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.

Bixby Hoopers Sweep Sandites

Gentry Baldwin didn’t score a single point in the first half, but her 16-point performance in the third quarter sparked the No. 2 Bixby Spartans (4-1) to an 84-50 win over No. 9 Sand Springs (7-2) Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House.

“She is the most gutsy, gritty kid you’ve ever met in your life,” said head coach Tina Thomas.

“Walking out of the locker room I said ‘let’s go Gentry. Let’s go get this done,’ and she did.”

The top-ten battle between last year’s top two Frontier Valley Conference teams lived up to the hype as the Sandites and Spartans battled neck and neck to a halftime tie before the visitors pulled away.

The first half saw 12 lead changes and neither team led by more than 6 points. Abilene Christian commit Gracy Wernli had 15 by halftime for the Spartans and ended the night with a game-high 24.

“We’re kind of having to redefine who we are and how we do things,” said Thomas, who just lost Meredith Mayes, also an Abilene commit, to an ACL injury in last weekend’s Bixby tournament.

“It’s a process. A little bit of grieving going on right now because these kids have been together since third grade.”

“They’re very sad, but equally, or even more, driven. We’ve had good practices, tweaking on how we’re going to do things a little differently. But the kids have resolve and grit and determination to continue to pursue their goals.”

The Sandites were missing their own starter, Fayth Walker, who also suffered an ACL injury at the Bishop Kelley Tournament.

After ending the first half in a 33-33 tie, the Spartans opened the third quarter on a 12-point run and limited the Sandites’ opportunities through an aggressive full-court press that came away with seven steals.

“I’ve got some senior girls that have some grit and resolve about them and they decided the game wasn’t going to go that way any longer,” said Thomas.

After scoring eight treys in the first half the Sandites wouldn’t hit another and the Spartans appeared to find their new identity minus Mayes.

By the end of the night Drury-commit Alyssa Nielsen would have 17 points and Kate Wernli added 12.

Hailey Jackson led the Sandites with 16 points and 9 rebounds while Calla Fueshko and Sakauri Wilson scored 10 apiece.

Bixby improved to 2-0 in conference play and will travel to No. 14 Owasso (3-2, 1-1) Thursday night. Sand Springs dropped to 1-2 in the league and won’t play again till after the new year.

Boys

Notre Dame commit Parker Friedrichsen scored 40 points to lead No. 10 Bixby (4-1, 2-0) past the unranked Sandites (1-2, 1-2) but Sand Springs had the Spartans on upset alert most of the night before falling 77-72.

The home team trailed 44-34 at halftime but rallied to tie it at 55-55 on Alijah Roper’s fourth of five treys late in the third quarter.

The Sandites only trailed 73-69 after a pair of free throws from Khalil Allen with 35 seconds remaining but Friedrichsen went four-for-four at the charity stripe in the final minute to secure the win.

Sand Springs committed 25 fouls to Bixby’s 15 and the Spartans cashed in, going 34-of-36 on free throws.

Triston Driver scored 15 for Bixby and Luke Friedrichsen added 10. Alijah Roper scored 19 to lead the Sandites and Michael Foster had 18.

Sand Springs will compete at the Memorial Veterans Arena Invitational over the weekend while Bixby will play its last game of 2022 at No. 18 Owasso (0-2, 0-2) on Thursday.

Scoring Summaries

Bixby 84, CPHS 50 (Girls)
Bixby;17;16;23;28;--84
CPHS;14;19;9;8;--50

Bixby: G. Wernli 24, Nielsen 17, Baldwin 16, K. Wernli 12, Musick 7, Wilson 4, Daniel 2, Beltran 2.
CPHS: Jackson 16, Wilson 10, Fueshko 10, Martin 7, Morris 5, Taylor 2.

Bixby 77, CPHS 72 (Boys)
Bixby;17;27;13;20;--77
CPHS;19;15;21;17;--72

Bixby: P. Friedrichsen 40, Driver 15, L. Friedrichsen 10, McCormick 6, Holley 4.
CPHS: Roper 19, Foster 18, Michell 9, Allen 8, Kelly 7, Holland 7, Johnson 4.

Sandite Basketball Preview: Boys and Girls Poised for Success in 2022

The Charles Page High School varsity basketball season will officially tip off Tuesday, November 29th at Sapulpa.

The Sandite basketball teams went different directions last season. The boys will look to get back to form as they seek their first winning season since 2020, while the girls will look to build momentum off of last season’s state semifinal appearance.

After graduating a talented senior class that accounted for 75% of last season’s scoring, the boys will look to build a new identity behind a mostly young, inexperienced roster.

Fans can expect big things from sophomore Kooper Kelley, the lone returning starter, who averaged 6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1 steal last year.

Junior Alijah Roper also saw extensive action last season, averaging 2.9 points over 21 games. 6-foot-5 sophomore Blake Johnson also played in 21 games, averaging 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds.

Kade Holland, Luke Hooper, Michael Foster, Jax Marshall, Mark Lair, and Sam Hayes will provide the team’s senior leadership.

The Sandites went 5-18 last season and were 7-11 in 2020, but have seen tremendous success under tenth-year head coach Eric Savage with four winning seasons, two Regional championships, and two State tournament appearances.

Savage holds a 423-218 head coaching record over 21 years and is 118-125 at Sand Springs.

The Lady Sandites are entering their fourth season under head coach Josh Berry, who holds a 50-21 record at Sand Springs and a 148-134 career mark.

The girls went 23-4 last season for their best record since 2017, winning the school’s eighth Regional title and seventh Area championship.

Sand Springs took big losses in Journey Armstead, Layne Kirkendoll, and Leyshia Morris, but still has lots of star power ready to make a name for itself.

6-foot senior Hailey Jackson averaged 13.9 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals last season, with three double-doubles and a career-best 31-point performance against Broken Arrow.

Juniors Taiona Morris and Sakauri Wilson also return as starters after combining for 11.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.9 steals per game last year.

Kiaryn Taylor, Fayth Walker, Abigaile Martin, Patience Pearce, and Tay'Ja Butler all saw solid playing time last season and will give the Sandites strong rotational depth. Freshman Calla Fueshko is also expected to make an impact.

When the girls tip off against Sapulpa at 6:30 p.m. they will be looking for their first Highway 97 Rivalry win since 2019. The boys, however, have won three straight meetings with Sapulpa since 2019.

The girls will then travel to the She Got Game Classic in Dallas over the weekend. The home opener for both teams will be December 6th against Muskogee with the girls playing at 6:30 p.m. and the boys at 8:00 p.m.

Lady Sandite Dream Season Comes Up Short; Future Looks Bright

This story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.

For the first time since 2017, the Sand Springs girls basketball team made it as far as the State semifinals before its season came to an end.

The Sandites (23-4) won a 48-38 quarterfinal matchup with West No. 2 Choctaw (22-3) Thursday night at the Carl Albert Field House before falling 55-35 to No. 1 Edmond North (28-1) Friday afternoon at OU’s Lloyd Noble Center.

The Sandites trailed 8-7 after the first quarter against Choctaw, but early in the second period uncommitted senior star Journey Armstead hit a three-pointer to surpass 1,500 career points, and Layne Kirkendoll hit a putback for their first lead of the game.

The bucket was Armstead’s first of the game after going scoreless in the first quarter, but she was unstoppable after that.

“I kept on shooting but my shots weren’t falling,” said Armstead. “We were nervous at first but I had to get our rhythm going, step up, and when I got the opportunity to shoot I had to take it.”

“She’s special,” said Sandite head coach Josh Berry. “She doesn’t get the credit she deserves…the girl just keeps rolling.”

Mya Purifoy briefly lifted her team back on top, but Kirkendoll added another basket, Armstead hit two layups, and the Sandites never trailed again. 

The Sandites took a 24-17 advantage into halftime and won the second half 24-21.

Armstead hit the final bucket of the evening to finish the game with 17 points, and Kirkendoll added a career-high 14 for the Sandites.

On Friday the Sandites had to face the tournament frontrunners from Edmond North (28-1) who previously defeated Sand Springs 56-32 at the Jenks/Union Invitational in January. 

The Huskies routed Stillwater 72-37 in their quarterfinal game, then beat East No. 1 Bixby 59-57 in overtime for their first-ever State title on Saturday.

Taiona Morris hit a three-pointer to open the game but the Huskies scored six in a row and never trailed again. 

Down 18 after three quarters, the Sandites went on a 10-2 run to make it 43-33 with 4:02 to play, but the Huskies went on a 12-2 run of their own to end the game.

Jackson scored 11 to lead the Sandites and Armstead added 9.

The Sandites will graduate Armstead, Kirkendoll, and Leyshia Morris this year. 

Armstead scored 1525 points in her career, including 1153 in her three years at Sand Springs after playing for East Central as a freshman. She averaged 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals this year.

Kirkendoll averaged six points, 6.5 rebounds, and two blocks per game with a team-best field goal percentage. Morris averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds.

Next year’s Sandites will be led by Jackson, who averaged 13.9 points, six rebounds, and 1.5 steals in her junior year. She led the team on 12 occasions with three double-doubles and a career-best 31-point performance against Broken Arrow.

Sophomores Taiona Morris, Sakauri Wilson, and Kiaryn Taylor will also be expected to make a big impact. Morris averaged 5.7 points, Wilson added 5.6, and Taylor had 2.9. Taylor and Fayth Walker will be the frontrunners to compete for the two vacant starting spots. 

CPHS 48 Choctaw 38
1Q: Choctaw 8-7.
2Q: CPHS 17-7.
3Q: Choctaw 11-10.
4Q: CPHS 14-10.

Scoring: (CPHS) Armstead 17, Kirkendoll 14, Jackson 7, T. Morris 3, Taylor 3. (Choctaw) Hunt 12, Adams 8, Jackson 7, Gasaway 5, Smith 4, Purifoy 2. 

EDN 55 CPHS 35
1Q: EDN 10-5.
2Q: EDN 20-7.
3Q: All 11-11.
4Q: EDN 14-12.

Scoring: (CPHS) Jackson 13, Armstead 9, T. Morris 6, Wilson 4, Kirkendoll 3. (EDN) Steele 21, E. Papahronis 14, Heathcock 9, T. Papahronis 7, Franklin 4.

Lady Sandite Basketball sweeps first three games in dominant fashion

Photo by Charity Wickett. Click here to view the complete photo gallery.

The Charles Page High School girls basketball team is off to a hot start on the year, winning its first three games by an average of 42 points per outing. 

Ranked No. 15 in Class 6A, the Sandites easily handled Owasso 54-37 in the season-opener, then pummeled Northwest Classen 90-26 and Tulsa Central 54-8 at the Golden Days Hoop Festival.

Senior star Journey Armstead scored 20 points with five steals and four rebounds to power the Sandites to their seventh straight win against the Rams. 

Leyshia Morris, Hailey Jackson, Taiona Morris, and Sakauri Wilson each contributed 8 points apiece for the Sandites in a balanced first-string effort, and Avery Tanner scored 2. 

“That's what we're going to need for us to be really good,” said Sandites coach Josh Berry. “We have to have that. We can't rely on one or two people to get us there. I talk to all of them about that, being ready, staying aggressive, and spreading the wealth around.”

Sand Springs won the junior varsity game 40-36 behind a 15-point effort from Abby Martin. Fayth Walker scored 12, Kiaryn Taylor scored 6, Patience Pearce scored 4, Kadence Bentley scored 2, and Tay’ja Butler scored 1.

On Thursday the girls were led by Armstead with 22 points and Jackson with 20. Taylor scored 11, Leyshia Morris scored 10, Walker had 7, Wilson and Taiona Morris scored 6, Avery Tanner had 4, and Layne Kirkendoll and Patience Pearce scored 2. 

Friday’s game against Yukon was canceled, so the game against Central was moved up from Saturday and the Sandites took a 52-0 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Braves finally found their way onto the scoreboard.

Jackson led all scorers with 15 points and six rebounds, followed by Armstead with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and six assists. Kirkendoll collected 11 rebounds and scored four points from the bench.

Wilson and Taylor scored 5, Tanner had 4, Leyshia Morris scored 3, and Pearce and Taiona Morris scored 2 each. 

The Lady Sandites will get their first ranked test Tuesday at No. 17 Jenks (2-2, 1-0) in a conference battle. The Sandites have won their last 15 games against the Trojans.