Kiaryn Taylor Leads Sandites to 58-24 Win over Edison Prep

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Walking pneumonia didn’t stop Kiaryn Taylor from walking all over the Edison Eagles Thursday morning in the first round of the Bishop Kelley Invitational.

Despite being just a day into her run of antibiotics, the uncommitted senior power forward put together a career-best performance with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 steals to power the Sandites to a 58-24 victory.

“We’ve been needing her to do that all year long,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We’re going to need her to be consistent on doing that and she will be. She’s really been under the weather since the start of the season.”

“She’s been battling through some things and for her to go ahead and have a game like that I think is good for her confidence and good for the team confidence.”

No Sakauri Wilson? No problem. The Sandites’ leading scorer rode the bench for some recovery time against the outmatched Eagles after taking some bangs and bruises over the past two weeks.

Her absence led to a slow start for the Sandites, who fell into a 12-0 deficit after missing their first 14 field goal attempts.

Taylor got the Sandites on the board with a free throw and a Patience Pearce putback ended the drought in the field, igniting a 29-0 run.

“We didn’t finish early and we didn’t play hard,” said Berry. “In the second quarter I guess we just decided we wanted to play harder.”

After ending the first quarter down 12-5, Taylor dialed in to open the second quarter, stealing three consecutive possessions away from the Eagles. In the second quarter alone she scored 13 points with 5 steals, picking off Eagle passes at will while dominating the paint.

“She had a big quarter,” said Josh Berry. “Somebody was going to have to step up with Kauri being out.”

“I thought (Taiona Morris)’s intensity on the defensive end and her disruptiveness kind of helped us with that, along with Kiaryn, and everyone else just kind of followed their lead.”

Micah Musick finally broke that streak in the final minute of the half but the Sandites didn’t slow down, taking a 34-16 advantage into the locker room.

Edison was equally outmatched in the third quarter as the Sandites extended their lead to 51-21, taking a 30-point advantage into the fourth quarter for the second time this week. Sand Springs finally eased off the gas in the final eight minutes.

Taylor’s 23 points were a career high and enough to lead the Sandites. Taiona Morris added 12 points with 6 rebounds, 8 steals, and 4 assists, and freshman Tianna Butler also had a career night with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.

“(Tianna)’s one of the most talented freshmen in the state,” said Berry. “She’s offensively skilled and talented enough to do whatever she wants to do out there on the court.”

“She can really shoot it, she can get to the basket, and she can rebound and finish when she makes her mind up. As soon as she gets that part of it, that’s going to help us out too.”

Sand Springs had more offensive rebounds against the Eagles than they had in their first three games combined while also coming away with an impressive 21 steals.

“We’re not going to be able to out-rebound a lot of groups, but if we can get a lot of pressure, if we can get steals, deflections, and takeaways, then we can offset some of the rebounding problems that may occur,” said Berry.

Following a tough 53-45 loss at Owasso last week, the Sandites have responded by outscoring their last two opponents 118 to 55 even while severely shorthanded.

The Sandites are still waiting for OSSAA clearance for Claremore transfer Hope Bump. They also lost Abigaile Martin to a season-ending injury and they’re still waiting for Calla Fueshko to return from an ACL tear last season. When those two pieces work their way into the lineup, Sand Springs should be especially dangerous.

Edison was led by Musick with 14 points as the only Eagle in double digits. They will head to the consolation bracket Friday at 10:00 a.m. against Tulsa Central (1-3).

Sand Springs will play in the semifinals Friday at 7:00 p.m. against the host Comets (2-1) who defeated Tulsa Central 47-34 in their first-round game. Sand Springs defeated Kelley 51-44 last year en route to their fifth championship at the tournament.

CPHS 58 Edison 24

1Q: Edison 12-5.
2Q: CPHS 29-4.
3Q: CPHS 17-5.
4Q: CPHS 7-3.
Free Throws: CPHS 8-of-11, Edison 4-of-13.
Field Goals: CPHS 22-of-64, Edison 10-of-26.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 18, Edison 5.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 15, Edison 15.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 33, Edison 20.
Steals: CPHS 21, Edison 8.
Blocks: CPHS 3, Edison 1.
Fouls: CPHS 10, Edison 7.

Sand Springs Statistics

Scoring: Taylor 23, Morris 12, Ti. Butler 10, Pearce 6, Ta. Butler 5, Garrison 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Pearce 5, Morris 4, Ta. Butler 3, Taylor 3, Ti. Butler 2, Crain 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Taylor 5, Ti. Butler 5, Morris 2, Pearce 1, Garrison 1, Crain 1.
Total Rebounds: Taylor 8, Ti. Butler 7, Morris 6, Pearce 6, Ta. Butler 3, Crain 2, Garrison 1.
Steals: Morris 8, Taylor 6, Ta. Butler 2, Garrison 2, Ti. Butler 1, Pearce 1, Crain 1.
Assists: Morris 4, Ta. Butler 3, Ti. Butler 3, Taylor 1.
Blocks: Ta. Butler 1, Ti. Butler 1, Crain 1.
Fouls: Pearce 2, Garrison 2, Morris 1, Taylor 1, Ta. Butler 1, Ti. Butler 1, Crain 1.

Edison Statistics

Scoring: Musick 11, Lyons 4, Galbreath 4, Brown 3, Peel-Thompson 2.
Fouls: Lyons 2, Musick 2, Chatman 2, McIntosh 1.

Lady Sandites Dominate Pacers 60-31 on the Road

Sand Springs quickly overcame a slow start Tuesday night at Enid and steamrolled the Pacers 60-31 in a district battle.

It was the first meeting between Charles Page High School (2-1, 2-1) and Enid (0-2, 0-2) since 2010 and it was a memorable one as three different Lady Sandites scored in double digits while dominating the home team in almost every statistical field.

Sand Springs never trailed after a 4-0 start behind layups from Sakauri Wilson and Kiaryn Taylor. Enid got as close as 6-5 before the Sandites closed the quarter on an 11-2 run and never looked back.

By halftime the Sandites led 31-18 but they did the bulk of their damage in a 23-6 third quarter and scored 14 points in a row from the third into the fourth.

A free-throw from Tianna Butler gave them their biggest lead at 57-24 before a late rally against the Sand Springs’ reserves got the Pacers back within 30.

Wilson led the team for the third time this season with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists while shooting 6-of-9 in the field and 5-of-7 at the stripe.

Freshman Tianna Buttler had a breakout performance with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists, and 2 blocks and Taiona Morris had 13 points with 3 boards.

Sand Springs will return to action Thursday at 10:00 a.m. against Edison Prep (0-2) in the first round of the Bishop Kelley Invitational. The Sandites are the defending tournament champions and have won the invitational five times since 2015.

CPHS 60 Enid 31

1Q: CPHS 17-7.
2Q: CPHS 14-11.
3Q: CPHS 23-6.
4Q: Enid 7-6.
Free Throws: CPHS 14-of-19, Enid 8-of-13.
Field Goals: CPHS 21-of-54, Enid 10-of-56.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 7, Enid 11.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 29, Enid 18.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 36, Enid 29.
Steals: CPHS 10, Enid 9.
Blocks: CPHS 4, Enid 1.
Fouls: CPHS 13, Enid 21.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Wilson 18, Morris 13, Ti. Butler 11, Taylor 8, Ta. Butler 4, Pearce 3, Garrison 2, Simone 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Wilson 3, Ti. Butler 2, Morris 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Taylor 7, Ti. Butler 5, Wilson 4, Ta. Butler 4, Morris 2, Simone 2, Pearce 2, Garrison 2, Crain 1.
Total Rebounds: Wilson 7, Taylor 7, Ti. Butler 7, Ta. Butler 5, Morris 3, Simone 2, Pearce 2, Garrison 2, Crain 1.
Steals: Wilson 3, Ti. Butler 3, Morris 1, Taylor 1, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1.
Assists: Wilson 3, Ti. Butler 3, Simone 2, Taylor 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Blocks: Taylor 2, Ti. Butler 2.
Fouls: Wilson 3, Morris 3, Ta. Butler 2, Ti. Butler 2, Taylor 1, Pearce 1, Garrison 1.

CPHS Basketball: Lady Sandites beat Edison 57-40 at BK Tournament, Armstead scores 24

The Class 6A No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (2-1) overcame a rocky start against 5A No. 15 Edison Prep (1-2) Thursday morning in the first round of the Bishop Kelley Invitational, finishing strong with a 21-12 fourth quarter after leading by only 3 late in the third.

Their 57-40 win over Edison advances them to the semifinals against the winner of 4A No. 16 Ada (2-0) vs. 5A No. 18 Claremore (0-1) Friday at 4:00 p.m. The Lady Sandites are coming off a third-place performance in the tournament last season, but won three-straight titles from 2015-2017.

First-year head coach Joshua Berry switched up his starters from the first two games, and nine players saw action in the first half, but the team failed to find much traction outside of sophomore standout Journey Armstead.

Armstead scored seven of the Sandites’ first quarter points, and they trailed 11-9 going into the second period. Sophia Regalado and Madison Burris tallied free throws to briefly regain the advantage, but Destiny Smith hit a three to tie it at 14-14, and another for the 19-16 lead. Mikah Hampton and Darrian Jordan also hit layups in a nine-point run in the closing minutes, and the Sandites took a 25-21 lead into the locker room behind a 17-point performance from Armstead.

Sandite foul trouble helped the Eagles crawl back into contention with a six-point run in the third quarter to cut it to 31-28, but a three pointer and a steal and score from Armstead made it 36-28 at the buzzer.

A thirteen-point run spanning two periods put the Sandites up 44-28 before Taniya Tease broke it up. Mariah Smith added another Eagle score, but Sand Springs went on a nine-point run for a 21-point advantage and sent in the third string for the final minutes.

Armstead led all scorers for the third time this season, tallying 24 for the winning team. Mariah Smith led the Eagles with 11, and they were the only two to score double digits. Burris and Jackson were each only a basket away from double-doubles, with Burris snagging a career-high 13 rebounds and Jackson with 11. Fifteen Sandites saw action in the game.

Edison will play the loser of the Ada vs. Claremore match-up Friday at 10:00 a.m.

CPHS 57 Edison 39
1Q: Edison 11-9.
2Q: CPHS 16-10.
3Q: CPHS 11-7.
4Q: CPHS 21-11.

Free Throws: CPHS 13-of-24, Edison, 11-of-17.
Field Goals: CPHS 20-of-52, Edison 12-of-55.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 13, Edison 12.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 31, Edison 17.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 44, Edison 29.
Steals: CPHS 13, Edison 8.
Blocks: CPHS 1, Edison 4.
Fouls: CPHS 13, Edison 17.

(Sand Springs Stats)
Scoring: Armstead 24, Jackson 9, Burris 8, Padilla 7, Hampton 4, Brown 2, Jordan 2, Regalado 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Jackson 6, Burris 4, Shrum 1, Jordan 1, Padilla 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Burris 9, Jackson 5, Padilla 4, Armstead 4, Regalado 3, Jordan 2, Cheney 2, Hampton 1, Shrum 1.
Total Rebounds: Burris 13, Jackson 11, Padilla 5, Armstead 4, Regalado 3, Jordan 3, Cheney 2, Hampton 1.
Steals: Armstead 4, Jackson 4, Burris 3, Shrum 1, Walker 1.
Assists: Armstead 2, Burris 1.
Blocks: Burris 1.
Fouls: Shrum 3, Armstead 2, Burris 2, Jackson 1, Jordan 1, Padilla 1, Cheney 1, Hampton 1, Brown 1.

(Edison Partial Stats)
Scoring: M. Smith 11, Tease 9, D. Smith 7, Williams 4, Malone 3, Parras, 2, Davis 2, Closslin 2.

Lady Sandite Volleyball goes undefeated in day one of Coweta Tournament

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO GALLERY

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (6-3) won four straight matches Friday at the Coweta Tournament. Heritage Hall (1-9) fell 2-0 with sets of 25-20 and 25-19. Catoosa (1-4) fell 2-1 with sets of 25-19, 23-25, and 15-9. 

SEE RELATED: Sandite Volleyball tacks on two exciting wins at Coweta Tournament

The Sandites took on the home team in their third match of the day and defeated the Coweta Tigers 2-1 in an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The first game was hotly contested in the beginning, but the tide steadily turned in the Sandites' favor. 

Lee Leslie drew first blood with an assist from Madison Burris, then MaKenzie Ward set up kills for Leslie and Gloria Mutiri to make it 4-2. Coweta scored a pair of kills and profited from a Sandite error to take the lead back at 5-4, but Mutiri got in on four straight kills to put the Sandites on top once and for all. Sand Springs went on a run at the end of the game, winning six straight rallies for a 25-13 victory. 

The second game's outcome was nearly just as lopsided in Coweta's favor. The back-and-forth battle for the lead continued till Ward set up kills for Mutiri and Devree Youngblood to tie things up at 14-14. From there Coweta ran away with a long list of faults on the Sandites. Five straight errors and a handful of kills gave the Tigers the 25-16 win. 

In the final set the Sandites regained their footing and left Coweta behind after Mutiri nailed a pair of back-to-back kills for the 5-3 advantage. The Tigers grabbed one point on an error, but Mutiri and Holly Kersgieter added another pair of kills before giving up a point on a service error. Coweta handed up a fault of their own and Youngblood got back in on the action with a shot off Ward, then combined on a block with Kersgieter to double down 10-5. Leslie got back in the fray and Ward scored a solo shot. Youngblood and Leslie blocked a shot to make it 14-6 and the Sandites had plenty of wiggle room. Coweta won the next four rallies somewhat due to defensive indifference on the part of the Sandites, who already had the win in the bag, but ultimately Youngblood smacked a kill off Ward for the 15-10 win. 

Sand Springs breezed through their final match of the day in a 2-0 victory over Edison (2-6). 

Kersgieter scored back-to-back aces to start the match. Kylie Taylor scored a kill off a Mutiri assist, Youngblood took a solo shot, and an Eagle fault gave Sand Springs the 5-0 advantage. Edison picked up their first point on an error from Taylor, but the next seven rallies went to the Sandites. Sand Springs continued to pile on the points until Mutiri wrapped things up with an ace for the 25-6 win. 

In the second game it was Edison who started things off with an ace, but it didn't take the Sandites long to get back in the lead once and for all with an ace from Youngblood. Madison Ward got in the game and served up a pair of back-to-back aces and MaKenzie Ward scored three-straight aces soon-after. 

The Sandites gave up five errors from there before tightening back up. Youngblood made it 22-11 on an assist from MaKenzie Ward. Kersgieter served, dug the return and scored on the dig, then followed it up with an ace. She gave up one point with an error, but followed it up with a kill for the 25-12 win.

The Lady Sandites will return to action bright and early Saturday morning with a 10:00 a.m. match against East Central (5-6). The Cardinals went 1-3 on day one of the tournament with losses to Tahlequah, Claremore, and Catoosa, and a win over Edison. Immediately following that match the Sandites will take on Tahlequah (2-2). Tahlequah started their season Friday with wins over Edison and East Central, but lost to Claremore and Heritage Hall.

At 1:00 p.m. the Sandites will take on Claremore (5-3) in the final round of pool play. Claremore went 3-1 in day one of the tournament, defeating Edison, Tahlequah, and East Central, but lost to Coweta. 

All eight teams will compete in bracket competition. The Sandites have already earned their way into the gold bracket and if they can finish undefeated they'll play at 3:00 p.m. against the number four seed. The second and third-seeded teams will meet at 4:00 p.m. and the Championship match will be at 5:00 p.m.