Alijah Roper Leads Sandites to Senior Night Win over Bartlesville

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Alijah Roper has been having a bit of a quiet season offensively, but that changed last Tuesday night as the senior went off for a game-high 21 points in a 66-53 Senior Night win over Bartlesville (3-19).

“We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted,” said Roper. “We wish we could have played our seniors the whole fourth quarter…but we came out with the win and just persevered.”

The No. 13 ranked Sandites (15-8) previously beat Bartlesville 77-50 in January but the Bruins never quite let Sand Springs pull away in the rematch, shooting 12-of-26 from three-point range to keep things close.

“The seniors got to start so I was happy for them,” said head coach Eric Savage. “I wish all of them could have scored or got more playing time, but Bartlesville shot the ball really well tonight.”

“That kept the game close and kept them in striking distance. It seemed like every time we pulled away a little bit they had a three-point answer.”

Despite the hot hands from the Bruins, Roper led all scorers, going 4-of-5 from three-point range in the first half in a duel with Riley Duony, who had 20 for Bartlesville.

“I feel like I got a little more confidence,” said Roper. “I haven’t shot the best this season, so that helps a lot. It was good energy all night, Senior Night, so I had fun.”

Bartlesville jumped out to a 6-3 lead after the Sandites started all their seniors instead of their typical lineup, but after swapping in some of the usual suspects, the Sandites went on a 13-0 run and never trailed again.

The home team took an 18-12 lead into the second quarter but Bartlesville tied it up at 22-22 on a three-pointer from Trae Collins at the 3:12 mark.

From there it was all Sandites, with back-to-back treys from Roper kicking off a 13-2 run to end the half. Roper scored a buzzer-beater through contact from Duony and converted the four-point play to make it 35-24.

Duony and Collins hit a pair of threes to cut it to 37-30 early in the third quarter but the Sandites got hot late in the quarter once again and took a 52-35 advantage into the fourth.

Despite never allowing Bartlesville back within striking distance, the Sandites also never pulled away enough to run their bench till late in the quarter.

“We didn’t play the best in the second half,” said Roper. “We just kept letting them knock down shots and not playing the greatest defense, but we put up a win.”

“They’re well coached,” added Savage. “They play hard and they didn’t give us anything easy, they made us earn our baskets.”

Roper’s 21 points were just a bucket shy of his career-high 23 in last year’s season finale. Joining him in double-digits were juniors Khalil Allen with 15 and Deke Thompson with 12.

“It was fun playing with my best friends, starting with the seniors who I’ve been playing with all these years,” said Roper. “It was a good experience.”

Sand Springs will return to action Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against Southmoore (10-12) in the first round of the Regional playoff at Choctaw.

The Sandites will be looking for their first playoff win since 2021, but thanks to a new postseason format this year, the first game won’t be an elimination game. The winner will play at 7:30 p.m. on Friday while the loser will play at 6:00 p.m. in an elimination game.

CPHS 66 BHS 53

1Q: CPHS 18-12.
2Q: CPHS 17-12.
3Q: CPHS 17-11.
4Q: BHS 18-14.
Free Throws: CPHS 17-of-28, BHS 1-of-6.
Field Goals: CPHS 21-of-44, BHS 20-of-44.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 11, BHS 5.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 17, BHS 12.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 28, BHS 17.
Steals: CPHS 6, BHS 3.
Blocks: CPHS 4, BHS 1.
Fouls: CPHS 13, BHS 20.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Roper 21, Allen 15, Thompson 12, Evans 9, Mitchell 3, Kelly 2, Johnson 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Evans 3, Johnson 2, Allen 2, Roper 1, Thompson 1, Kelly 1, Fueshko 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Thompson 3, Allen 3, Evans 3, Roper 2, Kelly 2, Mitchell 1, Collins 1, Johnson 1, Fueshko 1.
Total Rebounds: Evans 6, Allen 5, Thompson 4, Roper 3, Kelly 3, Johnson 3, Fueshko 2, Mitchell 1, Collins 1.
Steals: Thompson 3, Evans 2, Allen 1.
Assists: Roper 3, Allen 2, Mitchell 1, Thompson 1.
Blocks: Thompson 2, Kelly 1, Evans 1.
Fouls: Mitchell 3, Johnson 3, Allen 2, Evans 2, Fueshko 2, Collins 1.

Bartlesville Stats

Points: Duony 20, Collins 13, Clark 12, Veit 6, Robertson 2.
Fouls: Veit 4, Robertson 3, Wilson 3, Collins 3, Clark 2, Duony 2, Duncan 2, Zervus 1.

Sandite Boys Fall 71-50 at Union, Will Host Owasso Friday

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Coming off a close 76-72 loss in the Union tournament semifinals, all eyes were on Sand Springs in Tuesday’s district rematch. Unfortunately for the black and gold faithful, there was no upset to be had.

No. 14 Charles Page High School (10-5, 2-4) hung close till halfway through the fourth quarter before No. 4 Union (14-2, 6-1) finally pulled away with a final score of 71-51.

“Their physicality wore us down; that was the main thing,” said head coach Eric Savage. “We didn’t do a good job of adjusting.”

The Sandites led by as much as 14-10 in the first quarter before Union closed it on a 5-0 run for the lead. Zane Fueshko hit a three-pointer to open the second quarter, but that would be the last lead of the game for Sand Springs.

By halftime the RedHawks were on top 29-24, a double-digit difference from Friday’s 41-39 first-half shootout.

“Both teams shot the ball really well last week and both teams made adjustments for this game,” said Savage. “It was a more slow-paced game with a little more defense involved, at least through the first three quarters. Defensive game plan for both teams. They wore us down and we didn’t adjust to their physicality.”

The third quarter started back and forth with the visitors only trailing 40-35 after a three-point play from Deke Thompson.

Khalil Allen drew his fourth foul with 1:58 left in the third and Alijah Roper took a tumble into the bleachers that shook him up, though he returned to the game not long after.

The home team closed on a 9-2 run and took that momentum with a double-digit lead into the fourth.

Sand Springs mostly hung with the RedHawks and cut it as close as 55-46 after back-to-back buckets from Kason Evans and Allen, but Union rallied with a 14-1 run from there to put the game out of reach before Fueshko hit a three to break up the run.

Evans led the Sandites with 13 points and 6 rebounds, but was the only Sandite in double digits.

Union was led by Miles Flemons, a 6’8 division I recruit, with 18 points, followed by Dalen Fuller with 12 points and Justin Chappelle with 11.

The Sandites were at a distinct size disadvantage in the game with the average Union starter having more than four inches on the average Sandite starter.

“We’re making progress,” said Savage, whose team has gone 10-2 since an 0-3 start to the season.

“You go on the road and it’s hard to win. You’ve got a top-five team for the second time. We’ll see them again at our place and see if we can change the results. We’re going to keep fighting but we didn’t have our best tonight and again, they wore us down. They’re tough to guard inside.”

Sand Springs’ schedule wont get any easier as it hosts No. 2 Owasso (14-2, 7-0) Friday at 8:00 p.m. in a rematch of a 67-48 loss from December. The Rams are ranked 80th in the nation by MaxPreps.

“Number two team in the state coming in,” said Savage. “One or two, depending on who you ask. And definitely one of the top players in the state. We’ve just got to regroup after this, try to get our legs back, and hopefully being in the confines of the Ed Dubie will give us some energy playing in front of our fans. Should be a fun game.”

Union 71 CPHS 51

1Q: Union 15-14.
2Q: Union 14-10.
3Q: Union 20-13.
4Q: Union 22-14.
Free Throws: Union 14-of-24, CPHS 10-of-14.
Field Goals: Union 27-of-50, CPHS 18-of-41.
Offensive Rebounds: Union 6, CPHS 5.
Defensive Rebounds: Union 16, CPHS 13.
Total Rebounds: Union 22, CPHS 18.
Steals: Union 13, CPHS 4.
Blocks: Union 3, CPHS 1.
Fouls: Union 16, CPHS 24.

Sand Springs Stats

Scoring: Evans 13, Kelly 9, Johnson 8, Thompson 7, Allen 7, Fueshko 6, Shope 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Johnson 3, Thompson 1, Evans 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Evans 5, Kelly 2, Allen 2, Thompson 1, Johnson 1, Fueshko 1, Smith 1.
Total Rebounds: Evans 6, Johnson 4, Kelly 2, Thompson 2, Allen 2, Fueshko 1, Smith 1.
Steals: Kelly 2, Johnson 1, Evans 1.
Assists: Roper 3, Johnson 2, Allen 1.
Blocks: Allen 1.
Fouls: Allen 5, Thompson 3, Johnson 3, Evans 3, Young 3, Kelly 2, Fueshko 2, Roper 1, Mitchell 1, Shope 1.

Union Stats

Scoring: Flemons 18, Fuller 12, Chappelle 11, Gunn 9, Gilyard 6, Malham 5, Chaney-Jones 5, Madrid 4, Ugbah 1.
Fouls: Gunn 3, Madrid 3, Chappelle 3, Fuller 2, Flemons 2, Malham 2, Chaney-Jones 1.

Hot Streak Continues for Sandite Boys Basketball

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A 61-49 victory over Raymore-Peculiar (6-8) in the Jenks-Union Invitational opener Thursday evening gave the Charles Page High School boys’ basketball team its ninth consecutive victory, their longest win streak since the 2019-2020 season.

That streak came to a close on Friday in a close 76-72 loss to No. 4 Union (13-2) in the semifinals, but the boys bounced back with a 60-37 upset of No. 12 Jenks (10-5) for third place.

After opening the season 0-3, Sand Springs is now 10-4 and ranked for the first time this year at No. 14. Next up for the Sandites is a rematch with Union Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. at the UMAC, this time in district play.

Winter weather postponed two of the Sandites’ recent games. A January 9th home game against U.S. Grant (0-10, 0-6) was rescheduled for February 3rd and a January 16th road game at No. 5 Edmond Memorial (10-4, 5-2) will be rescheduled for a later date.

In between the two, Sand Springs improved to 2-3 in district play with a 77-50 romp at Bartlesville (2-9, 1-6) on Friday the 12th.

Deke Thompson III led the Sandites for the tenth time this season with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals.

Kason Evans scored 16 points with 9 rebounds and Khalil Allen matched his career high with 14 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the field.

Against Raymore-Peculiar on Thursday the Sanditse had four in double-digits: Thompson with 16, Allen with 12, Evans with 11, and Alijah Roper with 10.

It was the Deke Thompson show against Union on Friday with the junior going off for a career-high 33 points, followed by Evans with a double-double 13 points and 10 rebounds.

On Saturday the team took a more balanced approach with Evans scoring 12, Roper and Kooper Kelly scoring 11 apiece, and Thompson scoring 10 to defeat the Trojans.

Deke Thompson Leads Sandites to First Win of the Season

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The return of Blake Johnson from injury combined with a 7-of-9 first-half shooting performance from Deke Thompson III helped the Sand Springs boys basketball team coast to a dominant 71-56 win against Putnam City (3-4, 2-2) Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House.

It was the first win of the season for Sand Springs (1-3, 1-3), who started the year with a tough district slate and lost its starting power forward to a concussion in the very first game.

“We had a week to prepare after those three hard games and we knew we had to come out with some emotion and intensity,” said head coach Eric Savage.

The Sandites never once trailed, going on an 11-2 run to end the first quarter up 22-10 and by halftime they led 41-23.

“Defense was really good in the first half,” said Savage. “That kind of set the tone early. We kind of coasted and traded buckets in the second half.”

“When you’re up and can hold a double-digit lead, we’ll take that.”

The Sandites built their dominant lead behind Thompson, who scored a season-high 24 points with five three-pointers.

“He showed his shooting ability,” said Savage. “Same thing with him and Kason (Evans), they’re both getting more comfortable shooting. He’s a talent shooting the ball. When he gets going, he can score in bunches.”

Thompson and JaColby Williams traded treys to open the game, then Johnson scored three buckets in a row to make it 9-3 and the Pirates never tied it again.

Johnson scored all 8 of his points in the first quarter and ended the night with 3 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal despite seeing limited action for the rest of the game.

“Blake does all the little things that maybe don’t show up on the stat sheets all the time,” said Savage. “He’s kind of our glue guy. Everything moves a lot better when he’s in the game".”

Putnam held closer in the second half, only losing the third quarter 11-10, and won the fourth quarter 23-19, but never got within 10 points of the home team, even as the Sandites went 12 deep on the bench.

Fouls were a big difference maker as the Sandites had a season-low 13 penalties and none of their players got in trouble till late in the game.

Evans had a season-best performance with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Sandites’ first double-double of the year.

Kooper Kelly added 11 points and Alijah Roper had 10 to put four Sandites in double digits.

Sand Springs will return to action Thursday at the Tulsa Memorial Veterans Arena Invitational against the OKC Storm (0-5) at 4:30 p.m.

Putnam City will host No. 3 Owasso (6-1, 4-0) next Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

CPHS 71 PCO 56

1Q: CPHS 22-10.
2Q: CPHS 19-13.
3Q: CPHS 11-10.
4Q: PCO 23-19.
Free Throws: CPHS 16-of-23, PCO 8-of-14.
Field Goals: CPHS 24-of-47, PCO 21-of-45.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 9, PCO 5.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 20, PCO 15.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 29, PCO 20.
Steals: CPHS 4, PCO 5.
Blocks: CPHS 4, PCO 1.
Fouls: CPHS 13, PCO 18.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Thompson 24, Evans 14, Kelly 11, Roper 10, Johnson 8, Allen 4.
Offensive Rebounds: Evans 4, Allen 3, Thompson 1, Kelly 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Evans 6, Kelly 4, Thompson 3, Roper 2, Fueshko 2, Mitchell 1, Johnson 1, Allen 1.
Total Rebounds: Evans 10, Kelly 5, Allen 4, Thompson 4, Roper 2, Fueshko 2, Mitchell 1, Johnson 1.
Steals: Kelly 1, Johnson 1, Fueshko 1, Young 1.
Assists: Roper 4, Johnson 3, Thompson 2, Fueshko 2, Kelly 1.
Blocks: Kelly 1, Thompson 1, Evans 1, Allen 1.
Fouls: Kelly 4, Thompson 2, Allen 2, Evans 2, Johnson 1, Fueshko 1, Young 1.

Putnam City Statistics

Points: Thompson 21, Williams 13, Stephens 12, Osborne 6, Locke 4.
Fouls: Perry 3, Thompson 3, Osborne 3, Williams 2, Denson 2, Stephens 2, Lloyd 2, Locke 1.

Shorthanded Sandites Fall 63-58 at Enid

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The continued loss of Blake Johnson, out on concussion protocol, is wearing on the Sandites.

Sand Springs went on the road to No. 19 Enid (1-1) Tuesday and fell 63-58.

Despite a talented roster with more size and physicality than they’ve had in many years, the Charles Page High School boys basketball team is 0-3 after coming up a hair short in three well-fought games.

After falling into an early 8-2 hole on Tuesday, the Sandites used a timeout to settle down and got into a scoring rhythm but still trailed 24-20 to end the first quarter shootout.

Deke Thompson and Kason Evans scored 7 apiece in a quarter that saw five different Sandites enter the scorebook to keep up with Enid’s Tre Davis with 10.

Things slowed down in the second stanza and the Sandites took their first lead since the opening basket on a pair of free throws from Alijah Roper to go up 29-28 at the 2:48 mark.

Jonathan Reed briefly gave the Plainsmen the lead on the ensuing possession but Thompson took a steal coast to coast and dunked for the advantage and added another bucket soon after to take a 33-30 lead into the locker room.

Davis tied things up with a trey to open the second half. The teams took turns exchanging leads but a layup from Roper with a 1:28 in the quarter gave the Sandites their final advantage at 43-42.

A trey from Tegan Winn put the Plainsmen up 45-43 to enter the fourth and Branden Sears added a three-pointer to open the final stanza.

The Sandites did their best to play catchup but Khalil Allen drew his fourth foul early in the third and Evans picked up his fourth in the fourth, leaving both players unable to play physical in the paint.

Kooper Kelly hit a trio of free throws with 3.3 seconds to play to cut it to 62-58 but Reed hit a free throw for the home team to secure the victory.

Thompson led the Sandites with 14 points and 7 rebounds while Evans had 13 points and 6 boards.

Davis led all scorers with 21 points, followed by Sears with 13 and Reed with 10.

Sand Springs won’t return to action till a district home game on Tuesday against Putnam City (1-1, 1-1) and will hopefully have their 6’5” power forward back in the lineup by then. Enid will host Bartlesville (1-1) on Tuesday.

Enid 63 CPHS 58

1Q: Enid 24-20.
2Q: CPHS 13-6.
3Q: Enid 15-10.
4Q: Enid 18-15.
Free Throws: Enid 7-of-9, CPHS 16-of-19.
Field Goals: Enid 25-of-59, CPHS 20-of-52.
Offensive Rebounds: Enid 7, CPHS 8.
Defensive Rebounds: Enid 19, CPHS 21.
Total Rebounds: Enid 26, CPHS 29.
Steals: Enid 4, CPHS 4.
Blocks: Enid 4, CPHS 2.
Fouls: Enid 18, CPHS 15.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Thompson 14, Evans 13, Kelly 9, Roper 8, Allen 8, Fueshko 6.
Offensive Rebounds: Thompson 2, Evans 2, Roper 1, Kelly 1, Allen 1, Mitchell 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Thompson 5, Evans 4, Fueshko 4, Kelly 3, Roper 2, Allen 1, Mitchell 1, Smith 1.
Total Rebounds: Thompson 7, Evans 6, Fueshko 4, Kelly 4, Roper 3, Allen 2, Mitchell 2, Smith 1.
Steals: Thompson 2, Kelly 1, Smith 1.
Assists: Roper 1, Kelly 1, Thompson 1, Allen 1, Evans 1.
Blocks: Thompson 1, Allen 1.
Fouls: Roper 4, Allen 4, Evans 4, Thompson 2, Mitchell 1.

Enid Statistics

Points: Davis 21, Sears 13, Reed 10, Winn 6, Porter 5, Zyire 4, Cotarelo 4.
Fouls: Davis 4, Porter 4, Sears 3, Allen 2, Reed 2, Winn 2, Cotarelo 1.

Sandite Basketball Tips Off Tuesday at Home Against Edmond Memorial

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The Charles Page High School varsity basketball teams will tip off the season Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House in a district double-header against Edmond Memorial.

The varsity girls will play at 6:30 p.m. while the boys will play at 8:00 p.m.

The girls are in their fifth year under head coach Josh Berry, who holds a 68-30 record at Sand Springs and a 166-143 record overall.

The Lady Sandites went 18-9 overall last season and 9-5 in the final year of Frontier Valley Conference play. They ended their season in the Area consolation finals, one round short of the State tournament.

The girls graduated Fayth Walker and All-State selection Hailey Jackson, but return Sakauri Wilson, Taiona Morris, and Kiaryn Taylor, who are all receiving attention from college recruiters. Abigaile Martin, Calla Fueshko, and Patience Pearce are all impactful returners.

The Sandites also picked up a big-time transfer in Hope Bump, a junior star at Claremore who was an All-Conference second-team selection in the Metro Lakes who averaged 18 points and 9 boards last season.

The boys went 10-14 overall and 3-11 in FVC play under head coach Eric Savage, who holds a 123-121 record after ten seasons at Sand Springs and a 428-214 record overall.

The boys graduated Michael Foster, Jax Marshall, Kade Holland, Sam Hayes, and Luke Hooper, but will still return a talented lineup anchored by Alijah Roper, Kooper Kelly, Blake Johnson, and Khalil Allen.

Junior transfer Deke Thompson will be a high-profile addition from Jenks as an All-Conference Honorable Mention last season. Marcus Mitchell, Zane Fueshko, and Colin Shope all return a wealth of experience from last season.

The OSSAA shifted to district play this season, meaning the Sandites will say goodbye to old rivals like Sapulpa, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Muskogee, Booker T. Washington, and Jenks. Shockingly, the Highway 97 Rivalry is not on the schedule this season.

Edmond Memorial will be the first district opponent for the Sandites in the new era. The Bulldog boys went 12-11 last season while the girls were 22-5.

The Lady Sandites’ last meeting with the Bulldogs was a 50-46 victory in the Area consolation playoffs in 2021. If the boys have ever played Edmond Memorial, it was before Sandite Pride’s records.