Carson Griggs places 8th at Bishop Kelley Invitational, Sandites take 12th overall

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The Charles Page High School Boys' Golf team competed in the Bishop Kelley Invitational Tuesday morning at Lafortune and took twelfth of nineteen teams with one top-ten finisher.

Carson Griggs led the Sandites with a score of 75, just six strokes behind the tournament champion, tying for eighth place. Not far behind him was Kyler Gaylor with 80 strokes to tie for 23rd place.

Mikey Carper took 76th place in 99 strokes, J.T. Bristow tied for 77th place in 100 strokes, and Kasey Bales tied for 85th place in 108 strokes. There were 100 total individuals in the tournament and only the top three finished below the 72-stroke par.

Holland Hall took first place in the tournament in 299 strokes, followed by Owasso with 303 and Sapulpa with 309. The Sandites combined for 354.

The Sandites will return to action Monday in Broken Arrow for the Frontier Valley Conference Championship at Indian Springs Country Club.

Kersgieter shines as No. 5 Lady Sandites hammer 5A No. 4 Shawnee 60-28

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

1Q Shawnee 13-12
2Q Sand Springs 20-5
3Q Sand Springs 14-8
4Q Sand Springs 14-4

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Kersgieter 12, Johnson 12, Pennington 11, McGee 10, Mutiri 6, Regalado 6, Taber 2, Boaz 1. (Shawnee) Tramble 11, Bonner 4, Tarpey 4, Kasterke 4, Rice 3, Palmore 2.

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Regalado 2, Taber 2, Johnson 1, McGee 1, Kersgieter 1, Mutiri 1
Defensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 4, Regalado 4, McGee 3, Johnson 2, Pennington 2, Mutiri 1, Taber 1, Bunch 1. 
Steals: Kersgieter 5, Johnson 5, McGee 2, Pennington 2, Mutiri 2, Taber 2
Assists: Kersgieter 4, Pennington 2, Johnson 1, Regalado 1, Grant 1
Fouls: Mutiri 3, Regalado 2, Pennington 2, Johnson 2, McGee 1, Kersgieter 1, Taber 1.

The No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School Girls Basketball team (4-0, 2-0) continued their undefeated start to the season with a lopsided semifinal victory in the Bishop Kelley Invitational semifinals over 5A No. 4 Shawnee (2-2). 

Sand Springs needed the first period to stretch their legs and were neck and neck throughout. The Sandites were down 11-7 when sophomore Isabella Regalado scored a three mere seconds after coming into the game. Sophomore starter Destiny Johnson sank a pair of free throws to take the brief lead, but a two-point basket from Kyla Tarpey gave the Lady Wolves a 13-12 lead after the first period. It would be their final lead of the game.

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter sank a two after a rebound and long pass from Johnson to start the second quarter, then rebounded and sent a long pass to Oklahoma State Softball-signed senior Sydney Pennington in a replay of the previous score. Kersgieter added another two off a steal and layup before the Wolves got back into the game with a free throw from Logan Bonner. 

Ohio State volleyball-committed junior Gloria Mutiri posted her second score of the night, followed by another Pennington basket and Kersgieter assist. Pennington drew a foul on the score and sank her free throw to make it 23-14, then followed it up with a midcourt steal and layup. 

Mutiri and senior Kierra McGee sank a series of free throws, then McGee hit a two on a steal and assist by Kersgieter to make it 30-14. Makyra Tramble hit a two shortly before the end of the half, Johnson responded with a goal of her own, but Ashley Kasterke got the final points of the half on a pair of free throws to make it 32-18.

Sand Springs opened the third quarter with an eight-point run, capped by a steal and layup from Johnson, before Tramble broke things up with a two. McGee responded with a two, then Kersgieter added a two and a pair of free throws to make it 46-20. Kasterke scored two of her own from the charity stripe and Makaila Palmore sank a two to make it 46-24 going into the final stanza.

Tramble started things off with a three, followed by a freebie from Kasey Rice, but those would be the last points of the game for the Lady Wolves. Johnson and McGee each sank a pair of free throws, Kersgieter and McGee hit twos, Bailey Boaz sank a freebie, Regalado hit a three, and Jacie Taber sank a two for a final score of 60-28.

This was the third straight game that the Lady Sandites would win by a 30-point margin. Sand Springs will return to action Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Championship round against No. 13 Norman North (3-0) in a battle of the undefeated. Norman North defeated 5A unranked Edison Prep (0-2) in the first round, then topped 5A No. 3 Claremore (3-1) in the semifinals.

 

 

2X Sandite of the Week: Sydney Pennington

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Story and Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The first Sandite to achieve this recognition twice since we began awarding it in November, Charles Page High School junior Sydney Pennington is your new Sandite of the Week for her outstanding accomplishments on the basketball court this past week. 

Tuesday night the #12 Lady Sandites took on the #2 Muskogee Roughers at home and battled within single digits before ultimately falling 50-38. During the game Pennington shot 57% on field goals for a team-leading 11 points. She was second on rebounds with 7, first in steals with 2, and added a block.

Most impressive was the career milestone she hit. Her 11 points were just enough to bring her to 1,000 career points, the most of any Sandite on either the boys' or girls' teams, by a wide margin. 

She followed up that performance Friday night at homecoming with a team-high 22 points, shooting 75% on field goals and 80% on free throws to lead her team to a 60-48 win over the Bixby Spartans. 

This season she has averaged 13 points per game and was named the All Tournament MVP of both the Bishop Kelley Invitational and the Coffeyville Interstate Classic and has scored six team-highs. 

In addition to being an outstanding basketball player, she was also a member of the 2015 6A State Runner-Up softball team and is committed to Oklahoma State University for softball. 

Sandite of the Week is a weekly recognition given to any one person with significant ties to the Sand Springs community who accomplishes remarkable achievements during the Sunday through Saturday week preceding the award. Prior achievements may be noted in the article, but do not bear direct influence on the selection committee which only considers prior week accomplishments. Candidates may be nominated by anyone by emailing SanditePrideNews@gmail.com. Bylaws prevent the giving of the award to anyone for two consecutive weeks, but any recipient may be nominated and awarded again in the future, so long as the weeks are not consecutive. Final selection is made by a majority vote of a three-person staff committee. 

Businesses or organizations seeking to sponsor the Sandite of the Week award may contact the above email for inquiries.

Lady Sandites win five straight games by 20+ points, win Interstate Classic tournament

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Morgan Miller, Staff

The Charles Page High School varsity basketball girls have been having one heck of a season. They're certainly the best squad since the 2010-2011 Regional Championship team, and possibly even better. With eight regular season games left before Regionals, the ladies only need to post one more victory to beat last year's record and officially claim their best season since 2011. 

How did they get to this point?

From 2011-2013 the Lady Sandites went 3-42 under Head Coach Bob Banfield. 

In 2012, the ladies added freshman Cierra "CJ" Scott who was an immediate scoring threat with well over 100 points, setting a career-high in her sixth game with 16 points--an amount she would repeat a month later.

For the 2013-2014 season, Dustin Morrow took over Head Coaching duties and led the team to a 10-14 overall record, 5-9 in Frontier Valley. Sydney Pennington, Jessica Collins, Amari Grant, Bailey Boaz, Lee Leslie, and Maddie Ward were the freshman additions to the team. 

Pennington erupted on the scene with 373 points, only failing to double in three games, and set a personal best of 22 points against Muskogee. Scott scored 101. 

Last season the Sandites added Selena Hitchcock and major inside scoring threat Gloria Mutiri. Pennington led all scorers with 412 points and set a new career-high with 32 points against Muskogee once again. Mutiri made an incredible debut with 200, Scott added 150,  Collins scored 69, and Hitchcock had 31. 

That year the 8th grade girls went a perfect 28-0 and secured a Frontier Valley Conference Championship. In 2015 those girls became freshmen. 

The first game of the 2015-2016 season saw a 59-39 rout of the Green Country Defenders home school team. Pennington scored a team-high 22 points, and eight other girls scored including four freshmen.

The next game was a 61-51 loss to Bixby, but Pennington had a double-double with 19 points, followed by Scott with 18. 

Next came the Bishop Kelley Invitational. The ladies swept the tournament, dominating Cascia Hall 59-37, Norman North 52-38, and 5A #4 Shawnee 49-40. Freshman Destiney Johnson had her break-out game against Cascia with 14 points. Collins added 12, Pennington 11, and Scott 10. Pennington led against Norman North with 15. The Shawnee game proved a defining night for two different freshmen. Isabella Regalado led with 17, followed closely by Holly Kersgieter with 14. Johnson, Pennington, and Scott were named to the all-tournament team and Pennington was named MVP.

The next game was against then #6 Sapulpa, who would go on to be ranked #1 for weeks before dropping to their current position at #2. The Sandites led for nearly the entire game before a series of fouls gave the Chieftains a 54-43 win. Johnson and Pennington both doubled with 14 and 11 respectively.

From there it's been nothing but wins, and most of them were big ones.

Mutiri, Kersgieter, Pennington, and Johnson all doubled in a 59-39 win over #14 Union. 

Pennington and Kersgieter doubled in a 57-28 doubling of Green Country. 

Johnson, Pennington, and Mutiri doubled in a 51-48 upset of #8 Owasso.

Mutiri scored 20, aided by Pennington and Johnson with 11 each in a 64-43 extermination of Jenks.

Scott scored 17, and Pennington and Mutiri each added 10 in a 67-46 smothering of Bishop Kelley.

Currently the ladies are ranked 11th with a 12-2 record, sitting at 4th in Frontier Valley Conference standings. 

Thursday night the girls arrived in Coffeyville, Kansas for the 43rd Harold Thomas Interstate Classic, where they went undefeated last year. 

In Thursday's round one matchup with Field Kindley High School (Coffeyville), the Lady Sandites continued their dominating streak with a 64-33 smack down. Gloria Mutiri led all scorers with 15 points, followed by Collins with 9, Pennington with 7, Hitchcock with 7, Regalado with 6, Johnson with 6, Kersgieter with 4, Ward with 4, Scott with 2, Presnall with 2, and Grant with 2. 

Friday night was even more impressive, as they outscored Nathan Hale 60-16, led by Hitchcock with 10, Ward 8, Grant 7, Pennington 7, Taber 6, Presnall 5, Collins 5, Leslie 4, Kersgieter 3, Regalado 3, Mutiri 2.

Saturday saw an end to their streak of 20+ point wins, but not an end to their overall winning streak. The Ladies took down Life Prep Academy 51-49 to defend their Interstate Classic Champions title and add to their eight-straight win streak. Pennington scored 22, aided by Johnson with 8, Kersgieter 6, Scott 5, Hitchcock 4, Regalado 3, Collins 2, Mutiri 1. Mutiri and Pennington made the All-Tournament team and Pennington was named the tournament's Most Inspirational Player. 

The girls return to action Tuesday night at #4 Broken Arrow (14-2) in a Frontier Valley Conference battle. 

#11 Lady Sandites hammer Bishop Kelley, 67-46

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief, with Morgan Miller, Staff Writer

The #11 Charles Page High School varsity girls' basketball team (9-2) wreaked havoc on the 5A #16 Bishop Kelley Lady Comets (4-7) Tuesday night in the first meeting of the season for the two conference opponents. Three Lady Sandites doubled, three Lady Comets doubled, and for much of the night it looked like the Sandites would double Bishop Kelley entirely. 

The Sandites led 20-6 after the first period and 35-8 at the half before they finally began to run the bench and allow the Comets to play catch-up. Cierra Scott had one of the best performances of her career, nearly beating her career-high with 17 points, and shooting 5-of-6 from three-point range. 

Gloria Mutiri doubled for her third-straight game, scoring 10, and Sydney Pennington added 10 of her own. Pennington has only failed to double once this entire season. 

Twelve Sandites saw action and eleven of them scored in the sixth 20-point win of the season for the Lady Sandites. Jacie Taber and Maddie Ward both scored season-highs. 

The Lady Comets actually outscored the Sandites in each of the final two periods, but they were too far behind to even come close to catching up, trailing 54-31 after the third and finishing 67-46. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Thursday night at the three-day Interstate Classic tournament in Coffeyville, Kansas. 

Lady Sandites take first in Bishop Kelley Invitational

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Morgan Miller

The Lady Sandite dribblers sealed a first place finish at their first tournament of the year with a 49-40 victory over Shawnee in the championship round after beating Cascia Hall 59-37 and Norman North 52-38.

Sand Springs took an early lead with back-to-back three-pointers from Holly Kersgieter in a low scoring first period before Shawnee tied things up at 6-6 going into the second.

The  second period saw double the scoring action of the first, and at one point the Lady Wolves pulled ahead by as much as 17-9 before the Sandites ralled with a pair of three pointers from Cierra Scott to narrow the deficit to 19-17 going into the half.

At Friday's semi-final match, the Sandites were tied at the half 19-19 with Cascia Hall when they made a half time adjustment and came out to score 23 points in the third. They pulled off a similar come-back Saturday, outscoring Shawnee 13-3 in the third period for a 30-22 lead thanks to three field goals from Isabella Regalado.

The Lady Wolves tried to stage a comeback opening the fourth with three-straight field goals from Alexis Freeman before Regalado connected once more for a 32-28 lead. Then Monica Brooks scored three-straight followed by a pair of free throws from Moe Tramble to narrow it to 38-36 before the Sandites finally pulled away and put it in the bag.

Two freshman led the scoring for the game, Regalado put up 17 points and Kersgieter had 14. Both girls were part of the undefeated team of 8th grade conference champs last year.

Scott, Destiney Johnson, and Sydney Pennington were named to the all-tournament team.

Stats against Shawnee

Norman North scoring summary: 52-38

Pennington 15, Johnson 8, Hitchcock 7, Collins 7, Kersgieter 6, Scott 3, Regalado 3, Mutiri 2, Boaz 1. 

Cascia Hall scoring summary: 59-37

Johnson 14, Collins 12, Pennington 11, Scott 10, Mutiri 6, Kersgieter 4, Taber 2.