row, the Sandites can put themselves in a position to win the district title this next week when they host No. 14 Union (12-7, 7-4) on Tuesday before traveling to No. 4 Edmond Memorial (15-3, 9-1) on Thursday.

Sand Springs was upset by Union 49-47 on the road in their last loss.

“That wasn’t our team that showed up the last time we played them,” said Berry. “If we play our game, I think we’ll be alright. We’re going to be in a dog fight. They’re playing good and it’s for district placement, so anytime you have that, you’ve got to get ready.”

Lady Sandites Upset Owasso on Morris's Buzzer Beater

The third time was the charm for the Lady Sandites, Friday night at the Ed Dubie Field House, as No. 6 Sand Springs paid back a pair of losses with a 40-38 upset against No. 5 Owasso.

After a game-tying layup from Makenna Yokley, the Sandites had just seven seconds to respond. Instead of calling a timeout to set up a play, head coach Josh Berry just trusted the connection between his two senior stars.

“If we call a timeout, I feel like we let them set up,” said Berry. “I think we’ve got the speed advantage so I just trusted our senior guards.”

It paid off as point guard Sakauri Wilson found Taiona Morris on a long bounce pass for the win. The Rams brought full pressure on Wilson, leaving Morris unguarded downcourt, and the NEO-commit made them pay.

“Kauri got the ball out so I just needed to run,” said Morris. “She found me and I just made the layup.”

Sand Springs led twice early in the game before the Rams rode a 12-0 run into the second quarter for a 10-point advantage. The home team played catch-up for the rest of the night, cutting its deficit to 23-21 by halftime.

“I think we started rushing it,” said Berry. “This is the first time we’ve been home in a very long time, so I think when we got settled down we just made some tough plays and played hard.”

A Freshman Phenom

Aaliyah Simone gave the Sandites their first lead of the second half with a pair of free throws but Sarah Yokley’s trey put the visitors back on top and the Rams took a 29-27 lead into the fourth.

Simone tied it again to open the fourth, then Seldon Stover and Wilson traded blows to a 31-31 tie. Makenna Yokley gave the visitors their final lead before Simone tied it a third time on a lefty layup off a steal from Wilson.

The freshman starter ended the night with a team-best 10 points and followed that play by picking off a long inbound and passing it to Wilson who hesitated long enough for a pair of would-be blockers to float by, then hit the go-ahead tap-in with 2:36 to play.

Hope Bump added another basket to make it a two-score game, though Makenna Yokley drained a three soon after to keep the Rams close.

Morris went 1-of-2 on a trip to the free throw line for a two-point advantage, followed by Makenna Yokley’s game-tying layup and Morris’s buzzer-beater for the win.

“We can finally say that we beat Owasso,” said Morris. “And on top of that, I feel like this will put us forward in our season and help us develop a better part of our team.”

Morris ended the night with 9 points, followed by Wilson and Bump with 8 apiece. Wilson added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals.

A New Hope

One of the key difference makers between this game and the first two meetings with Owasso was junior Hope Bump, a transfer from Claremore, who was still waiting on OSSAA clearance till after the new year.

Bump brings some much needed size to the Sandites, who lost one of their only bigs when Kiaryn Taylor tore her ACL in December’s Bishop Kelley Invitational.

“It sucked because I couldn’t be out there with them,” said Bump. “But it felt good to be out there with them tonight…because it counted toward our district wins and everything.”

Bump scored 8 points with 5 rebounds, a steal, and 2 blocks. She’s averaging 10.9 points and 5.7 rebounds this season since making her Sandite debut at the Putnam City Invitational on January 4th.

“She does it all,” said Berry. “She can pass, she can shoot, she can score inside. And now she’s playing a little bit of defense, so how about that? If she keeps that up, I think great things are going to come for her.”

Bump has adjusted well to her new team since following her dad, assistant coach Jeremy Bump, to Sand Springs.

“It’s different, definitely from 5A to 6A basketball,” said Bump. “It’s faster, it’s quicker and everything, but I love it it here…I feel like God put me where I need to be.”

Homecoming is Tuesday

Sand Springs improved to 11-5 on the season and 5-2 in district play and will return to action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on Homecoming. The queen will be crowned at halftime of the boys’ game, which starts at 8:00 p.m.

Owasso dropped to 13-4 and 6-2 and will travel to No. 5 Edmond Memorial (13-3, 7-1) Tuesday in a key district battle.

CPHS 40 Owasso 38

1Q: Owasso 13-7.
2Q: CPHS 14-10.
3Q: Tied 6-6.
4Q: CPHS 13-9.
Free Throws: CPHS 6-of-8, Owasso 5-of-6.
Field Goals: CPHS 16-of-50, Owasso 15-of-42.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 7, Owasso 8.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 12, Owasso 22.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 19, Owasso 30.
Steals: CPHS 9, Owasso 4.
Blocks: CPHS 4, Owasso 3.
Fouls: CPHS 10, Owasso 14.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Simone 10, Morris 9, Wilson 8, Bump 8, Ti. Butler 5.
Offensive Rebounds: Morris 3, Simone 1, Ti. Butler 1, Bump 1, Gilton 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Wilson 5, Bump 4, Simon 2, Ti. Butler 1.
Total Rebounds: Wilson 5, Bump 5, Morris 3, Simone 3, Ti. Butler 2, Gilton 1.
Assists: Wilson 3, Simone 1, Bump 1.
Steals: Wilson 5, Simone 2, Ti. Butler 1, Bump 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 2, Bump 2.
Fouls: Morris 3, Wilson 2, Simone 2, Bump 2, Gilton 1.

Owasso Statistics

Points: M. Yokley 15, McGarrah 8, Stover 4, Austin 4, Hill 4, S. Yokley 3.
Fouls: M. Yokley 4, Austin 3, Stover 2, McGarrah 2, Wilson 2, Hill 1.

Lady Sandites Upset at Union 49-47

Fresh off a tournament high, the Lady Sandites hit a district hiccup Tuesday night at Q. Hammons Arena, dropping a 49-47 upset to Union.

No. 6 Charles Page High School (10-5, 4-2) never once led and trailed by as much as 15 points midway through the second quarter before rallying to tie it on a three-point play from Aaliyah Simone with 1:30 to play.

The RedHawks (9-6, 4-3) played keep-away for the final minute and cashed in a pair of free throws to survive the comeback.

“They’re a good team and they might have had some fresher legs than us coming into this and it showed the first half,” said head coach Josh Berry.

“The girls fought valiantly to get back into the game. We had a chance to win it and we didn’t. We had a few things not go our way, but that is what it is and when you’re on the road, that’s going to happen.”

Sand Springs struggled with accuracy, shooting only 23.6% in the first half to the RedHawks’ 40.6% while also struggling with fouls and rebounds.

The girls trailed 15-8 after the first quarter and a four-point play by JaMiyah Woodard gave Union its biggest lead at 25-11.

Sakauri Wilson stole a rebound away from Esme’ Smith and put it up for two with 4:56 left in the second quarter to slow the Union tide and the Sandites cut the deficit to 32-21 at halftime.

Taiona Morris drained a three to open the third quarter and the Sandites trimmed their gap to 42-36 entering the fourth.

Foul trouble limited the Sandites’ defensive aggression in the fourth quarter as both Hope Bump and Wilson drew their fourth fouls.

Even so, they were able to get it back to a tie game. Butler drained a second three-pointer and Simone scored off a steal and was fouled by Whitney Smith, hitting the and-one to make it 47-47.

Isabella McSwain ran a minute off the clock before attempting a layup with 10 seconds remaining. Esme’ Smith rebounded for a putback try and also missed, but a foul was called and she made the first of her two free throws for the lead.

The second shot was no good, but Brooke Bettis rebounded, picked up a foul from Wilson, and hit the second of her two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining. Esme’ Smith picked off the inbound lob at half court to secure the upset.

“We’re still a young bunch with the exception of really two players,” said Berry. “You’ve got a couple of freshmen, you’ve got some new faces in there, so any time you have that, you’re not going to have consistency.

“But what has been consistent is this team’s effort level. So as long as that keeps up, we’re going to have chances, we’re going to stay in ball games and we’re going to be pretty good come late February.”

While the Sandites struggled offensively with one of their worst shooting performances of the season, their defense was its usual level of excellence with 12 takeaways and a season-best 10 blocks.

“Our defense gave us a lot of chances today,” said Berry. “We hit just enough shots. We didn’t hit a lot of them, but we hit just enough, we made just enough plays to give ourselves a chance but at the end of the day we weren’t physical, we weren’t tough, we didn’t box out very well, but those are all things you can correct and those are things we will correct.”

Simone, a freshman, had the best offensive performance for the team, shooting 4-of-8 in the field for 10 points to go with 3 steals and 4 rebounds.

“She’s a special player,” said Berry. “She’s got a chance to be a big-time player. She’s just got to work every day, get better, and keep that up.”

Wilson and Morris also had 10 points apiece. Wilson had 5 assists; Bump had 7 points and 10 rebounds; and Butler had 8 points, 6 boards, and 5 blocks.

Berry wasn’t too concerned about the loss and was already focused on Friday’s district home game against No. 5 Owasso (13-3, 6-1).

“I’m not worried about it at all. We’ll bounce back, we’ll figure it out, and we’ll be ready to play…I don’t think we’ve been at home for about two months it seems like, so we’ll be back at home and we’ll be ready to go.”

Union 49 CPHS 47

1Q: Union 15-8.
2Q: Union 17-13.
3Q: CPHS 15-10.
4Q: CPHS 11-7.
Free Throws: Union 7-of-12, CPHS 6-of-11.
Field Goals: Union 19-of-56, CPHS 18-of-66.
Offensive Rebounds: Union 17, CPHS 9.
Defensive Rebounds: Union 24, CPHS 18.
Total Rebounds: Union 41, CPHS 27.
Steals: Union 3, CPHS 12.
Blocks: Union 3, CPHS 10.
Fouls: Union 11, CPHS 14.

Sand Springs Stats

Scoring: Wilson 10, Morris 10, Simone 10, Ti. Butler 8, Bump 7, Ta. Butler 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Bump 4, Wilson 1, Morris 1, Simone 1, Ti. Butler 1, Pearce 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Bump 6, Ti. Butler 5, Simone 3, Wilson 2, Ta. Butler 1, Pearce 1.
Total Rebounds: Bump 10, Ti. Butler 6, Simone 4, Wilson 3, Pearce 2, Morris 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Steals: Simone 3, Wilson 2, Bump 2, Morris 2, Ti. Butler 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Assists: Wilson 5, Bump 1, Simone 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 5, Bump 2, Wilson 1, Morris 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Fouls: Wilson 5, Bump 4, Morris 2, Ti. Butler 2, Simone 1.

Union Stats

Scoring: Woodard 16, W. Smith 10, E. Smith 10, A. Smith 5, Edwards 4, Bettis 3, McSwain 1.
Fouls: McSwain 4, W. Smith 2, Woodard 2, Bettis 1, A. Smith 1, Edwards 1.