No. 1 CPHS Wrestling leads State Championship after first round with 8 semifinalists

Top-ranked 220 pound senior Delvin Jordan pinned his first-round opponent at the OSSAA State Championship. (Photo: Scott Emigh)

6A Top-Ten Team Scores:

1. No. 1 Sand Springs (25)
2. No. 2 Choctaw (21.5)
3. No. 3 Broken Arrow (21)
4. No. 13 Norman North (11)
5. Midwest City (10)
   No. 8 Stillwater (10)
6. No. 4 Edmond North (9)
7. No. 6 Ponca City (8)
   No. 5 Yukon (8)
8. No. 11 Edmond Memorial (6)
   Owasso (6)

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 1 ranked Charles Page High School wrestling team got off to a solid start at the OSSAA 6A State Championship Friday afternoon at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Eight of the eleven State Qualifiers won their first round matches, and the Sandites had the top team score by a narrow margin over the defending State Champions from No. 2 Choctaw. 

It's a three-way race for the top with Choctaw and No. 3 Broken Arrow right behind the Sandites. The Yellowjackets and Tigers each have six wrestlers remaining in the championship bracket.

106-pound sophomore Riley Weir (39-6 season, 60-18 career) met Edmond North freshman Nate Becker (22-13) in his quarterfinal. Weir took a 5-1 lead into the second period and started on bottom, then quickly reversed in the first twenty seconds. He did it again to start the third period and held on for a 9-1 major decision. He will face Choctaw freshman Gabe Johnson (34-6) in the semifinals.

113 senior Tanner Ward (33-10, 109-22) took on Mustang sophomore Cameron Picklo (29-8) and recorded a takedown in the first twenty seconds, then cut his foe loose soon after. He snagged another score midway through the first period, added a pair of back points, cut his opponent loose, then took him down again to end the first period 8-3. Picklo started the second period on top and Ward easily got the escape, then added a takedown soon after. Picklo got a reversal and nearly put the Sandite in danger, but Ward managed to stay off his back and recovered for a reversal and 14-5 third period lead. The final stretch started neutral and Ward picked up a couple more takedowns for a 16-5 major decision. He will face Westmoore senior Canon Randall (36-4) in the semifinals.

120 senior Michael Ritchey (36-10, 65-34) and Choctaw junior Andy Schlaepfer (27-16) hit the mat early and struggled for control, ending up in a stalemate before the Sandite finally came out on top with seven seconds left. They started the second period neutral and it went the same as the first, hotly contested with one stalemate, and one Sandite takedown, once again in the final ten seconds. Ritchey started the final period on bottom and escaped thirty seconds in, then took control with a minute left and held on for the 7-0 decision. He will face Edmond North senior Paxton Rosen (36-2) in the semifinals.

126 junior Blake Sargent (37-10, 89-24) battled Choctaw junior Connor Holman (35-6) and gave up a takedown late in the first period. He started the second period on top and cut his opponent loose early on, then Holman added another pair of points towards the end and took a 5-0 lead into the final stretch. Sargent started the third period on the defensive end and escaped in the first few seconds, but was unable to score. Holman added another takedown, Sargent cut loose, and the Yellowjacket won by 7-2 decision. He will face Ponca City sophomore Spencer Schickram (37-9) in the consolationquarterfinal.

132 Oklahoma State University-signed senior Daton Fix (45-0, 163-0) easily handled Midwest City senior Marquez Edwards (24-8), scoring a takedown for nearfall points in the first thirty seconds. He cut his foe loose, scored, cut him loose again, scored again, and continued to run up the score to 11-3 at the end of the first period. He started the second with a reversal and secured the pin in 2:43. He will face Ponca City junior Dylan Schickram (38-12) in the semis.

138 senior Jack Karstetter (30-1, 103-16) had a scrappy competitor in Edmond Memorial junior Connor Simpson (21-8). The Sandite handily prevailed, however, taking a 7-0 lead into the second period with two sets of back points. He started on bottom and immediately escaped five seconds in, then added a second takedown for a 10-1 third period advantage. He reversed to start the final stretch and cut Simpson loose to look for bonus points, but the two remained neutral and Karstetter got the 12-2 major decision. He will face Ponca City senior Dawson Hunt (29-14) in the semifinals.

145 senior Beau Bratcher (43-7, 134-30) battled Westmoore sophomore Zach Johnson (25-7) and scored his first takedown at the minute mark. He started the second period on defense and scored an early escape and held on for a 3-0 lead in the third. Johnson selected defense, and remained there for the duration, giving Bratcher a 3-0 decision. He will face Yukon senior and defending State Champion Jaxen Gilmore (27-2) in the semifinals.

152 junior Payton Scott (37-3, 58-11) took on Choctaw junior Jeff Speer (16-8) and scored a takedown in the first thirty seconds, and cut his foe loose immediately. He added two more by the end of the first and entered the second stretch 6-2. He started with an immediate escape, then took Speer down for a fall at 2:19. He will take on Midwest City senior Rober Walker (28-6) in the semifinals.

160 sophomore Noah Almy (24-18) took on Choctaw junior and defending State Champion Jaryn Curry (35-3) and gave up an early takedown, but escaped soon after. Curry added another score and cut the Sandite loose, then repeated for a 6-3 lead. Almy started the second period on top, but Curry broke free and scored another trio of takedowns in the first minute and entered the third period with a 15-6 lead. They started neutral and Curry scored a takedown and a pair of back points before securing the 22-7 tech fall in 4:58 after a stalling penalty on Almy. The Sandite will return to action against Edmond Santa Fe junior Williams Depona (16-13) in the consolation quarterfinals.

170 senior Zane Basma (26-4, 88-29) gave up an early takedown to Edmond Memorial junior Sam Hensley (36-7), but quickly escaped and scored his own takedown for a trio of nearfall points. The Sandite started the second period neutral with a 6-2 lead, but gave up another takedown at the end of the period. Basma started the final stanza on bottom and quickly escaped, but Hensley scored a last second takedown for back points for the 9-7 decision. Basma will take on Ponca City junior Lane Newlin (31-14) in the consolation quarterfinal.

220 senior Delvin Jordan (43-2, 74-14) took on Westmoore senior Jonathan Martinez (15-8) and the two were evenly matched through the first. Jordan took a 1-0 lead with a second period escape then added a takedown soon after. Slow and steady won the race and Jordan worked his foe into a cradle at 3:42. He will take on Choctaw junior Caulin Poole (25-10) in the semifinals.

The first round of consolations will begin at 5:00 p.m., followed by the semifinals at 7:15 p.m.

No. 3 CPHS girls defeat Stillwater 59-32 in Regional Playoffs; Kersgieter scores 18

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter scored a game-high 18 points in a Regional playoff victory over Stillwater.

CPHS 59 SHS 32

1Q Stillwater 13-12
2Q Sand Springs 20-3
3Q Sand Springs 11-6
4Q Sand Springs 16-10

Free Throws: CPHS 11-of-19, SHS 12-of-15.
Field Goals: CPHS 22-of-52, SHS 9-of-39.
Fouls: CPHS 14, SHS 14.

Scoring: (CPHS) Kersgieter 18, Pennington 14, Mutiri 10, Johnson 6, Regalado 6, McGee 2, Solis 2, Collins 1. (SHS) Tuck 10, Lovelace 6, Kloos 4, Spiva 4, Campis 3, Morales 2, Jessell 2, Purdy 1.

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 3, Pennington 3, Johnson 2, Taber 2, Mutiri 1, Solis 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Pennington 6, McGee 6, Regalado 4, Kersgieter 4, Bunch 2, Mutiri 1, Johnson 1, Collins 1, Boaz 1.
Assists: McGee 4, Pennington 3, Kersgieter 1.
Steals: Johnson 3, McGee 2, Regalado 2, Taber 2, Kersgieter 1, Collins 1, Solis 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 4, Kersgieter 1, Pennington 1, Regalado 1. 
Fouls: Johnson 3, Mutiri 2, Regalado 2, Taber 2, Kersgieter 1, Pennington 1, McGee 1, Collins 1, Boaz 1.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It was a slow starter Thursday night at Broken Arrow High School, but by the end of the game the No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (21-1) had rolled to a dominating 59-32 victory over the unranked Stillwater Lady Pioneers (5-19) in the first round of the Regional playoffs. 

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter led all scorers with 18 points, followed by Oklahoma State University softball-signed senior Sydney Pennington with 14 and Ohio State University volleyball-committed junior Gloria Mutiri with 10. Taylor Tuck was the lone Lady Pioneer to break double-digits, scoring 10. 

The Sandites trailed after the first period for only the second time this season. They won the tip off, but missed their first four shots, including two and three point range and the charity stripe.

Senior forward Maggie Campis scored first blood for the Lady Pioneers from three-point range, but the Sandites took the lead with layups from Destiny Johnson and Pennington.

Taylor Tuck tied things up from the free throw line, Kierra McGee retook the lead for Sand Springs, then Stillwater went on a six-point run to retain the lead for the rest of the quarter. Mutiri entered the game towards the end of the period and scored four points from the charity stripe.

The second quarter was a whole different story, however, as the Sandites returned to their usual form and outscored Stillwater 20-3.

Johnson snagged a steal off the opening possession and took it coast to coast for two, then Pennington padded the score with a free throw. Kersgieter scored back-to-back layups, Tuck sank two from the charity stripe, then the power went out. After a brief intermission the Lady Sandites scored thirteen straight to close the half with a 32-16 advantage.

Sand Springs continued their streak with nine more to start the third before Allyson Spiva broke things up with back-to-back layups. By the end of the third the Sandites had pushed their advantage to 43-22.

Mutiri kicked the final stanza off with a layup, followed by a pair of free throws from Kersgieter. Kersgieter scored ten in the fourth quarter, including two threes before being pulled along with most of the starters by mid-period. Stillwater got the opportunity to shore up the gap against the Sandite bench and posted eight-straight before Daniela Solis posted the final points of the evening.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Saturday at 1:30 p.m. when they play the No. 17 Union Redskins (14-10) who defeated No. 15 Broken Arrow (13-11) 45-41 in overtime. Sand Springs has already topped the Redskins once this season by a score of 78-58. Taylor Malham led the Redskins against Broken Arrow with 20 points. Both teams will advance to the Area playoffs next weekend.

Sand Springs wrestling wins Regional Championship, qualifies eleven for State Tournament

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Team Scores: 

1. Sand Springs (268)
2. Broken Arrow (241.5)
3. Ponca City (186)
4. Stillwater (157)
5. Owasso (126)
6. Norman North (186)
7. Sapulpa (86.5)
8. Jenks (83)
9. Union (79)
10. Bixby (53.5)
11. Bartlesville (53)
12. Enid (37.5)
13. Southmoore (37)
14. Muskogee (31.5)
15. Booker T. Washington (4)
16. Capitol Hill (3)

Regional Champions

106 Riley Weir (Sand Springs)
113 Brandon Blose (Sapulpa)
120 Tyler Lawley (Broken Arrow)
126 Spencer Schickram (Ponca City)
132 Daton Fix (Sand Springs)
138 Jack Karstetter (Sand Springs)
145 Kendon Lee (Stillwater)
152 Zeke Rubio (Ponca City)
160 Caleb Wise (Broken Arrow)
170 Christian Bahl (Stillwater)
182 Gavin Potter (Broken Arrow)
195 Zach Marcheselli (Broken Arrow)
220 Delvin Jordan (Sand Springs)
285 Gage Johnson (Norman North)

The top-ranked Charles Page High School wrestling team won their second-straight 6A-East Regional Championship Saturday evening at the Ed Dubie Field House, qualifying eleven wrestlers for State. This is their third tournament win this season.

The Sandites had a great start to the Regional Friday, sending nine wrestlers to the finals—one more than the previous year. They had a rough time Saturday, however, losing several toss-up matches and crowning only four champions compared to the seven they had last year. Last year they sent only eight wrestlers to State and took third place as a team, so with eleven qualifiers this year they’re in good shape to make a run at their first State Championship since 1971.

The OSSAA State Tournament will held next weekend at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City. The first rounds will be wrestled Friday at 10:30 a.m., followed by the semifinals and first round of consolations at 5:00 p.m. The consolation semifinals will be Saturday at 10:30 a.m., followed by consolation finals at 12:45 p.m. and finals at 5:45 p.m.

Sophomore Riley Weir (38-6 season, 59-18 career) qualified for State for the second-straight year, winning his bracket at Regionals with four-straight pins. He recorded the fastest pin of his career against Capitol Hill’s Chrisma Collins in only twelve seconds, the pinned Stillwater’s Henry Warren and Broken Arrow’s Jackson Cockrell. In the finals he was pitted against Union sophomore TJ Long. Long was briefly featured in FloWrestling’s top-twenty national rankings earlier this season after winning the Geary Invitational, but the Sandite had little difficulty in securing his nineteenth pin of the season in 4:33. Weir placed third at last year’s Regional but didn’t place at State.

Oklahoma State University-signed senior Daton Fix (44-0, 162-0) had zero difficulty in securing his fourth-straight Regional Championship. He continued his undefeated career with two falls and two technical falls. He pinned Stillwater’s John Ritchey in 2:14 then worked up a 22-7 tech fall against Southmoore’s Joe Reynolds in 2:38. In the semifinals he pinned Owasso’s two-time State Qualifier Baylor Smith in 3:46, then scored another 22-7 tech fall against two-time State Qualifier Sam Avant of Norman North in 3:53. Fix is aiming to be the first four-time State Champion in Sand Springs history.

Senior Jack Karstetter (29-1, 102-16) won his third-straight Regional Championship, qualifying for State for the third time. He pinned Norman North Conner Mares-Ballard in the quarterfinal, then served up an 11-3 major decision against Ponca City senior Dawson Hunt. In the finals he was pitted against three-time State Qualifier Tyler Dieringer of Stillwater. The two were equally matched throughout and neither was able to score a takedown. After neither took a lead through the sudden victory round or the tie breaker period, Karstetter won with an escape in the first ultimate tie-breaker period. He failed to place at State as a sophomore, but came in Runner-Up last year.

Senior Delvin Jordan (42-2, 73-14) won his second-straight Regional Championship, qualifying for State for the third time. He breezed through his first three foes, pinning Booker T. Washington’s Cameron Douglass in 1:22, Enid’s Brock Anderson in 0:42, and Ponca City’s Austin Fry in 2:34. In the finals he took on defending State Champion Skyler Haynes, of Broken Arrow, and prevailed 3-2 in tie-breaker overtime. He was a Regional Runner-Up as a freshman, but didn’t place at State. He missed most of his sophomore year with an injury. Last year he won the Regional Championship by pinning the defending State Champion from Bixby, but was unable to compete at State.

Senior Tanner Ward (32-10, 108-22) qualified for State for the fourth-straight year, coming in Runner-Up at Regionals. He pinned Jenks’s Jared Miller in 1:52 in the quarterfinals and Norman North’s Yves Worou in the semis before falling 11-8 to three-time State Qualifier Brandon Blose, of Sapulpa. A transfer from Berryhill, Ward placed third at 3A State as a freshman and was a State Runner-Up the past two years.

Senior Michael Ritchey (35-10, 64-34) qualified for State for the second-straight year, coming in Runner-Up at Regionals. He pinned Bixby’s Ainslie Lane and Enid’s Hunter McGee in the first two rounds, then prevailed 5-1 over Laif Jones of Bartlesville in the semifinals. In the final round he was pitted against Broken Arrow two-time State Qualifier Tyler Lawley in a rematch of their Dual State bout. The two were perfectly matched throughout and finished the third period without a single point scored. They went through the sudden victory round still neutral, but Lawley got the upper hand in the first tie-breaker period and prevailed by 2-0 decision. Ritchey won Regionals last year but didn’t place at State.

Senior Beau Bratcher (43-6, 134-29) qualified for State for the fourth-straight year, coming in Runner-Up at Regionals. He pinned Bartlesville senior Jeremy Wingate in 0:33 and Sapulpa sophomore Colton Konell in 1:32, then topped Broken Arrow freshman Brady Mattioda 8-1. In the finals he was pitted against three-time State Qualifier and former Louisiana State Champion Kendon Lee of Stillwater. Neither scored a takedown in regulation, but Lee got the upper hand in sudden victory overtime and prevailed 3-1. Bratcher placed third at Regionals as a freshman and took first place the past two years. He failed to place at State the first two years, but was last year’s Runner-Up.

Junior Payton Scott (38-2, 59-10) qualified for State for the second-straight year, coming in Runner-Up at Regionals. He pinned Stillwater’s Parker Nicholas in 0:33, Jenks’s Colt Freeman in 0:55, and Owasso’s Richie Lee in 0:56. In the finals he was pitted against Ezequiel Rubio of Ponca City, but was upset 7-5 in sudden victory overtime. Scott won Regionals as a sophomore and placed fourth at State.

Senior Zane Basma (26-3, 88-28) qualified for State for the third-straight year, coming in Runner-Up at Regionals. He made quick work of his first three opponents, pinning Bixby’s Christian Shubert in 0:49, Owasso’s Brandon Dugan in 1:38, and Union’s Darius Boone in 1:51. In the finals he took on defending State Champion Christian Bahl, of Stillwater. The Pioneer got the upper hand with a 3-0 decision. Basma also placed second at last year’s Regional and placed third at State.

Junior Blake Sargent (37-9, 89-23) qualified for State for the second-straight year, placing third at Regionals. He won his first two matches by fall, pinning Enid’s Logan Herell in 1:23 and Booker T. Washington’s Elijah Harrigan in 1:19, before falling 3-1 in sudden victory overtime to Bixby’s two-time State Qualifier Easton Hudson. In the consolations he defeated Owasso senior Wyatt Johnson by 4-3 decision, then topped Broken Arrow sophomore Blake Gonzalez 7-3. Last year he won his bracket at Regionals and placed third at State.

Sophomore Noah Almy (24-18) qualified for State for the first time, placing fourth at Regionals. He won his first two matches by fall, pinning Bixby’s Owen DeWoody in 0:38 and Bartlesville’s Austin Manley in 2:40. In the quarterfinals he was forced to forfeit to Broken Arrow’s Caleb Wise with a minor injury, but he came back on day two and topped Owasso junior Nolan Miller 12-10 in sudden victory overtime to make the consolation finals. Already guaranteed a spot at State, he forfeited his final match against Stillwater’s Connor Wilcoxen to avoid aggravating his injury.

Sophomore Luke Bratcher (5-4) won his first match by fall, taking down Jenks’s Naimul Islam in 1:49, but suffered a concussion against Broken Arrow’s Gavin Potter and forfeited his remaining match.

Junior Kris Edwards (5-6) fell to Muskogee’s Jacob Wood in 3:57 in his first round match, but rebounded with a pin of Southmoore’s Jose Ruiz in 1:50. He lost his third match in a close 4-3 decision to Sam Smith of Stillwater.

Junior Gage Fain (26-15, 39-37) went the distance in both of his matches, falling 8-6 to Southmoore’s Jordan Reel in sudden victory overtime, and 4-3 to Stillwater’s Aaron Veselak in the tie-breaker period.

Lady Sandite Basketball wins Frontier Valley Conference Championship

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter led all scorers with 17 points Friday night at Bixby. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

CPHS 59 BHS 46

1Q Sand Springs 12-5
2Q Sand Springs 17-9
3Q Sand Springs 17-13
4Q Bixby 19-13

Scoring: (CPHS) Kersgieter 17, Johnson 14, McGee 13, Regalado 9, Pennington 6. (BHS) Tyree 16, Bittle 15, Myles 9, Fuhr 3, King 1, Stout 1, Brown 1.

(CPHS only)
Offensive Rebounds: McGee 3, Kersgieter 2, Pennington 1, Grant 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 3, Pennington 3, Taber 3, Johnson 2, Collins 2, Grant 2, McGee 1.
Steals: Pennington 3, Kersgieter 2, Johnson 2.
Assists: Johnson 3, McGee 3, Pennington 2, Collins 1, Kersgieter 1.
Blocks: Kersgieter 2, Regalado 2, Pennington 1, Johnson 1.
Fouls: Regalado 5, Kersgieter 3, Taber 3, Pennington 2, Johnson 2, Grant 1, Boaz 1.

The No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (20-1) pulled off a nearly perfect regular season to wrap up their first Frontier Valley Conference Championship in recent memory. Three Lady Sandites doubled in a 59-46 victory at Bixby to clench the title with a 13-1 record. The lone blemish on the girls' season was a 61-57 loss at No. 9 Owasso when starting center Gloria Mutiri was out with an ankle injury. Mutiri was absent from this game as well, playing club volleyball out of town, but it didn't affect the girls this time.

The girls took first place at both the Bishop Kelley Invitational and the Coffeyville Interstate Classic, and earned the right to host a Regional Tournament. Unfortunately the Ed Dubie Field House sustained water damage and the Regional was moved to Broken Arrow. The first game will be played this upcoming Thursday at 8:00 p.m. against Stillwater (5-18).

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter led all scorers Friday night at Bixby with 17 points, followed by Destiny Johnson with 14 and Kierra McGee with 13 for the Sandites. Sarah Tyree was top-dog for the Lady Spartans with 16, closely followed by Maddie Bittle with 15. This was Kersgieter's seventh time leading her team this season.

The visitors got off to a fast start as Johnson scored the opening points with a layup and free throw. Tyree retaliated in similar form to tied it at 3-3, but the Sandites took the lead from there and never looked back. McGee hit a three-pointer, Johnson added back-to-back twos, then Kersgieter scored her first points of the night to make it 12-3. Tyree had the final say of the first quarter with a layup and was the only Lady Spartan to score in the stanza.

Sand Springs doubled down on their host in the second quarter as Kersgieter posted eight points, aided by Johnson with five, McGee with two, and Sydney Pennington with two. Bittle and Dariann Myles both got in on the action for Bixby, but they trailed 29-14 going into halftime.

The third quarter was less of a blowout, though the Sandites did increase their lead to 46-27. The Spartans finally caught a break in the final stretch as Coach Dustin Morrow ran the bench on the Spartans. The home team scored the final eleven points of the game and won the period 19-13.

Frontier Valley Conference Women's Basketball Standings: Week Eleven

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

No. 7 Owasso (14-5 overall, 9-1 conference) took advantage of Gloria Mutiri's brief absence from the Charles Page lineup to knock the formerly undefeated Lady Sandites from the top spot in conference standings. With Owasso's 61-57 victory being the only matchup of the season between the two teams, the Lady Rams can clinch the title by winning their final four games. 

Terryn Milton scored 29 in the win over Sand Springs, 14 in a 56-42 win over Sapulpa, and 23 in a 67-55 win over Muskogee. The Lady Rams hold the No. 3 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in the conference. 

Of their remaining opponents, they've already defeated Bishop Kelley 48-32, Jenks 56-45, and Union 45-42. Their biggest obstacle will be Bartlesville, with whom they've split wins. The Lady Bruins prevailed 52-39 in the season-opener, but Owasso got payback 39-33 at the Bixby Tournament, and is now on an eight-game winning streak.

No. 4 Sand Springs (16-1, 9-1) may still be a top contender for the State Championship, but they'll need a lucky break to take the conference title since their loss to Owasso. They'll have to win out and hope Owasso loses one of their final games. On the plus side, Gloria Mutiri is healthy and back in action.

Sydney Pennington scored 22 in the loss to Owasso, Holly Kersgieter scored 19 in a 71-35 win at Jenks, and Destiny Johnson scored 15 in a 56-33 win over Bishop Kelley. The Sandites hold the No. 1 offense, No. 1 defense, and No. 1 margin of victory in the conference. 

Of their remaining opponents, they have already beaten Broken Arrow 66-45, Bartlesville 51-34, Muskogee 62-43, and Bixby 67-51.

No. 15 Bartlesville (11-7, 7-2) still has an outside shot at the conference title if they win out and if the top two drop a few games here and there. The Lady Bruins are currently on a three-game winning streak. Erin Shoemaker scored 15 in a 56-44 victory over Jenks, Avery Allen and Lauren Richter scored nine apiece in a 38-34 win over Broken Arrow, and Shoemaker posted 20 against Union.

The Bruins hold the No. 5 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in the conference. Of their remaining opponents they've already defeated Bixby 56-27 and split wins with Owasso, prevailing 52-39 in conference play, but falling 39-33 at the Bixby Tournament. They'll need to avenge a 51-34 loss to Sand Springs, and win back-to-back against Sapulpa to finish the regular season.

No. 14 Broken Arrow (11-8, 6-4) can win the title if t hey win out and if Sand Springs and Owasso both lose all their remaining games. Jalise Smallwood has led the team in the last five-straight games, averaging 19-points-per-game as the Tigers defeated Sapulpa 49-46, Muskogee 49-39, and Bixby 56-53, but fell 48-41 to Owasso and 38-34 to Bartlesville.

The Tigers hold the No. 9 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in the conference. Of their remaining opponents, they've already defeated Bishop Kelley 43-37 and split wins with Union. They'll also need to avenge a 66-45 loss to Sand Springs.

No. 16 Union (10-9, 5-5) is technically still in the conversation, but their odds make the Tigers' odds look great. They'll need to win out and they'll need Sand Springs and Owasso to lose out. They'll need Broken Arrow to lose at least one game, and they'll need to beat Owasso by at least four points and Sand Springs by at least 21 points. 

Taylor Malham led the Redskins to a 41-37 victory over Bixby with 22 points, but they fell 50-43 to Bartlesville, 55-45 to Sapulpa, and 79-58 to Sand Springs. The Redskins hold the No. 4 offense, No. 4 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in the conference. 

Of their remaining opponents, they've already defeated Jenks 61-34 and Bishop Kelley 62-39, and split wins with Broken Arrow. They were defeated 45-42 by Owasso.

No. 19 Sapulpa (8-10, 4-5) defeated Union 55-45 behind 18 points from Kiarra Brooks and topped Jenks 46-40 thanks to 17 points from Michaela Bethel. They fell 56-42 to Owasso, however, effectively ending their shot at a conference title. The Chieftains hold the No. 6 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in the conference. 

Jenks (5-13, 3-7) has lost their last three-straight, falling 56-44 to Bartlesville, 71-35 to Sand Springs, and 46-40 to Sapulpa, effectively ending their shot at a title. Makenley Church scored 15 against the Bruins, Emma Wasson posted 12 against Sand Springs, and Makenna Burch scored 16 against Sapulpa. The Trojans hold the No. 6 offense, No. 10 defense, and No. 10 margin of victory in the conference. 

Muskogee (7-10, 3-7) fell 49-39 to Broken Arrow and 67-55 to Owasso, but topped Bishop Kelley 45-37. Trena Mims led in all three games, averaging 22 points per game. The Roughers hold the No. 2 offense, No. 8 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in the conference. 

5A No. 16 Bishop Kelley (6-10, 2-8) fell 56-33 to Sand Springs and 45-37 to Muskogee this past week. The Comets hold the No. 10 offense, No. 6 defense, and No. 9 margin of victory in the conference.

Bixby (6-13, 1-9) has dropped three straight, falling 42-31 to Bishop Kelley, 41-37 to Union, and 56-53 to Broken Arrow. Maddie Bittle led in all three games, averaging 13.6 points. The Lady Spartans hold the No. 8 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory.

Remaining Conference Schedule

2/6 Muskogee @ Bixby
2/7 Sand Springs @ Broken Arrow
2/7 Bartlesville @ Owasso
2/7 Bishop Kelley @ Sapulpa
2/7 Jenks @ Union
2/10 Union @ Broken Arrow
2/10 Bartlesville @ Sand Springs
2/10 Jenks @ Bixby
2/10 Owasso @ Bishop Kelley
2/10 Sapulpa @ Muskogee
2/14 Sapulpa @ Broken Arrow
2/14 Bixby @ Bartlesville
2/14 Union @ Bishop Kelley
2/14 Owasso @ Jenks
2/17 Bishop Kelley @ Broken Arrow
2/17 Bartlesville @ Sapulpa
2/17 Sand Springs @ Bixby
2/17 Jenks @ Muskogee
2/17 Union @ Owasso
2/20 Sapulpa @ Bartlesville

Conference Strength:

1. Central Oklahoma (50)
2. Frontier Valley (39)
3. Big Ten (37.5)
4. Green Country (26.5)
5. All-City (10.45)

FVC Leading Scorers
(points-per-game)

1. Trena Mims (Muskogee) 19.6
2. Terryn Milton (Owasso) 16.0
3. Jalise Smallwood (Broken Arrow) 15.4
4. Taylor Malham (Union) 15.3
5. Maddie Bittle (Bixby) 14.7
6. Jena Williams (Bartlesville) 11.9
7. Sydney Pennington (Sand Springs) 11.9
8. Haley Meely (Jenks) 11.4
9. Macy Craig (Bishop Kelley) 10.5
10. Gloria Mutiri (Sand Springs) 10.2

No. 4 Sand Springs hammers 5A No. 16 Bishop Kelley 56-33, Johnson scores 15

(Photo: Morgan Miller)

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 4 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (16-1) rolled to a convincing 56-33 home victory over 5A No. 16 Bishop Kelley (6-11) Friday night at the Ed Dubie Field House, taking a 30-6 halftime lead and holding the Lady Comets to nothing but free throws in the first half. Ohio State Volleyball-commit Gloria Mutiri made her return after missing two games with a sprained ankle and scored 4.

CPHS 56 Bishop Kelley 33

1Q Sand Springs 18-4
2Q Sand Springs 12-2
3Q All 13-13
4Q Bishop Kelley 14-13

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Johnson 15, Regalado 10, Kersgieter 7, McGee 7, Taber 4, Pennington 4, Mutiri 4, Collins 3, Grant 2. (Kelley) Martin 13, Craig 6, Cyr 6, Ritchie 4, Gripado 4. 

Free Throws: CPHS 17-of-28 Kelley 14-of-21
Field Goals: CPHS 18-of-48 Kelley 8-of-30
Fouls: CPHS 19 Kelley 18

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

Sophomores Isabella Regalado and Destiny Johnson scored the first points of the game for a 4-0 lead before giving up a pair of free throws to Michaela Martin. Holly Kersgieter added one from the charity stripe for Sand Springs, then Macy Craig added two more for the Comets to make it 5-4. That was the closest they would get for the rest of the night.

Sand Springs went on an eighteen-point run from there and Johnson finished the first quarter with ten points for a 18-4 lead. Regalado kicked off the second quarter and Connors State Softball-signed senior Jessica Collins posted another two before Kelley got back into the game with another pair of free throws from Martin. Johnson hit a two and a free throw, then Mutiri scored four-straight to end the half.

The second half was far more balanced as the two teams each scored thirteen in the third quarter and Bishop Kelley actually won the fourth quarter 14-13 against the Sandite second-string.

Johnson led all scorers with fifteen points, followed by Martin with thirteen for the Comets. Regalado also broke double digits with ten.

The Lady Sandites will return to action next Tuesday at No. 14 Broken Arrow (10-8), who they already defeated 66-45 earlier this season. The Comets will travel to No. 19 Sapulpa (7-10) who they defeated 51-44 earlier this season.