Savage scores 24 as Sandite streak comes to a stop at Sapulpa

/

Story and Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Stat source: Scott Emigh and Morgan Miller, Staff

The No.14 ranked Charles Page High School varsity basketball team (14-6) won four games straight before seeing that streak come to an end at Sapulpa High School Chieftain Center Tuesday night.

Earlier this season Sand Springs defeated the No.11 Sapulpa team (16-4) 69-60 at home. Since then, both teams have given up losses to Owasso and Jenks, but where the Sandites fell 57-52 to Union, Sapulpa pulled off a two-point win. 

Perhaps it was the home field advantage, but this time around it was Sapulpa with the 9 point rivalry win.

Sand Springs started in the hole from the get-go with Sapulpa senior Alex Ogunseye hitting two free throws and a layup for a 4-0 Chieftain advantage. The Sandite hero of the night, sophomore Colt Savage, put up two, but Sapulpa freshman Julian Smith sank a three soon after.

The biggest problem of the night for Sand Springs was accuracy. While Savage impressed with a 67% field goal rate, when you remove him from the equation the team accuracy drops to only 32%. 

Junior Kyle Keener missed back-to-back point blank field goals before sophomore Brooks Haddock finally sent the rebound in for two. Julian Smith and Sandite senior Arvionte Nichols each added two, then Keener had back to back layups for the first lead of the game for Sand Springs.

That's when junior Keenan Ballance showed up with a pair of threes and Ogunseye slammed a dunk at the buzzer to carry a 19-13 lead into the second quarter.

Savage hit the first basket of the second period, but Ballance scored 8 straight and Sapulpa held a double digit halftime advantage at 35-25.

At one point Sapulpa led by a much as 18 before Sand Springs went on a 9-0 run by Savage and Haddock. Smith hit a free throw and a layup to break the streak, but Sand Springs went right back at it with a freebie by Nichols, a layup by Fort Hayes State football commit Jacob Taber, and back-to-back threes from Savage to narrow it to 48-45.

Haddock sent senior Khaleel Marshall to the line to shoot two. Marshall shot one-for-two, but Savage sank a two to make it a two-point gap for the first time in three periods. 

The Sandites were on the verge of rallying for an incredible come-from-behind victory when Savage fouled out with 1:52 left to play. Without their top player of the night, Sand Springs slipped back into the deficit as their rivals avenged themselves with a final score of 58-49.

Sand Springs will return to action Friday night at No.5 Union (16-4) with only three games left before Regionals. 

Mutiri scores 15 but Sapulpa runs away with 54-40 rivalry win over Lady Sandites

/

Story and Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No.11 ranked Charles Page High School girls’ basketball team (13-6) got a rematch against Highway 97 rival No.4 Sapulpa (17-3) Tuesday night at Sapulpa High School Chieftain Center. Earlier this season the Sandites hosted Sapulpa and lost 54-43 after leading till there was less than four minutes left. Unfortunately for the Lady Sandites, things would be no better this time around.

The game was a shootout from the start with senior guard and University of Oklahoma signee Chelsea Dungee returning the tip off for a layup in the first ten seconds. Sandite junior Sydney Pennington was fouled on a layup of her own and shot one-for-two with Sapulpa controlling the rebound and scoring a three-pointer off senior Bailey Mader for a 5-1 lead.

The teams combined for 16 points in the first two minutes alone. Things began to slow down from there and Pennington tied things up at 9-9. Senior Whitney Kameis briefly took the lead back for Sapulpa but 6’1” sophomore Gloria Mutiri hit back to back layups for a 13-10 Sandite lead going into the second period.

From there it belonged to the home team. Pennington had a layup blocked, Sandite freshman Holly Kersgieter rebounded it and sent it to Johnson, but Johnson’s corresponding layup was nullified for charging.

Mader, Dungee, and Brice Calip went on a 5-0 run for the lead. Mutiri hit a pair of free throws, but it was Sapulpa with the next four-straight baskets. Mutiri hit another field goal to put her in double digits for the first half, but Kameis iced the cake for her team with a 27-17 halftime break.

Dungee fouled Johnson to start the half and the Sandite sank both of her free throws, then Calip sent Mutiri to the line after accidentally slapping her in the face on a block attempt. Mutiri was clearly phased as she only made one of two, then was sent right back by Isabella Bacon and missed both. The Lady Sandites trailed 27-21 and it was the closest the two teams would be for the remainder of the night.

This time it was Sapulpa on the receiving end of a pair of fouls and Calip went three-of-four, then added back-to-back field goals. By the end of the third period Sapulpa had a staggering 42-24 lead.

The Lady Sandites wouldn’t go down without a fight. Senior Cierra Scott hooked a steal and sent it to junior Jessica Collins for a layup attempt. Mader fouled her and Collins missed both freebies, but Johnson got the ball back for the Sandites and sent it to Mutiri for two.

Dungee scored next but sent Johnson to the floor soon after with an elbow and fouled out of the game.

Penalties continued to define the fourth quarter, leading the Sand Springs student section to chant “you can’t do that,” to which the Cheiftains responded “you still suck.” Sand Springs retaliated with “let’s play football,” for which Sapulpa had one word. “Bixby! Bixby!”

I’m sure Sand Springs can live with barely losing one of two games to the State Champions, but nevertheless, Highway 97 Rivalry continues to show itself alive and well.

Ultimately Sapulpa would earn back the bragging rights with a final score of 54-40.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Friday night at Union (8-12) whom they have already defeated 59-39 earlier this season. 

2X Sandite of the Week: Sydney Pennington

/

Story and Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The first Sandite to achieve this recognition twice since we began awarding it in November, Charles Page High School junior Sydney Pennington is your new Sandite of the Week for her outstanding accomplishments on the basketball court this past week. 

Tuesday night the #12 Lady Sandites took on the #2 Muskogee Roughers at home and battled within single digits before ultimately falling 50-38. During the game Pennington shot 57% on field goals for a team-leading 11 points. She was second on rebounds with 7, first in steals with 2, and added a block.

Most impressive was the career milestone she hit. Her 11 points were just enough to bring her to 1,000 career points, the most of any Sandite on either the boys' or girls' teams, by a wide margin. 

She followed up that performance Friday night at homecoming with a team-high 22 points, shooting 75% on field goals and 80% on free throws to lead her team to a 60-48 win over the Bixby Spartans. 

This season she has averaged 13 points per game and was named the All Tournament MVP of both the Bishop Kelley Invitational and the Coffeyville Interstate Classic and has scored six team-highs. 

In addition to being an outstanding basketball player, she was also a member of the 2015 6A State Runner-Up softball team and is committed to Oklahoma State University for softball. 

Sandite of the Week is a weekly recognition given to any one person with significant ties to the Sand Springs community who accomplishes remarkable achievements during the Sunday through Saturday week preceding the award. Prior achievements may be noted in the article, but do not bear direct influence on the selection committee which only considers prior week accomplishments. Candidates may be nominated by anyone by emailing SanditePrideNews@gmail.com. Bylaws prevent the giving of the award to anyone for two consecutive weeks, but any recipient may be nominated and awarded again in the future, so long as the weeks are not consecutive. Final selection is made by a majority vote of a three-person staff committee. 

Businesses or organizations seeking to sponsor the Sandite of the Week award may contact the above email for inquiries.

#13 Sandites win fourth straight with 59-45 triumph over #20 Bixby

/

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-In-Chief

Friday night's Homecoming victory over the Bixby Spartans read much like Tuesday night's win over Muskogee. It was their fourth straight win, and it was sophomore Brooks Haddock's fourth straight game as the top Sandite scorer. For the second week in a row, Haddock and junior Kyle Keener were the heartbeat of the team, with each scoring 16 in the first three periods before the Spartans went foul-crazy on Haddock and sent him to the line for a total of six free throws in the fourth. 

The No.20-ranked Bixby Spartans (9-10) had a rough time finding any momentum from the very beginning, turning over their first five possessions before finally getting on the board with a free throw from leading Spartan scorer Will Fiser. The 6-0 Sandite start had expanded to a solid 13-7 lead by the end of the first, and the second quarter would be no kinder to the visitors.

No.13-ranked Sand Springs (14-5) held a 24-13 lead coming out of halftime. The Spartans battled far closer in the third period, tying Sand Springs with 16 points each. The visitors got within 7 of the home team towards the end of the period, but Haddock hit a two and senior Arvionte Nichols returned a steal for a layup right at the buzzer. 

Bixby made yet another comeback-attempt, rallying to a 45-41 deficit with 4:45 left, but Keener and Colt Savage hit back-to-back baskets before Haddock went on a run at the charity stripe to make it 55-43. Mack Thompson scored a transition layup off a steal, then Tyler Smith came off the bench and dunked to seal the win. 

The boys are now third in conference standings with four games left in the regular season. They will next travel to #12 Sapulpa (15-4) in a rematch of their week two game which Sand Springs won 69-60 at home. 

In JV action, the Sandites went into overtime for the third time this season where Jacob Garbey hit the game wining shot for a 49-48 win. Garbey led the team with 15 points, followed by Josh Taber with 9. The boys are now 5-6 on the season. In the season opener the Sandites overcame Bixby 34-32, also in overtime. 

Pennington scores 22 as #12 Lady Sandites avenge week 2 loss to Bixby, 60-48

/
Darrian Myles (Bixby) guards Jessica Collins (Sand Springs).

Darrian Myles (Bixby) guards Jessica Collins (Sand Springs).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Three Sandites doubled in a 12-point conference win over the Bixby Lady Spartans (7-12) Friday night at Ed Dubie Field House (13-5). Sydney Pennington led the No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School girls' team with 22 points, trailing by 1 to the Lady Spartans' Addison Richards. Gloria Mutiri added 13 and Destiney Johnson had 11. 

The Spartans were the second opponent of the season for the Sand Springs girls who were dealt a 61-51 upset loss in their first Frontier Valley Conference game to then No.17 ranked Bixby. Friday night's Homecoming game was not only a victory, but a moral victory as well as it snapped a three-game losing streak.

The home girls took a quick 6-0 lead before Richards sank her first of three threes. From there the Lady Spartans battled back to take a 12-10 lead. Johnson hit a three, followed by Dariann Myles with a three of her own. Pennington was fouled and sank both free throws, but Myles hit yet another three to ride an 18-16 lead into the second quarter.

The next period would not be as kind to the Lady Spartans as Mutiri hit a pair of layups to take the Sandite lead back once and for all. The Lady Sandites outscored Bixby 18-6 and Pennington scored a transition layup right at the buzzer for a 34-24 haltime lead. 

The Sandites won the next two periods as well, by close scores of 13-12 and 13-10 respectively. The closest Bixby would come to the Sandites would be eight points down early in the third, and by the time it was over Sand Springs had more than avenged their conference-opening loss. 

The Lady Sandites are now fifth in Frontier Valley with a conference record of 5-4 with five games left before Regionals. The girls will next see action Tuesday night at No. 1 Sapulpa. 

Varsity girls stats

The JV girls posted a 31-27 victory to improve to 8-3 this season. 

Haddock, Keener lead #13 Sandites to third straight victory

/

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Morgan Miller, Staff

For the third straight game, the Sandites pulled off the win with Brooks Haddock at the helm. 

The current Sandite of the Week scored 25 against Broken Arrow and 21 against Bartlesville last week. This time he scored 19, but he wasn't the only hero for the home team.

Junior Kyle Keener paced the Sandites with 14 points and 7 blocks and scored the first basket of the game for Sand Springs. Coincidentally, Keener wears jersey #33 and spent most of the night matched up against the Roughers' #33, Keondre' Davis.

Roger Lewis and Tavian Davis ran up an 8-2 lead for the #16 Muskogee Roughers (10-7) before Haddock was sent to the line and sank four free throws to narrow the score. 

The 9-6 Rougher lead would quickly evaporate in the second quarter, however, as the Sandites outscored their conference foe 13-4 for a solid 19-13 half-time break.

Muskogee wouldn't let things carry on like that for long, namely Tyreece Berry. 

Berry scored 16 in the third period alone with four three-pointers.

Keondre' and Tavian Davis kicked off the fourth with a pair of buckets to tie things up at 39. Haddock briefly took the lead back before Lewis sank a three to take the first Rougher lead since the second quarter.

The teams exchanged the lead as Keener and Keondre' Davis exchanged free throws. Mack Thompson sank a basket then went two-for-two from the line to make it 47-45 with 0:45 left. Colt Savage added two more with 0:19 left, but Tavian Davis hit a three for a one point deficit.

Finally, with 0:07.6 left, Haddock hit two freebies and the Sandite defense held strong for a 51-48 win. 

The Sandites (13-5) will next take on the #20 Bixby Spartans (9-9) Friday night at Homecoming. Sand Springs beat Bixby 50-45 in their season opener and are currently third in conference standings with a 7-3 record. 

The JV boys won their game 53-40 and improved to 4-6 for the season.