Lady Sandites Fall 53-45 at Owasso, Wilson & Morris Score 17 Apiece

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For the first time since 2018, the Owasso girls’ basketball team (2-0, 2-0) managed to topple the Lady Sandites (1-1, 1-1) Friday night, winning 53-45 to snap a 12-game losing streak against their former Frontier Valley rivals.

The teams traded leads through the first three quarter and the game was tied 35-35 at the 2:25 mark of the third quarter before the Rams went on a 9-point run and never looked back in the district victory.

Owasso out-rebounded the visiting Sandites 35 to 16, including 15 offensive boards, to make up for an 0-for-9 performance from three-point range.

The Sandites survived as long as they did thanks to a strong 10-for-25 performance outside the arc, including five treys from Taiona “Yonni” Morris.

Morris, a senior Oklahoma A&M commit, had a career night with 17 points to lead the Sandites.

Sakauri Wilson, a Southwestern Oklahoma State commit, also had 17 points to go with 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 assists.

Wilson scored 12 in the first half and the girls led by as much as 22-16 before the Rams went on an 8-point run to take the lead. A three-pointer from Tay’Ja Butler helped the Sandites take a 25-24 advantage into the locker room.

After taking their final lead at 32-28, the Sandites gave up a 16-3 run to end the quarter, broken up only by a three-pointer from Tianna Butler at the 2:25 mark.

Morris’s fifth and final three-pointer cut it to 50-45 with 1:21 to play but those would be the last points for the Sandites.

Missouri Southern State-commit Makenna Yokley led her team with 15 points, followed by Seldon Stover and Alex McGarrah with 13 apiece.

Owasso dominated the boards and the turnover battle while committing only 9 penalties to the Sandites’ 16, getting to the free-throw line 18 times.

The Sandites will get a rematch on January 26th at the Ed Dubie Field House, but next up on the agenda is a district trip to Enid (0-1, 0-1) Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The Rams will host Edmond Memorial (1-1, 1-1) on Tuesday.

Owasso 53 CPHS 45

1Q: Owasso 13-11.
2Q: CPHS 14-11.
3Q: Owasso 20-10.
4Q: CPHS 10-9.
Free Throws: Owasso 17-of-26, CPHS 5-of-6.
Field Goals: Owasso 18-of-45, CPHS 15-of-42.
Offensive Rebounds: Owasso 15, CPHS 3.
Defensive Rebounds: Owasso 20, CPHS 13.
Total Rebounds: Owasso 35, CPHS 16.
Steals: Owasso 11, CPHS 6.
Blocks: Owasso 2, CPHS 4.
Fouls: Owasso 9, CPHS 16.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Wilson 17, Morris 17, Ta. Butler 6, Ti. Butler 3, Pearce 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Taylor 2, Ta. Butler 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Taylor 4, Wilson 3, Simone 3, Ta. Butler 1, Ti. Butler 1, Pearce 1.
Total Rebounds: Taylor 6, Wilson 3, Simone 3, Ta. Butler 2, Ti. Butler 1, Pearce 1.
Steals: Wilson 3, Morris 1, Ta. Butler 1, Pearce 1.
Assists: Wilson 5, Morris 1, Taylor 1, Simone 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 4.
Fouls: Ti. Butler 4, Taylor 3, Simone 3, Pearce 2, Ta. Butler 2, Wilson 1, Garrison 1.

Owasso Statistics

Points: Yokley 15, Stover 12, McGarrah 12, Hill 10, Austin 4.
Fouls: Austin 3, McGarrah 2, Hill 1, Yokley 1, Stover 1, Wilson 1.

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

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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 Basketball sweeps first three games in dominant fashion

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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.