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.

Freshmen Tianna Butler and Aaliyah Simone Lead Sandites to Win over Putnam City

One of the biggest strengths for the Sand Springs girls basketball team coming into this season was its depth of size and talent.

That depth was on full display Tuesday night as No. 7 Charles Page High School (5-2, 3-1) rolled to a 68-51 district victory over Putnam City (4-3) despite being down two starters.

“Coming into this year I thought we had quite a bit of depth,” said head coach Josh Berry. “I didn’t want to test that, but that’s where we are right now.”

With Abigail Martin and Kiaryn Taylor on crutches, Hope Bump waiting on OSSAA clearance, Calla Fueshko still recovering from an ACL tear last season, and Sakauri Wilson out till the new year, it was the underclassmen’s time to shine.

The freshman class combined for 45 points and 31 rebounds, led by an astounding double-double from Tianna Butler with 22 points and 18 rebounds.

“That’s a good deal for her to have that coming into the break,” said Berry. “I think she’s got more in her personally. I’m going to expect more out of her. I think the sky’s the limit. She’s got to go and keep playing harder and keep making plays.”

Aaliyah Simone also had a career night with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals, while Neveah Garrison scored 4 points and Kadynce Young scored 2 on the first possession of her career.

“We’ve got a long ways to go,” said Berry. “We’ve got to get some of those freshmen up to speed, but they did a good job making plays and the end of the day it’s about making more plays than the other team and tonight I think we did that.”

Simone scored a layup and a trey to open the game and ensured the Sandites would never trail. Butler added a three-pointer soon after and was 4-of-6 on the evening, showing she’s as much of an outside shooting threat as she is an inside big.

The Pirates opened the second quarter on a 4-0 run to cut it to 15-11 but Yonni Morris went off for eight points in the quarter and the Sandites took a 31-20 lead into halftime.

Putnam City only got within double digits once in the second half, on a free-throw from Kayla Hill at 38-29, but the Sandites went on a 10-2 run and entered the fourth up 48-34.

Butler’s final bucket off the night gave the Sandites their biggest lead at 63-40 midway through the final stanza.

“Kadynce did a great job…scored on her first possession, applied some great pressure for us,” said Berry.

“Neveah did some great things off the bench as far as just walling up and making it hard for them when they were driving. They were getting anything they wanted to early on. I thought she kind of helped set that tone along with Jordan (Gilton).”

Morris put together her sixth consecutive double-digit game with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 6 assists. Tayja Butler also had a strong performance with a career-best 8 points and 4 boards.

“We’ve got a lot of different people that can score the basketball in many different ways,” said Berry. “We’ve just got to find ways for them to do that and be efficient with it. As long as we can do that, I think we’ve got a chance to continue to grow.”

Sand Springs will take the rest of 2023 off before returning to action at the Putnam City Invitational on January 4th.

“That’s a good deal with us missing so many people,” said Berry. “It gives us time not only to rest up but to practice. We’re going to have to play a way different style and we’re just going to have to figure that out over the month.”

Kayla Hill led the Pirates with 22 points, followed by Destinee Hunt with 12. The Pirates will host No. 4 Owasso (6-1, 3-1) on Tuesday to conclude the year.

CPHS 68 PCO 51

1Q: CPHS 15-7.
2Q: CPHS 16-13.
3Q: CPHS 17-14.
4Q: CPHS 20-17.
Free Throws: CPHS 10-of-12, PCO 15-of-24.
Field Goals: CPHS 25-of-59, PCO 17-of-76.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 14, PCO 16.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 33, PCO 18.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 47, PCO 24.
Steals: CPHS 6, PCO 14.
Blocks: CPHS 6, PCO 5.
Fouls: CPHS 19, PCO 15.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Ti. Butler 22, Simone 17, Morris 15, Ta. Butler 8, Garrison 4, Young 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Ti. Butler 3, Simone 3, Young 3, Garrison 2, Morris 1, Ta. Butler 1, Gilton 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Ti. Butler 15, Morris 5, Gilton 4, Ta. Butler 3, Garrison 2, Simone 2, Pearce 1, Young 1.
Total Rebounds: Ti. Butler 18, Morris 6, Simone 5, Gilton 5, Ta. Butler 4, Young 4, Garrison 4, Pearce 1.
Steals: Simone 3, Morris 2, Gilton 1.
Assists: Morris 6, Young 2, Ti. Butler 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 4, Morris 1, Garrison 1.
Fouls: Ta. Butler 3, Ti. Butler 3, Simone 3, Pearce 3, Gilton 3, Garrison 2, Morris 2.

Putnam City Statistics

Points: Hill 22, Hunt 12, Wright 9, Young 4, Booker 2, Aze 2.
Fouls: Booker 4, Young 4, Hunt 3, Hill 2, Williams 1, Aze 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.

Sakauri Wilson scores 27, Sandites Upset No. 1 Sapulpa 57-53

Sakauri Wilson says she puts up a hundred free throws a day, and it paid off Friday night at the Ed Dubie.

The junior guard went 8-for-8 at the charity stripe, including four free throws in the final 20 seconds of a 57-53 upset against 5A No. 1 Sapulpa (17-2).

The Sandites (14-6) previously lost 61-21 to the Chieftains to open the season but managed to keep pace in the rematch for their first rivalry win since 2019. It also snapped a 10-game win streak for Sapulpa, who hadn’t tasted defeat since December.

“I wasn’t intimidated at all,” said Wilson, who scored a career-high 27 points to lead all scorers.

“I just knew the first time (we played them) we weren’t ready, everybody was scared.”

“We all came together as a team, clutch free throws at the end, everybody’s coming together on defense and shutting everybody down.”

Sand Springs trailed for most of the first quarter but traded leads through the second and entered the locker room with a 26-24 advantage on Wilson’s first of three treys.

A five-point run midway through the third gave Sand Springs the lead till the final two minutes when a Sapulpa rally nearly staved off the upset.

Sapulpa trailed 49-42 before surging ahead to a 52-51 lead, but Abigaile Martin put her team back on top from the free throw line and the Chieftains never led again.

Hailey Jackson also had a big night with 20 points and 7 rebounds while Oklahoma State signee Stailee Heard had 23 to pace the Chieftains.

“That’s a good team over there,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We just had a great all around effort tonight and some girls stepped up and made some plays.”

The Sandites also won 54-38 at No. 13 Bartlesville (7-13) on Monday behind a career-high 17 from Calla Fueshko, but dropped a 69-40 decision to No. 2 (15-6) Bixby on Tuesday.

“We just challenged them to match (Sapulpa)’s energy and their effort and I think that’s what they did tonight. Plus they made plays.”

“That’s what it comes down to. It’s not too much about Xs and Os, it’s about the players. When they make plays, it makes it easy on us.”

(Boys) Sand Springs 78 Sapulpa 57

Sapulpa’s warmup shirts said “beating Sand Springs never gets old,” but it was the Sandites who prevailed 78-57 in a Friday night romp.

The Sand Springs boys (10-10) paid back a season-opening 60-51 loss at Sapulpa (5-14) with a balanced team attack.

Alijah Roper scored 15 to lead the Sandites, closely followed by Blake Johnson and Kade Holland with 14 apiece - a career-high for Holland.

“We always enjoy a rivalry win against Sapulpa, especially after they got us in the first game of the year at their place,” said head coach Eric Savage.

“The guys were focused and ready. They were excited - we really didn’t have to motivate them much to play this game.”

Jalen Pratt’s opening three-pointer gave Sapulpa its only lead of the night but the Sandites soon set the tempo and took a 21-11 lead into the second quarter.

“I thought we came out and set the tempo early and really dominated inside the paint,” said Savage.

“Our bigs really controlled offensive and defensive rebounds inside and made their guards alter their shots a little bit and that was a huge factor for us getting off to a good start.”

By halftime the Sandites led 39-25 and Sapulpa never got within double digits in the second half.

The Sandites fell 58-52 to Bartlesville (7-12) on Monday despite a career-high 14 points from Khalil Allen. They also lost 73-44 to Bixby (17-4) on Tuesday.

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday with a Senior Night home finale against Union.

The Sandites also received their Regional playoff assignments on Wednesday.

The girls will play No. 11 Stillwater (7-13) in the first round of the Norman Regional on the 23rd, while the boys will play No. 6 Moore (14-6) in the first round of the Bixby Regional on the 24th.

Box Scores

CPHS;21;18;18;21;--;78.
Sapulpa;11;14;18;14;--57.

Scoring: (CPHS) Roper 15, Holland 14, Johnson 14, Hooper 9, Allen 8, Kelly 7, Foster 6, Shope 2, Mitchell 1. (Sapulpa) Harris 18, Abbage 10, Lewis 8, Read 8, Ragsdale 6, Pratt 5, Willbey 2.

(Girls) Sand Springs 57, Sapulpa 53
CPHS;8;18;12;19;--57.
Sapulpa;12;12;11;18;--53.

Scoring: (CPHS) Wilson 27, Jackson 20, Martin 4, Fueshko 4, Taylor 2. (Sapulpa) S. Heard 23, Ri. McQuarters 12, Ra. McQuarters 11, T. Heard 5, Adkisson 2.

Sandite Basketball Homecoming Spoiled by Broken Arrow

Sand Springs saw its Homecoming festivities dampened in a pair of varsity losses to Broken Arrow Friday night at the Ed Dubie Field House.

The unranked boys brought a fight to undefeated No. 1 Broken Arrow, holding the Tigers to their lowest-scoring performance of the season in a 52-33 loss.

The No.9 Lady Sandites (11-5, 4-3) fell in a close 46-43 affair after erasing an early 15-point second quarter deficit.

No. 11 Broken Arrow (11-6, 5-3) led 30-17 at halftime but the Sandites dominated the third quarter and Kiaryn Taylor gave the home team the lead to open the fourth.

“We hadn’t played in a while,” said head coach Josh Berry, whose team was dealt a nine-day gap between games after Tuesday’s trip to Booker T. Washington was canceled for inclement weather.

“We haven’t played since last Tuesday. You can only go against each other so much and you can only do so much to keep that concentration. I think that time off hurt us.”

“Once we kind of got settled in and played some team basketball, I think that’s when we kind of got things going. Early on we missed shots, but they weren't great shots we were taking.”

The biggest struggle on the night was containing 5-ft-10 guard McKenzie Mathurin, a heavily recruited Division I prospect who exploded for 18 points in the first half.

In the second half the Sandites held Mathurin to only one field goal but sent her to the charity stripe for seven points in the fourth quarter.

A three-pointer from Calla Fueshko cut it as close as 45-42 with 6.2 seconds left but the Sandites were unable to find enough magic to pull ahead.

Mathurin finished with 28 points to lead all scorers while the Sandites were led by Hailey Jackson with 15 points and six rebounds.

“As long as we learn to play the style that we want to play and play together and trust each other, then we’re gonna be fine,” said Berry.

“The playoffs are going to seed themselves and we still have a good chance of getting a good seed if we take care of business down the stretch.”

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday at Bartlesville at 6:30 p.m.. The Booker T. Washington game has been rescheduled for Thursday at 5:00 p.m. and the Sandites will also travel to Muskogee on Friday.

(Boys) BAHS 52 CPHS 33

The Sand Springs boys (8-8, 1-6) did their best to keep the game close against No. 1 Broken Arrow (16-0, 8-0) but couldn’t keep up with the undefeated Tigers.

The Sandites never led, but only trailed by 14 to enter the fourth quarter before Broken Arrow went on a 7 point run.

Alijah Roper led all scorers with 16 and Luke Hooper added 10, but no other Sandites scored more than 2.

Oklahoma State-signee Connor Dow had a quiet night with only four points, but Justice Sutton filled in handily with 14 points to lead a balanced Tiger offense with eight players in the scorebook.

Luke Hooper Has Career Night in 60-33 Verdigris Rout

Luke Hooper didn’t play basketball his junior year but he shook off any lingering rust Saturday afternoon in the Port City Classic consolation finals.

The 6-foot-4 power forward hit his stride for a career-best 12 points and 9 rebounds to lead Sand Springs (8-7) in a 60-33 romp against Verdigris (10-7) for fifth place in the Catoosa tournament.

“You don’t realize how much it can slip away from you, just getting back into basketball shape and timing,” said head coach Eric Savage.

“He’s a big body and does a good job rebounding. If we can get him scoring on offense like he was able to today then it’s really going to help us.”

The Sandites suffered a 69-61 loss to 4A No. 16 Catoosa (11-4) in the first round to cap a four-game losing streak, but snapped back with a 66-48 win over 5A No. 16 Claremore (8-7) in Friday’s consolation semifinals.

“We went through a tough stretch right there in a conference that’s arguably very tough,” said Savage.

Sand Springs lost conference games against Union and Owasso the prior week, and fell 72-50 to Jenks on Tuesday. Now back above .500, the Sandites will be looking to ride some momentum into their next week’s conference games.

“I think it does a lot for the players’ confidence and our team to be able to experience some success,” said Savage.

“I wish we would’ve got three (wins) this weekend, but to finish on two wins - hopefully we can build on that”

Several Sandites had notable performances on the weekend. Alijah Roper and Micahel Foster scored 13 apiece in the loss to Catoosa and Kade Holland had a career-best 12. Blake Johnson was a bucket shy of a double-double with 8 points and 11 boards.

“We’re getting better and guys are stepping up and realizing they can make plays during games,” said Savage. “We’re getting some maturity and growth out of those sophomores.”

The sophomores being Kooper Kelly, Zane Fueshko, Khalil Allen, and Johnson.

Foster led the team with 14 against Claremore and Roper added 10. Against Verdigris, Roper and Kelly had 10 apiece, Allen added 9, and Foster had 8 points and 10 rebounds.

In Tuesday’s game against Jenks it was Kelly with 11 and Allen with 10 to lead the team.

“Alijah’s been playing a lot better and he’s been really consistent for us this year - probably our most consistent,” said Savage. “We need Alijah playing like he played this tournament.”

“I think by the end of January, going into February, I’m hoping we’ll be hitting our stride and playing our best basketball.”

The Sandites will return to action Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. with a road game at No. 9 Booker T. Washington (9-4, 4-2) followed by a home battle against No. 1 Broken Arrow (14-0, 6-0) on Friday.

Girls

For only the second time this season, Hailey Jackson didn’t lead her team in scoring against No. 9 Jenks (9-4, 4-2) on Tuesday.

It wasn’t because she had an off-night - it was because her entire team was on fire.

Five Lady Sandites scored in double digits, each with impressive stat lines, in a 67-43 win that was arguably the best performance of the season for No. 10 Sand Springs (11-4, 4-2).

Freshman Calla Fueshko led her team with a career-high 16 points, going 4-of-6 from three-point range before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter.

Sand Springs actually trailed 20-14 after the first quarter but Fueshko and Taiona Morris opened the second with a trio of treys to go up 23-20 and never relinquished the lead.

By halftime the home team led 37-29 and they used a 14-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to put the game to bed.

Jackson scored 15 points with 6 boards; Sakauri Wilson had 13 points, 3 steals, and 5 assists; Kiaryn Taylor had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals; and Morris had 10 points with 6 boards, 3 steals, and 5 assists.

Jill Twiehaus led all scorers with 21 points for Jenks, but was held to only 4 in the second half.

Sand Springs will take to the road Tuesday against No. 4 Booker T. Washington (13-2, 5-1) before hosting No. 13 Broken Arrow (10-5, 4-2) on Friday.