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.

Sandites Split With Union: Girls Win 37-33 Behind Wilson's 16 Points

Although the two meetings between Sand Springs and Union were very similar this year, the end results couldn’t have been more different as the No. 6 ranked Lady Sandites (15-5, 9-2) paid back a January upset with a 37-33 victory over No. 14 Union (12-8, 7-5) Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House.

A dog fight from the very beginning, neither team ever led by more than six points in the defensive battle that was the Sandites’ lowest scoring victory in at least a decade.

“It was great defense on both ends,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We both missed some shots, but that’s what happens. This was a big-time game…both groups gave it all they had and fortunately we came out on top this time.”

Union previously upset the Sandites 49-47 just two weeks ago, but despite that loss, the Sandites still have hopes of a district title if they can knock off No. 4 Edmond Memorial (15-3, 10-1) Thursday on the road.

“They know it’s there, they know what we’ve got to do, they know what kind of challenge it’s going to be to beat somebody like that three times,” said Berry.

Sand Springs previously bested the Bulldogs 41-33 in the season-opener and 58-54 at the Carl Albert tournament in late January.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you play them, you’ve got to play that way every single time,” said Berry. “It’s a new game. We’ll go up there and give it all we’ve got and that’s all we can do.”

In Tuesday’s game the Sandites jumped out to a 4-0 lead on baskets from Aaliyah Simone and Tianna Butler, but Union soon make it 5-4 on a three-pointer from Bella McSwain.

Butler briefly regained the lead for the home team, but Aaliyah Smith scored back-to-back buckets and the visitors stayed out front till the 4:09 mark of the second quarter when Hope Bump tied it at 18-18.

Tianna Butler gave her team another lead with 2:21 in the half but a putback from Smith tied it again and a trio of free throws put the visitors out front till a buzzer-beater three from Tayja Butler made it a 23-23 tie at halftime.

Simone, who scored 43 points over the two previous games, was in foul trouble for most of the game after drawing three in the first half and a fourth early in the third, limiting her scoring to the one bucket that opened the game.

Tianna Butler and Sakauri Wilson put the Sandites up 27-23 before Union went on a 9-0 run late in the third. Tiaona Morris broke that streak and got the Sandites back within a point to open the fourth.

The Sandites ramped up their defense from there, only surrendering a single free throw in the final stanza while Wilson scored six points in a row to close the game.

Wilson ended the night with 16 points, 8 steals, and 6 assists in her 11th time this season leading the team.

“I love her. She’s a special kid and a special talent,” said Berry. “She’s done it on both ends for us, she’s finished games. I’m just excited for her.”

The Lady Sandites will tip off at 6:30 p.m. in Edmond and will also play Friday on the road at U.S. Grant (4-15, 0-12).

The No. 13 ranked boys (13-7, 5-6) suffered a 67-43 loss in their game against No. 2 Union (19-2, 11-1), falling in an early hole that they could never quite claw their way out of.

Although the Sandites never once led, they hung close enough to keep hope alive till late in the game.

After trailing 33-15 at halftime, they went on a 9-2 run to cut it as close as 35-24. After a three-pointer from Deke Thompson, Kason Evans came away with a steal and it felt like momentum was firmly with the Sandites.

Unfortunately, the takeaway was nullified after a technical foul on the Sandites and a pair of Union free throws broke up the momentum.

Sand Springs won the third quarter 17-15 but Union went on a 14-1 run over the middle part of the fourth to put the comeback firmly out of reach.

Thompson led all scorers with 21 points and 5 rebounds in his 12th 20-point game of the season. The junior Jenks transfer is averaging 19.75 points per game this season.

CPHS 37 Union 33 (Girls)

1Q: Union 14-13.
2Q: CPHS 10-9.
3Q: Union 9-6.
4Q: CPHS 8-1.
Free Throws: CPHS 4-of-9, Union 7-of-10.
Field Goals: CPHS 15-of-48, Union 12-of-34.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 5, Union 4.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 13, Union 21.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 18, Union 25.
Steals: CPHS 9, Union 3.
Blocks: CPHS 2, Union 1.
Fouls: CPHS 13, Union 15.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Wilson 16, Ti. Butler 8, Bump 4, Morris 4, Ta. Butler 3, Simone 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Morris 3, Bump 1, Simone 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Morris 5, Ti. Butler 3, Simone 2, Bump 1, Wilson 1, Gilton 1.
Total Rebounds: Morris 8, Ti. Butler 3, Simone 3, Bump 2, Wilson 1, Gilton 1.
Steals: Wilson 8, Morris 1.
Assists: Wilson 6, Morris 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 2.
Fouls: Simone 4, Bump 2, Wilson 2, Gilton 2, Morris 1, Ti. Butler 1, Ta. Butler 1.

Union Stats

Points: A. Smith 10, E. Smith 7, Bettis 6, McSwain 3, Edwards 3, W. Smith 2, Woodard 2.
Fouls: McSwain 4, Woodard 3, Bettis 2, W. Smith 2, E. Smith 2, A. Smith 1, Edwards 1.

Union 67 CPHS 43 (Boys)

1Q: Union 16-9.
2Q: Union 17-6.
3Q: CPHS 17-15.
4Q: Union 19-11.
Free Throws: Union 7-of-13, CPHS 9-of-18.
Field Goals: Union 26-of-51, CPHS 15-of-48.
Offensive Rebounds: Union 10, CPHS 9.
Defensive Rebounds: Union 22, CPHS 13.
Total Rebounds: Union 32, CPHS 22.
Steals: Union 4, CPHS 7.
Blocks: Union 1, CPHS 5.
Fouls: Union 21, CPHS 16.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Thompson 21, Evans 8, Allen 6, Kelly 5, Roper 2, Johnson 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Evans 3, Thompson 2, Allen 2, Johnson 2.
Defensive Rebounds: Roper 3, Thompson 3, Allen 2, Johnson 2, Evans 2, Fueshko 1.
Total Rebounds: Thompson 5, Evans 5, Allen 4, Johnson 4, Roper 3, Fueshko 1.
Steals: Young 2, Roper 1, Johnson 1, Evans 1, Shope 1, K. Smith 1.
Assists: Kelly 1, Evans 1.
Blocks: Johnson 4, Evans 1.
Fouls: Roper 3, Allen 3, Thompson 2, Johnson 2, Evans 2, Young 2, Kelly 1, Shope 1.

Union Stats

Points: Madrid 15, Fuller 13, Gilyard 13, Gunn 11, Chappelle 6, Chaney-Jones 5, Flemons 2, Ugbah 2.
Fouls: Dorsey 4, Flemons 4, Gunn 3, Madrid 3, Malham 2, Chaney-Jones 2, Gilyard 1, Chappelle 1, Bond 1.

Lady Sandites Win Carl Albert Titan Classic, Wilson Named MVP

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Sakauri Wilson’s MVP performance and a blowout fourth quarter led the Charles Page High School girls basketball team to a 61-49 come-from-behind win over Carl Albert in the Titan Classic finals Saturday in Midwest City.

The Lady Sandites trailed 40-31 late in the third before riding a 15-0 streak into the fourth to take the lead.

“I just asked them going into the fourth ‘hey, let’s be us.’” said head coach Josh Berry.

“Let’s have some energy and let’s play with a little bit of passion and grit and toughness. They responded and they did that. I think Aaliyah (Simone) made a play to start it off with a couple of jump balls and after that the rest was history.”

The Sandites brought an aggressive press defense, coming up with five steals in the fourth quarter and tied up several jump balls while outscoring the host Titans 25-9 in the final stanza.

“I think they finally took the lid off the basket for us,” said Berry. “We’ve been having that lid on there for probably about five games now. It kind of came off.”

Sand Springs has now won four in a row since a disappointing 1-2 performance at the Putnam City Invitational two weeks ago.

The girls won 63-52 against Del City (6-8) in the first game, leading only 39-38 early in the fourth before pulling away down the stretch.

“The fourth quarter is always like a win or go home moment,” said Wilson. “Go hard or go home.”

The senior guard scored a game-high 20 points with 7 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists in the win. Hope Bump added 14 points and Taiona Morris had 10.

In the semifinals they won a 58-54 overtime battle with No. 5 Edmond Memorial (12-2) in a preview of a looming district battle.

After taking a 24-20 lead into the locker room, the Lady Sandites led for the entire second half until Addy Johnson scored off back-to-back steals to tie it up at 50-50 on the final drive.

Wilson was on fire in overtime, scoring the first three buckets for the Sandites to lead 56-53. The teams traded free throws from there but the Bulldogs were unable to close the gap a second time.

Wilson ended the game with a career-best 32 points, 5 boards, 2 steals, and 5 assists, followed by Bump with 10 points and 7 rebounds.

In Saturday’s finals the Sandites jumped out to a 9-2 lead against the Titans before surrendering an 11-0 run.

“I think we messed up, especially early on, on our assignments,” said Berry. “But, at the end of the day, I think that fourth quarter and end of the third quarter, they played hard. That’s all we asked them was just give us everything you got whenever you’re out there, and I believe they did that.”

A pair of free throws from Simone gave the Sandites a 15-14 lead to enter the second quarter but a five-point run from Jakary Brown put the Titans back on top 24-22 at halftime.

The teams traded blows to open the second half before Bump took a spill in the paint and hit her head. With the junior forward out of the game, the Titans went on a 10-2 run for their biggest lead at 40-31.

“When she hit her head, I heard somebody on the sideline say ‘oh, she woke up now,’” said Berry. “I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but after that, she responded and played the way that we know she can play.”

Bump drained a three shortly after reentering the game to break up the Titans’ run and scored five points in the fourth quarter to go with some aggressive defense.

“Our mindset was just go, go go,” said Wilson. “The more we speed them up, the more they turn over the ball and that’s in our advantage.”

Wilson ended the game with 18 points, 3 boards, 4 assists, and 3 steals, while Morris matched her career-high with 17 points, 4 boards, and 3 steals. Bump added a season-best 14 points and 8 rebounds. All three were named to the all-tournament team.

Wilson was named the tournament’s MVP after averaging 23.3 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3.3 steals per game.

“It takes everybody, not just me, but everybody coming together - playing hard and guarding everybody how we’re supposed to guard and executing everything,” said Wilson.

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. with a district road game at Union (8-6, 3-2). The Lady Sandites are 4-1 for third place in district play while the RedHawks are fourth.

Tournament Box Scores

1/18/2024 - CPHS vs. Del City
1Q: 13-13.
2Q: CPHS 13-10.
3Q: CPHS 13-12.
4Q: CPHS 24-17.
Free Throws: CPHS 20-of-25, DC 9-of-17.
Field Goals: CPHS 20-of-56, DC 20-of-56.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 11, DC 12.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 18, DC 18.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 29, DC 30.
Steals: CPHS 14, DC 7.
Blocks: CPHS 16, DC 14.

Sand Springs Stats
Scoring: Wilson 20, Bump 14, Ti. Butler 10, Morris 8, Simone 4, Young 3, Ta. Butler 2, Pearce 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Bump 4, Ti. Butler 4, Morris 2, Gilton 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Wilson 7, Morris 5, Ta. Butler 3, Ti. Butler 1, Pearce 1, Young 1.
Total Rebounds: Wilson 7, Morris 7, Ti. Butler 5, Bump 4, Ta. Butler 3, Ta. Butler 1, Young 1, Gilton 1.
Steals: Wilson 5, Bump 3, Morris 2, Simone 2, Ti. Butler 2.
Assists: Wilson 3, Morris 2, Simone 2, Ti. Butler 1, Bump 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 4, Morris 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Fouls: Simone 4, Ti. Butler 4, Bump 3, Wilson 3, Morris 1, Pearce 1.

1/19/2024 CPHS vs. Edmond Memorial
1Q: 12-12.
2Q: CPHS 12-8.
3Q: CPHS 17-14.
4Q: EDM 16-9.
OT: CPHS 8-4.
Free Throws: CPHS 13-of-17, EDM 13-of-20.
Field Goals: CPHS 21-of-50, EDM 18-of-62.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 6, EDM 16.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 20, EDM 18.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 26, EDM 34.
Steals: CPHS 7, EDM 7.
Blocks: CPHS 6, EDM 1.
Fouls: CPHS 13, EDM 16.

Sand Springs Stats
Scoring: Wilson 32, Bump 10, Morris 6, Ti Butler. 4, Simone 3, Ta. Butler 3.
Offensive Rebounds: Bump 3, Morris 2, Simone 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Ti. Butler 7, Wilson 5, Bump 4, Morris 3, Ta. Butler 1.
Total Rebounds: Bump 7, Ti. Butler 7, Wilson 5, Morris 5, Simone 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Steals: Wilson 2, Simone 2, Bump 1, Ti. Butler 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Assists: Wilson 5, Morris 2.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 4, Bump 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Fouls: Wilson 3, Morris 3, Simone 3, Bump 2, T. Butler 1, Ta. Butler 1.

1/20/2024 CPHS vs. Carl Albert
1Q: CPHS 15-14.
2Q: CA 10-7.
3Q: CA 16-14.
4Q: CPHS 25-9.
Free Throws: CPHS 19-of-20, CA 12-of-16.
Field Goals: CPHS 24-of-52, CA 17-of-46.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 6, CA 5.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 18, CA 17.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 24, CA 22.
Steals: CPHS 10, CA 5.
Blocks: CPHS 1, CA 3.
Fouls: CPHS 17, CA 15.

Sand Springs Stats
Scoring: Wilson 18, Morris 17, Bump 14, Ta. Butler 6, Simone 2, Ti. Butler 2, Young 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Morris 2, Ti. Butler 2, Bump 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Bump 7, Ta. Butler 4, Wilson 3, Ti. Butler 2, Morris 1, Simone 1.
Total Rebounds: Bump 8, Morris 4, Ti. Butler 4, Ta. Butler 4, Wilson 3, Simone 1.
Steals: Wilson 3, Morris 3, Simone 2, Bump 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Assists: Wilson 4, Bump 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 1.
Fouls: Ti. Butler 5, Wilson 3, Simone 3, Morris 2, Ta. Butler 2, Bump 1, Young 1.

Sakauri Wilson Scores 26 as Sandites Defeat Edmond Memorial in Season Opener

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A fast start and suffocating defense led the Lady Sandite hoopers to a statement 41-33 win over Edmond Memorial in Tuesday’s season opener at the Ed Dubie Field House.

“It was a hard one to start off with,” said head coach Josh Berry. “I think they just played great. We executed. We’ve got a lot to work, but you like to work on it with a win, so I’m just glad for that.”

Southwestern Oklahoma State-committed senior Sakauri Wilson piled on 26 points in an East vs. West matchup that heralded the new district era of Oklahoma prep hoops.

The OSSAA has shifted to district play for the first time in basketball, throwing conference rivalries out the window. The West side of the state has historically been seen as a more dominant region in basketball, but districts 3 and 4 will put that to the test this season.

The East side got its first big win as the Sandites took down one of last season’s State semifinalists.

Wilson scored 8 unanswered points to end the first quarter with a 15-8 advantage.

Avery Hjelmstad, a heavily recruited Division I prospect, gave her team its only lead at 8-7, but was held to only four points in the first half as the Sandites took a 25-12 lead into the locker room.

Wilson, meanwhile, tallied 19 first-half points, including three treys.

“She’s a special player,” said Berry. “She carried the load offensively, but I thought Yanni (Morris), Tayja (Butler), Tianna (Butler), and Kiaryn (Taylor) did some great jobs defensively.”

“To hold somebody like that to 12 points at halftime, as a team, I think that’s really where we won the game today is defensively.”

Wilson was the only Sandite with a field goal in the first half but Morris and Taylor found the backboard in the third quarter and the Sandites took a 39-22 advantage into the fourth.

Memorial tried to rally, scoring 11 in a row to cut it to 39-33 but Wilson ended the night with a pair of free throws to put the game away.

Sand Springs had the better shooters both in the field and at the charity stripe and won the turnover battle as well with 10 takeaways,

Notably, the Sandites got the win without two of their potential starters. Hope Bump, a junior transfer from Claremore whose dad joined the coaching staff this season, is still waiting for clearance from the OSSAA.

They were also missing Abigaile Martin, who saw substantial playing time last season but is out with a likely season-ending injury.

Janiyah Williams, a heavily recruited five-star prospect, was held to only 11 points to lead the Bulldogs while Hjelmstad only had 8.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Friday at 6:30 p.m. with a district road game against Owasso (1-0, 1-0) while Edmond Memorial will host Putnam City (1-0, 1-0) on Friday.

CPHS 41 EDM 33

1Q: CPHS 15-8.
2Q: CPHS 10-4.
3Q: CPHS 14-10.
4Q: EDM 11-2.

Field Goals: CPHS 10-of-37, EDM 11-of-50.
Free Throws: CPHS 16-of-22, EDM 11-of-16.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 7, EDM 15.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 15, EDM 12.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 24, EDM 27.
Steals: CPHS 10, EDM 6.
Blocks: CPHS 2, EDM 1.
Fouls: CPHS 16, EDM 21.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Wilson 26, Morris 6, Taylor 6, Pearce 2, Ti. Butler 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Ti. Butler 2, Pearce 2, Taylor 1, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Wilson 5, Taylor 4, Morris 3, Ti. Butler 2, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1, Pearce 1.
Total Rebounds: Wilson 5, Taylor 5, Ti. Butler 4, Morris 3, Pearce 3, Simone 2, Ta. Butler 2.
Steals: Ti. Butler 4, Wilson 2, Morris 2, Ta. Butler 1, Simone 1.
Assists: Wilson 2.
Blocks: Taylor 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Fouls: Taylor 3, Ti. Butler 3, Simone 3, Wilson 2, Morris 2, Ta. Butler 2, Pearce 1.

Edmond Memorial Statistics

Points Williams 11, Hjelmstad 8, Johnson 6, Hawkins 4, Aska 2, Morris 2.
Fouls: Hawkins 4, Johnson 4, Williams 4, Hjelmstad 2, Morris 2, Booker 2, Aska 1, Kirk 1, Jordan 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.

Kelsi Hilton Makes All-State Softball Team

Kelsi Hilton take third base in a game against Moore.

Senior pitcher and infielder Kelsi Hilton has been named to the Oklahoma Fast Pitch Coaches Association (OFPCA) All-State team, marking the sixth consecutive year a Sandite has received the honor. She is the 50th all-time selection from Sand Springs.

Hilton batted .430 this season with a .550 slugging average and .468 on-base percentage, hitting six doubles and two home runs to score 30 runs and 19 RBI.

Morgan Rector catches a fly ball in a game against Moore.

She committed only three errors on the season while playing shortstop and third base in addition to her time in the circle where she went 5-4 with a 5.4 ERA, striking out nearly 20% of the batters she faced. She also pitched a perfect game on Senior Night against Booker T. Washington.

Hilton is committed to playing at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, an NCAA Division II program competing in the Great American Conference.

Hilton was also named to the All-District 6A-2 and All-Region 14-East teams.

Senior outfielder Morgan Rector also was named to the All-Region team and junior pitcher Addison Hughes was named to the All-District team.

Addison Hughes pitches in a game against Moore.

Lakelyn Harger, Bella Wilson, Kenzie King, Rector, and Kaylei Rake all received All-District Honorable Mentions.

The Sandites went 19-15 overall this season, falling in the Regional finals at Edmond Memorial.