Lady Sandites Fall 47-44 at Broken Arrow, Travel to Edmond Saturday

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After rallying from an 11-point deficit to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, the Lady Sandites saw their comeback dreams quashed on a late corner three from Peyton Dolan in the Regional Championship game Friday afternoon in Broken Arrow.

Host No. 8 Broken Arrow (18-7) punched its ticket to Area with a 47-44 win over No. 6 Sand Springs (17-8) behind 17 points and 11 rebounds from Nebraska commit McKenzie Mathurin.

The former conference foes from Sand Springs and Broken Arrow met for the first time this season, fresh off dominant wins in the first round of the postseason.

Sakauri Wilson scored the opening bucket off a steal in transition but Macy Marraccini hit back-to-back baskets and the Tigers never trailed again till the middle of the fourth quarter.

After four minutes the game was still tied at 2-2 and Broken Arrow only led 8-5 after the first quarter.

“They did exactly what they wanted to,” said head coach Josh Berry. “They wanted to slow us down so they mix and matched from different zones, different mans, just to try and confuse us.”

Broken Arrow opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run for their first double-digit lead and went up by as much as 11 after a trey from Marraccini at the 4:53 mark.

Sand Springs responded with a late run, including two three-pointers from Taiona Morris and a late bucket from Wilson to make it 24-19 at halftime.

Aaliyah Simone scored off a steal to open the third and Bump drained a three to make it 26-24 but Broken Arrow surged right back to a 33-24 advantage before the Sandites ended on a 4-0 run.

Simone hit a layup early in the fourth after stealing an inbound throw to make it 33-31. ReKiah Bowen broke up the Sandites’ run with a two-point basket, but Simone scored again and Wilson hit a three with 4:05 to play for the Sandites’ first lead since the opening basket.

Mathurin put the Tigers back on top with a pair of free throws, but Bump hit another three to make it 39-37. Mathurin then tied it up from the charity stripe but Tianna Butler also had a pair of free throws for the Sandites’ final lead of the night at 41-39 with 1:46 to play.

After Butler’s free throws, the Tigers outscored the Sandites 8-3. Mathurin and Marracini each made free throws after Dolan’s three, though another three-pointer from Bump cut it as close as 46-44 with five seconds to play.

“It’s going to be a game of runs and they had the last run,” said Berry. “They made a big shot in the corner to get the lead and you know, that’s all you can do is leave it all out there.”

Mathurin hit one last free throw to make it 47-44 and Wilson was fouled on her way downcourt and missed both free throws with a second to play.

The Sandites’ aggressive defense forced 15 turnovers in the game, led by Simone with 3 steals.

“We talk about it all the time and all year long,” said Berry. “As long as we hook up defensively and we don’t take any plays off on that end, we’re going to find a way to get back into the game.”

“Our offense will find a way to put the ball in the hole, but it’s our defense that can’t have any lapses and I think we had about seven or eight plays that we just lapsed on defense and to me, that’s the ball game.”

Bump led the Sandites with 11 points, followed by Morris with 10, all in the first half. Simone scored 9 points and Wilson and Butler had 7 apiece.

“If our defense is there, we’ve got enough people that a play is going to be made,” said Berry. “In every part of the game, somebody made a big play. And that’s the thing, we’ve just got to trust each other on that part.”

Sand Springs will travel to Edmond Memorial in a Regional consolation elimination game against Putnam City (10-14) Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The Sandites previously defeated the Pirates 68-51 and 77-53 in district play.

“They’re a tough team, good coach,” said Berry. “It’s always hard to play somebody three times in a row. Especially after you come off a loss like this, an emotional one, and now you’ve got to go on the road.”

“They’re coming off a win and they’ll be ready to go, so it depends on how we respond.”

BAHS 47 CPHS 44

1Q: BAHS 8-5.
2Q: BAHS 16-14.
3Q: Tied 9-9.
4Q: CPHS 16-14.
Free Throws: BAHS 14-of-17, CPHS 6-of-12.
Field Goals: BAHS 15-of-37, CPHS 16-of-42.
Offensive Rebounds: BAHS 7, CPHS 6.
Defensive Rebounds: BAHS 19, CPHS 8.
Total Rebounds: BAHS 26, CPHS 14.
Steals: BAHS 4, CPHS 7.
Blocks: BAHS 2, CPHS 1.
Fouls: BAHS 14, CPHS 16.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Bump 11, Morris 10, Simone 9, Ti. Butler 7, Wilson 7.
Offensive Rebounds: Ti. Butler 2, Bump 1, Wilson 1, Morris 1, Simone 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Wilson 4, Ti. Butler 2, Bump 1, Morris 1.
Total Rebounds: Wilson 5, Ti. Butler 4, Bump 2, Morris 2, Simone 1.
Steals: Simone 3, Wilson 2, Bump 1, Morris 1.
Assists: Wilson 4, Simone 3, Morris 1.
Blocks: Morris 1.
Fouls: Morris 4, Ti. Butler 4, Bump 3, Wilson 2, Ta. Butler 2, Simone 1.

Broken Arrow Stats

Points: Mathurin 17, Marraccini 12, Bowen 7, Jacobs 4, Scarborough 4, Dolan 3.
Fouls: Scarborough 3, Bowen 3, Marraccini 2, Mathurin 2, McCrary 2, Jacobs 2.

Lady Sandites Rout Ponca City in Regional Playoffs, Will Play Broken Arrow Friday

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The No. 6 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (18-6) easily handled its first round playoff game against Ponca City (7-17) Tuesday at the Broken Arrow regional tournament, 45-28.

It was the Sandites’ third win in a row, sixth consecutive win against the Wildcats, and marked the fourth year in a row that the Sandites have won a playoff game.

Southwestern Oklahoma State commit Sakauri Wilson led Sand Springs to victory with her first double-double of the season, scoring 11 points with 10 steals.

“It was just a good job by a senior, stepping up on that end of it, but you’ve got to have a total team effort come Friday and be ready to go,” said head coach Josh Berry.

The first half was total domination as the Sandites held Ponca to a single field goal in each of the first two quarters.

Hope Bump took a steal coast to coast on the Wildcats’ first possession for a 2-0 Sandite lead, though Kyra Allison responded with a bucket of her own and briefly gave Ponca its only lead on a free throw soon after.

A three-pointer from Wilson kicked off a 15-0 run before Kaytum Lively broke up the run. Sand Springs closed on an 8-0 streak to make it 25-5 at the buzzer.

“I thought we actually didn’t play that well,” said Berry. “Defense, we did okay. We didn’t play the way and with the energy that we’re used to playing with. I think if we would have played that way it would have been an even bigger first half for us.”

Ponca’s offense came alive in the third quarter as Allison scored 8 points and the Wildcats trimmed their deficit to 36-19, but Sand Springs got the edge in a wild turnover-ridden fourth quarter.

“They did some things to kind of slow us down,” said Berry. “We’ve got to go back and fix some things and we’ve got to be better come Friday because that’s not going to get the job done.”

“They were able to take advantage of us not being locked in and being in the right defensive positions.”

The Sandites had their biggest lead at 41-19 early in the fourth before running the bench.

Sand Springs will return to action Friday at 3:30 p.m. against host No. 8 Broken Arrow (17-7) who defeated Enid 75-33 in their first round game. The Sandites are in pursuit of their first Regional title since 2022 and eighth overall.

CPHS 45 POHI 28

1Q: CPHS 12-3.
2Q: CPHS 13-2.
3Q: POHI 14-11.
4Q: Tied 9-9.
Free Throws: CPHS 6-of-7, POHI 8-of-12.
Field Goals: CPHS 18-of-52, POHI 10-of-37.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 8, POHI 8.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 18, POHI 20.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 26, POHI 28.
Steals: CPHS 22, POHI 14.
Blocks: CPHS 3, POHI 4.
Fouls: CPHS 11, POHI 12.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Wilson 11, Simon 9, Bump 8, Ti. Butler 8, Morris 6, Pearce 2, Ta. Butler 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Bump 2, Wilson 1, Morris 1, Simon 1, Ti. Butler 1, Ta. Butler 1, Pearce 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Morris 5, Bump 4, Simone 3, Ta. Butler 2, Wilson 1, Ti. Butler 1, Pearce 1, Gilton 1.
Total Rebounds: Bump 6, Morris 6, Simone 4, Wilson 2, Ta. Butler 3, Ti. Butler 2, Pearce 2, Crain 1.
Steals: Wilson 10, Bump 3, Morris 3, Simone 2, Ti. Butler 2, Ta. Butler 2.
Assists: Ta. Butler 2, Wilson 2, Bump 1, Morris 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 1, Young 1, Gilton 1.
Fouls: Bump 2, Morris 2, Simone 2, Ta. Butler 2, Wilson 1, Young 1, Pearce 1.

Ponca City Statistics

Points: Allison 13, Lively 4, Northcutt 4, Collins 2, Good 2, Miner 2, Pool 1.
Fouls: Allison 3, Collins 2, Good 2, Carlisle 2, Lively 1, Northcutt 1, Miner 1.

Lady Sandites Rout Bartlesville, Will Travel to Broken Arrow for Regionals

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Bartlesville didn’t contest the tip off and didn’t bring any pressure on the opening possession as Sakauri Wilson took the ball down the court and passed it off to Kiaryn Taylor.

The senior Ranger College commit tapped in the easy bucket and immediately burst into tears after making her final appearance in black and gold.

Taylor tore her ACL in a December 8th matchup with Bishop Kelley but got to suit up one last time in Tuesday’s 55-39 Senior Night rout of Bartlesville (11-11) at the Ed Dubie Field House.

It was the regular season finale for both teams, but for the Sandites it was a tune-up game with nothing to win or lose after already clinching the three-seed in the district.

“I think we did a fair job tonight, we kind of executed against the zone,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We’ve got to do a better job of finishing some plays that we’re leaving out there, but we can figure that out going forward and defensively we need to get some things tied up.”

After giving Kennedy Nubel an uncontested basket to tie it at 2-2, the Sandites went on an 8-0 run and ended the first quarter up 22-6.

Bartlesville actually won the second quarter 6-4 after the Sandites only went 2-of-14 from the field, but the lid on the basket was lifted for both teams in the third quarter, which Sand Springs won 15-13.

The Bruins never got back within 11 points of the home team after the first quarter, with Sand Springs taking its biggest lead at 37-17 late in the third.

It was the Sandites’ tenth consecutive win against Bartlesville in a streak dating back to 2018.

Sand Springs is now 17-6 overall for its tenth consecutive regular season with a winning record. The girls went undefeated at home for the first time since the 2018-2019 season.

“Great season for the seniors,” said Berry. “The seniors have been a great group for me - they’ve been here four years, been a part of a lot of winning and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Sand Springs celebrated Taylor, Wilson, Taiona Morris, and Patience Pearce in between the boys and girls games. Taylor, Wilson, and Morris will each continue their basketball careers at the next level.

Wilson led all scorers with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 8 assists. Hope Bump added 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals while Morris had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Mikka Chambers was the only Bruin in double digits with 10 points.

Last week the No. 6 ranked Lady Sandites went 2-1, falling 59-44 on the road to No. 4 Edmond Memorial (20-3) in Thursday’s district championship game.

The girls previously defeated Memorial 41-33 in the season opener and 58-54 at the Carl Albert tournament, but couldn’t pull off the threepeat despite leading 28-26 at halftime.

Bump scored 12 points in the first half but was held scoreless in the second as the Sandites were outscored 33-16. Wilson also scored 12 and Morris had 9 in the loss.

They bounced back on Friday with a trip to U.S. Grant (4-17) where they easily won 64-25 behind 20 points from Bump, 19 from Morris, and 10 from Tianna Butler.

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Broken Arrow Regional against Ponca City (7-16). On the other side of the bracket is No. 9 Broken Arrow (16-7) against Enid (8-14).

Bartlesville will play No. 8 Bixby (17-6) in the first round of the Owasso Regional.

Unlike past years, the loser of the first-round matchups will not be eliminated from the postseason and will instead advance to a Regional consolation bracket.

CPHS 55 BHS 39

1Q: CPHS 22-6.
2Q: BHS 6-4.
3Q: CPHS 15-13.
4Q: Tied 14-14.
Free Throws: CPHS 9-of-12, BHS 9-of-15.
Field Goals: CPHS 21-of-54, BHS 13-of-42.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 9, BHS 7.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 20, BHS 14.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 29, BHS 21.
Steals: CPHS 12, BHS 4.
Blocks: CPHS 3, BHS 2.
Fouls: CPHS 15, BHS 12.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Wilson 14, Bump 13, Morris 11, Simone 7, Pearce 4, Ti. Butler 4, Taylor 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Bump 3, Morris 2, Ti. Butler 2, Wilson 1, Simone 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Wilson 5, Morris 5, Ti. Butler 5, Bump 2, Crain 2, Pearce 1.
Total Rebounds: Morris 7, Ti. Butler 7, Wilson 6, Bump 5, Crain 2, Pearce 1, Simone 1.
Steals: Bump 4, Wilson 3, Morris 3, Ti. Butler 1, Simone 1.
Assists: Wilson 8, Ti. Butler 1.
Blocks: Bump 1, Pearce 1, Simone 1.
Fouls: Bump 4, Simone 4, Wilson 3, Ti. Butler 2, Morris 1, Ta. Butler 1.

Boys Win Glenpool Classic, Ambrielle Chambers is Sandites' First-Ever Girls JH State Champ

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The Charles Page High School boys’ wrestling team brought home its third team title of the season from the Glenpool Warrior Classic on Friday, defending their prior year’s crown with five individual champions.

The team title was decided by half a point and came down to the heavyweight placement round where Mason Harris took first place while Broken Arrow’s Kahlen Thompson settled for third.

No. 4 Broken Arrow settled for second place, followed by Owasso in a distant third place.

Harris (30-2) earned a 9-3 decision over Christian Heritage’s Chase Graham for his 15th win in a row and second consecutive tournament title, making his way to the finals with three consecutive pins.

Also winning titles were Dawsen Briscoe, Kase Skaggs, Zander Grigsby, and Jaxon Trotter.

Briscoe (20-11) earned his first gold medal of the season after pinning all four of his foes at 106 pounds. In the finals he trailed 2-0 after giving up a first-period takedown to Owasso’s Chace Hill, but he started the second period on top and worked the Ram over for a fall in 2:57.

Skaggs (32-7) followed it up with a win at 113. The junior lightweight has now won nine matches and two tournaments in a row, also taking home gold at the Nathan Hale tournament two weeks ago.

Skaggs earned one technical fall and one pin in pool play before eking out a pair of decisions in the championship bracket. In the finals he took Sapulpa senior State-placer Cavin Peper to overtime, scoring a pair of third-period takedowns after trailing 3-0. He added a third takedown for the 6-4 sudden victory win.

Zander Grigsby (34-1) picked up his fourth tournament title of the season and has now won 12 matches in a row since his only loss of the year. Grigsby pinned his first three opponents in the first period at 165 pounds. In the finals he won a 10-2 major decision against Jenks junior Josh Henderson.

Trotter (33-7) won his second title in a row after winning the Skiatook tournament last month. He pinned his first three opponents at 175 before dominating the last two by way of technical superiority. In the semifinals he won 16-1 in only 2:48 and in the finals he defeated Glenpool senior Mason Buzbee 17-2 in 3:27.

David Ritchey (16-7) took third place at 120, only losing an 8-5 semifinal decision to Owasso senior State-placer Bryson Humphries. In the placement round he pinned Glenpool’s Jayden Worledo in 1:04.

Jayden Pait (14-2) placed third at 138, pinning his first three opponents before falling 15-3 to Broken Arrow State Champion Jake Miller in the semifinals. In the consolation finals he pinned Sapulpa State qualifier Ethan Peterson in 1:42.

Peyton Callis (32-10) placed third at 190, pinning two opponents before losing 4-2 to Jenks State qualifier Owen Jones in the semifinals. In the placement match he won a 16-0 technical fall against Broken Arrow senior Braden Jones in 3:26.

Jesse Moore placed fifth at 144, Preston Reyna placed fifth at 150, Hunter Spencer placed sixth at 126, Colt Hood placed seventh at 126, Brody Ensten placed seventh at 157, Gage Gunn placed eighth at 132, and Isaac Sensintaffar placed ninth at 157.

The Sandites (10-1) will return to action Friday at noon against No. 4 Stillwater (13-2) in the first round of Dual State at the Stride Bank Center in Enid. The winner of that dual will face the winner of No. 1 Edmond North (15-1) vs. No. 8 Edmond Deer Creek (12-7) at 2:00 p.m. The Championship finals will be at 6:30 p.m.

Junior High

The boys took seventh place and the girls took fourth place at the Junior High All-State tournament, led by freshman Ambrielle Chambers as the Sandites’ first-ever girls State Champion.

The junior high State tournament is arguable tougher than the high school tournament because there are no divisions based on school size.

Chambers pinned her first five opponents in the first period while outscoring them 15-1. In the 108-pound finals she won a 9-5 decision over Union’s Lydia Suniga with a takedown, two reversals, and three nearfall points.

Kenzie Johnson was runner-up at 87 pounds, pinning each of her first three opponents in the first period before falling to Lawton Eisenhower’s Emalyn Johnston-Stewart in the finals. She actually led 4-0 early in the match before giving up a takedown in the second.

Bailey Copeland was runner-up at 94 pounds, pinning her first three opponents before falling to Edmond North’s Alexandria Skidmore in the finals.

Kasen McAffrey was runner-up at 138 pounds, only dropping a close 1-0 decision to Ft. Gibson’s Brendan Bell. He started the tournament with a major decision, three falls, and a technical fall, outscoring his opponents 35-2 without giving up a single takedown.

Griffin Sensintaffar was runner-up at 87 pounds, losing a 6-5 decision to Hobart’s Jett Kline in the finals. He pinned his first four opponents and added an 11-0 major decision in the semifinals.

Ryder Richardson placed sixth at 76 pounds in the 6th and 7th-grade division and Jaxon Grigsby placed sixth at 128 in junior high.

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.

Sandite Dance Wins Showmanship Award at DTU Regionals

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The Charles Page High School dance team competed at the Dance Team Union Regionals last weekend at Broken Arrow and earned the specialty Showmanship Award in Hip Hop.

The Sandites placed third in Varsity Hip Hop with a score of 72.73 and were seventh in Small Varsity Pom with a score of 81.07.

The JV team placed third in Pom with a score of 78.57 and the seventh grade Pom team placed third in its division with a score of 70.53.