Frontier Valley Conference Mens' Basketball standings

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The 2016-2017 High School basketball season is well under way, and is shaping up to be a good one for the Frontier Valley Conference. Seven out of ten FVC teams are ranked within their divisions. Union and Muskogee currently lead the pack with each being undefeated both within the conference and overall. 

The FVC is currently fourth out of the five 6A conferences in strength of schedule, but the season is still young and they could easily move up a few spots as the season progresses. 

No. 3 Union (3-0, 3-0) holds the best defense in the conference, allowing only 47 points-per-game on average. They have the fourth-best offense and the second-best margin of victory. They started their season with a 50-46 victory over Bartlesville, smoked Jenks 66-40, then topped Broken Arrow 60-56. 6'7" Southern Methodist University committed senior Ethan Chargois leads the Redskins with 15 points per game, including a season-high 23 against Jenks.

No. 11 Muskogee (6-0, 3-0) leads the conference in offense, averaging 69 points per game, and is seventh in defense, allowing 56 for the best margin of victory in the FVC. They edged out Owasso 65-64 in overtime during their season opener, topped Bixby 65-63, and beat Sapulpa 58-50. 6'2" junior Brooks Haddock has led the team in the last five games, averaging 20.3 points. TyReece Berry scored 25 in the season opener but has been out of commission since then. Berry is expected to return after the new year, setting up the Roughers for one of the top offenses in the division.

No. 10 Broken Arrow (5-2, 3-1) holds the No. 5 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in the conference. They edged out Bishop Kelley 44-41, topped Bixby 53-35, and came from behind to beat Sand Springs 55-54. In their last game they narrowly fell 60-56 to the Redskins. 6'2" point guard Caleb Huffman has led the Tigers in six out of seven games this season with an average score of 21. 

No. 13 Sapulpa (4-2, 2-1) holds the No. 2 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in the conference. They topped Jenks 78-70 in the highest-scoring conference game of the year, then beat Bishop Kelley 60-50 before falling 58-50 to Muskogee. Three Chieftains are averaging in double digits, led by Keenan Ballance with 19 points per game.

No. 17 Bartlesville (3-3, 2-1) is ninth in offense, fifth in defense, and sixth in margin of victory. They topped Sand Springs 53-39 and Owasso 47-42 before falling 50-46 to Union. Four different players have led the team and two are averaging in the double. AJ Archambo leads the team with 13 points per game.

5A No. 16 Bishop Kelley (4-3, 2-2) is eighth in the conference in offense, fifth in defense, and seventh in margin of victory. They lost their season opener 44-41 to Broken Arrow, defeated Sand Springs 45-42, fell 60-50 to Sapulpa, and edged out Owasso 59-57. Three Comets have led the team in scoring and two are averaging double digits. Ryan Gendron leads the team with 15 points per game.

No. 18 Bixby (3-3, 1-2) is seventh in offense, sixth in defense, and eighth in margin of victory. They defeated Jenks 49-36, but fell 53-35 to Broken Arrow and 65-63 to Muskogee. The Spartans are led by Joey Homan with 16 points per game.

Sand Springs (3-3, 0-3) is third in offense, second in defense, and third in margin of victory. They have yet to secure a conference win, falling 53-39 to Bartlesville, 45-42 to Bishop Kelley, and 55-54 to Broken Arrow. They led the Tigers though the entire fourth before a late turnover gave BA the win. Junior Colt Savage has led his team in five of six games this season and averages 21 points per game.

Owasso (0-3, 0-3) is sixth in offense, eighth in defense, and is still looking for their first win this season. They fell 47-42 to Bartlesville, 65-64 to Muskogee, and 59-57 to Bishop Kelley. They're led by Josh Proctor with 17 points per game, including 27 against Muskogee. 

Jenks (0-7, 0-3) is ninth in offense, tenth in defense, and is still looking for a win. They fell 78-70 to Sapulpa, 66-40 to Union, and 49-36 to Bixby. 

Conference Strength:

1. Central Oklahoma (51)
2. Big Ten (49.7)
3. Green Country (48)
4. Frontier Valley (40.8)
5. All-City (32.5)

FVC Leading Scorers (points-per-game):

1. TyReece Berry (Muskogee) 25.0
2. Caleb Huffman (Broken Arrow) 21.1
3. Colt Savage (Sand Springs) 21.0
4. Brooks Haddock (Muskogee) 20.3
5. Keenan Ballance (Sapulpa) 19.6
6. Josh Proctor (Owasso) 17.7
7. Julian Smith (Sapulpa) 17.0
8. Joey Homan (Bixby) 16.3
9. Ryan Gendron (Bishop Kelley) 15.9
10. Kyle Keener (Sand Springs) 15.5

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Editor's Note: We are currently missing individual scoring results for several games. Please forward results to SanditePrideNews@gmail.com.

Missing:

• 12/6 Jenks vs Sapulpa
• 12/8 Jenks vs Edmond North
• 12/9 Jenks vs Edmond Memorial
• 12/9 Muskogee vs Enid
• 12/10 Jenks vs Casady
• 12/10 Bixby vs East Central
• 12/13 Jenks vs Union
• 12/16 Bixby vs Jenks

Oklahoma Boys High School Basketball: Week Five Rankings and Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Of the five teams who entered week four undefeated, four remain. We picked 18 games last week and were correct on 15 with 80% accuracy overall this season. 

No. 1 Edmond North (1)

Edmond North (6-0) played only one game this past week and easily rolled to a 77-43 victory over No. 18 Deer Creek (3-4). The Huskies hold the No. 4 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action on the 28th at the Tournament of Champions. They received 23 first-place votes. 

No. 2 Midwest City (2)

Midwest City (6-1) reinforced their top five position with a pair of great wins last week. They edged out No. 4 Putnam City North (5-2) 62-61 and dominated 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuiness (0-5) 81-48. The Bombers hold the No. 1 offense and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action on the 28th at the Tournament of Champions. They received one first-place vote. 

No. 3 Union (3)

Union (3-0) picked up their second ranked win of the season 60-56 over No. 10 Broken Arrow (5-2) and also topped unranked Jenks (0-7) 66-40 last week. Three players doubled in the win over the Tigers, led by Adrian Rodriguez with 16. The Redskins hold the No. 1 defense and No. 8 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action on the 28th at the Tournament of Champions. They received one first-place vote.

No. 4 Putnam City North (4)

Putnam City North (6-2) lost to No. 2 Midwest City (6-1) for the second time this season, this time only 62-61. They also traveled to the Webb City Shootout and defeated Jackson 66-43. The Panthers hold the No. 5 offense and No. 9 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational. 

No. 5 (tied) Edmond Santa Fe (8)

Edmond Santa Fe (6-1) picked up a huge win last Thursday when they topped No. 5 Norman North (2-2) 84-73. The Wolves hold the No. 13 offense, No. 8 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they compete at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament.

No. 5 (tied) Westmoore (7)

Westmoore (7-0) played only one game last week and topped in-town rival Moore (3-4) 59-49. The Jaguars hold the No. 9 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action on the 28th when they travel to the Duncan Holiday Tournament. 

No. 7 Putnam City West (6)

Putnam City West (5-3) is in the middle of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. They dropped their first two games last weekend, but will return to action Monday when they take on Cathedral Catholic. Last week they rolled to a 73-40 victory over 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuiness (0-5) on Tuesday before losing 64-59 to Bishop O'Dowd and 53-44 to Clark, Nevada. At the conclusion of the Vegas Tournament they will take the rest of the year off before competing at the Putnam City Invitational in January. 

No. 8 Norman North (5)

Norman North (2-2) lost to their first Oklahoma opponent last week, 84-73 to No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe (6-1). The Timberwolves hold the number two offense in the state, averaging 82 points-per-game, but also give up more points than any other team in 6A at 75 for the No. 13 margin of victory. They will return to action after the new year when they host No. 7 Westmoore (7-0). 

No. 9 Booker T. Washington (9)

Booker T. (4-2) suffered a 71-57 loss last week to 5A No. 2 Tulsa Memorial (9-0). The Hornets hold the No. 12 offense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at 4A No. 8 McLain (3-2). 

The pick: BTW 61 McLain 55.

No. 10 Broken Arrow (10)

Broken Arrow (5-2) split wins last week, coming from behind to edge out Sand Springs (3-3) 55-54, but falling 60-56 to No. 3 Union (3-0). Caleb Huffman led both games, scoring 29 against the Sandites and 16 against the Redskins. The Tigers do a good job sharing the ball with three players doubling against Sand Springs and four doubling against Union.

The Tigers hold the No. 2 defense and No. 12 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they compete at the Skiatook invitational.

No. 11 Muskogee (11)

Muskogee (6-0) has benefited hugely from junior transfer Brooks Haddock, who has led his new team in scoring five out of six games this season, averaging 20 points per game. With Tyreece Berry out of commission, it's been Haddock and Keondre Davis doing the bulk of the scoring for the Roughers. Davis hasn't been far behind Haddock with 14.5 points per game. Berry scored 25 in the season opener but hasn't played since. He is expected to return after the new year, however, making the Roughers a serious competitor for the State and Conference titles this year. Most recently they topped No. 19 Bixby (3-3) 65-63 and No. 14 Sapulpa (4-2) 58-50.

The Roughers hold the No. 7 offense and No. 6 margin of victory in 6A. They won't return to action till January 13th when they travel to No. 17 Jenks before their biggest test yet in No. 3 Union (3-0).

No. 12 Norman (13)

Norman (4-2) took last week and the rest of the year off, ending 2016 on a three-game winning streak at the Duncan Tournament. They hold the No. 8 offense, No. 11 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament.

No. 13 Sapulpa (14)

The Chieftains (4-2) split wins last week, defeating 5A No. 19 Bishop Kelley (2-2) 60-50, but falling 58-50 to No. 11 Muskogee (6-0). They have three handy scorers in Keenan Ballance, Trey Phipps, and Julian Smith. Phipps scored 24 against Muskogee, Ballance scored 28 against Kelley, and Smith averaged 11 between the two. Sapulpa owns the No. 10 offense in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they travel to the McDonalds Classic in Ada.

No. 14 Yukon (12)

The Millers (4-3) split wins last week, defeating unranked Southmoore (0-6) 72-53, but falling 49-48 to No. 16 Edmond Memorial (3-4). Cameron Martin scored 27 points over Southmoore. Yukon holds the No. 6 offense and No. 9 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they host unranked Deer Creek (3-4).

No. 15 Edmond Memorial (16)

Despite topping No. 12 Yukon (4-3) 49-48, the Bulldogs (3-4) only moved up one spot in the rankings. They'll take on No. 5 Westmoore (7-0) after the new year.

No. 16 Lawton (15)

Lawton (3-1) split a pair of 5A games last week, defeating No. 15 Del City (1-3) 63-61, but falling 67-60 to No. 13 MacArthur (5-2). They hold the No. 14 offense and No. 15 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action on the 28th at the Hobbs Invitational.

No. 17 Bartlesville (17)

Bartlesville (3-3) finished the year off two weeks ago at the Bixby Invitational and won't return to action till the Arvest Invitational on January 5th. The Bruins hold the No. 4 defense in 6A.

No. 18 Bixby (19)

Bixby (3-3) split their last week's games, falling 65-63 to No. 11 Muskogee (6-0), but defeating unranked Jenks (0-7) 49-36. The Spartans hold the No. 7 defense in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they host No. 17 Bartlesville.

No. 19 Moore (unranked)

Moore (3-4) moved up into the rankings after competing closely with No. 7 Westmoore (7-0) and only falling 59-49. They will return to action after the new year when they host No. 20 Mustang (2-3).

No. 20 Mustang (20)

Mustang (2-3) end their year two weeks ago after going 1-2 at the Harrah Panther Classic. They hold the No. 6 defense in 6A and will return to action at the Putnam City Invitational on January 5th. 

Conference Strength

1. Central Oklahoma (51)
2. Big Ten (49.7)
3. Green Country (48)
4. Frontier Valley (40.8)
5. All-City (32.5)

Oklahoma Girls High School Basketball: Week Five Rankings and Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The fourth week of Oklahoma High School basketball has come to an end, still without a consensus number-one team. Five undefeated schools remain and three picked up first-place votes in the latest OSSAA rankings. Last week we picked fifteen games and were 13-2 with an overall accuracy of 85% for the season.

No. 1 Choctaw (1)

The Yellowjackets (7-0) pulled off one of their most powerful wins of the season Friday when they hosted 5A No. 19 Lawton Eisenhower (1-5) and hammered them 78-18. Six of their seven wins this season have been by 30 points or more and their average margin of victory is the best in 6A at 42 points. They also have the number two offense and number one defense. Their schedule has been light, however, with only three ranked opponents and no ranked 6A teams. They received 22 first-place votes this week.

Choctaw will return to action on the 28th at the prestigious Tournament of Champions.

No. 2 Edmond Santa Fe (2)

Edmond Santa Fe (7-0) is tied with Choctaw as the winningest team in 6A. Their wins haven't been as massive as the Yellowjackets', but they've arguably played the tougher schedule. Despite going up against five ranked opponents, they've still held on to the fifth-best margin of victory in the division at 21 points. They hold the No. 6 offense and No. 4 defense in the division and most recently topped No. 11 Norman North (3-2) 55-43. They received two first-place votes this week.

The Wolves will return to action on the 28th at the Sapulpa Girls Tournament. 

No. 3 Sand Springs (tied 3)

The Lady Sandites (6-0) are off to their best start in years, pummeling their way through the Bishop Kelley Tournament, and making short work of No. 10 Broken Arrow (2-2). The Lady Tigers trailed by more than 30 points before scoring the final 12 against the Sand Springs bench to make it 66-45. Four Lady Sandites doubled in the affair, led by sophomore Isabella Regalado with 15. They picked up one first-place vote this week.

Sand Springs holds the No. 5 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year at the Bedouin Shrine Tournament in Muskogee.

No. 4 Putnam City West (tied 3)

Putnam West (6-0) is just a point behind Choctaw in margin-of-victory and took down their first ranked opponent this past week, topping 5A No. 15 Bishop McGuinness (2-2) 86-37 on the road. The Lady Patriots are currently in the middle of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas where they will resume action on Monday. On Friday they beat Mullen, Colorado (2-5) 53-31, then beat undefeated Liberty, Nevada (6-1) 64-22 on Saturday. They received two first-place votes this week.

West holds the No. 1 offense in the state at 74 points per game and is tied for the No. 2 defense, holding their opponents to 33. 

No. 5 Deer Creek (5)

Deer Creek (6-1) notched their biggest win of the season this week at No. 16 Edmond North (3-3), hammering the Huskies 64-33. The Lady Antlers hold the No. 8 offense, No. 14 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they host No. 17 Yukon (4-3). 

No. 6 Booker T. Washington (7)

The undefeated Lady Hornets (5-0) dominated 5A No. 18 Tulsa Memorial (3-6) 73-27 on Tuesday, then spent the weekend in Arkansas, defeating Ft. Smith Northside (4-5) 61-54. Booker T. holds the No. 10 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in 6A. The Hornets will take on 5A unranked McClain (2-0) on Tuesday.

The pick: BTW 65 McClain 42

No. 7 Westmoore (6)

Westmoore (6-1) picked up their first ranked win of the season Friday when they topped in-town rival No. 20 Moore (3-4). The Lady Jags rolled to a 69-38 win on their home turf to close the year with their second win of thirty points or more. Westmoore holds the No. 4 offense, No. 12 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they travel to No. 14 Norman North (3-2). 

No. 8 Owasso (8) 

Owasso (4-2) rebounded from a 52-30 loss to 5A No. 2 Collinsville (6-0) with a 48-32 Friday night win over 5A No. 17 Bishop Kelley (3-4). Rylie Booner scored a team high 15, followed by Leiloni Culley with 13 and Terryn Milton with 11. The Lady Rams will return to action on the 28th at the Tournament of Champions.

No. 9 Bartlesville (9)

Bartlesville (3-3) took a bye week after falling 54-49 to No. 4 Deer Creek (6-1). The Lady Bruins won't play again until after the new year at the Skiatook Tournament.

No. 10 Edmond Memorial (13)

Edmond Memorial (4-3) played only one game this past week and topped No. 17 Yukon (4-3) 42-28. Taking the rest of 2016 off, the Bulldogs will return to action after the new year when they host unranked Stillwater (1-6). 

No. 11 Norman (12)

Norman (5-1) has won four-straight since a close loss to No. 6 Westmoore (6-1) in week one. The Tigers took a bye week after sweeping the Southern Oklahoma Invitational, but will return to action on the 27th at the Ardmore Tournament. They hold the No. 7 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A.

No. 12 Midwest City (14)

Midwest City (5-2) picked up a pair of wins last week, dominating unranked Putnam North (1-6) 57-32, then coming out on top of 5A No. 15 Bishop McGuinness (2-3) 47-39. The Lady Bombers hold the No. 11 offense in 6A and will competed at the Sapulpa Holiday Classic on the 28th.

No. 13 Norman North (11)

The Timberwolves (3-2) dropped a 55-43 loss to No. 2 Edmond Santa Fe (7-0) Friday and had their Saturday game against No. 17 Edmond North (3-3) postponed. They will return to action on the 29th at the Enid Holiday Classic. They hold the No. 10 offense and No. 12 margin of victory in 6A.

No. 14 Union (18)

Union (4-2) picked up a pair of notable wins this past week, dominating unranked Jenks (2-4) 61-34 and topping No. 10 Broken Arrow (2-2) 41-36 for their fourth-straight victory. Taylor Malhalm led her team in both games with 37 total points. The Lady Redskins will return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational. They hold the No. 9 defense and No. 14 margin of victory in 6A

No. 15 Sapulpa (15)

Sapulpa (2-1) went 1-1 this past week, falling 51-44 to 5A No. 17 Bishop Kelley (3-4), but topping unranked Muskogee (2-4) 53-51. Rayveen Osborn led her team in both games, averaging 15, while Hailey Morrison tied Osborn with 13 points against Muskogee. They will return to action at the Holiday Classic on the 28th.

No. 16 Broken Arrow (10)

Broken Arrow (2-2) had a tough week with some strong competitors and fell 66-45 to No. 3 Sand Springs (6-0) and 41-36 to No. 18 Union (4-2). Jalise Smallwood was the only Lady Tiger to double in either game and averaged 24 points between the two. They will return to action at the Sapulpa Tournament on the 28th. 

No. 17 Edmond North (16)

The Huskies (3-3) suffered a 64-33 loss at the hands of No. 5 Deer Creek (6-1) Friday and had their Saturday game against No. 13 Norman North (3-2) postponed. They will return to action at the Duncan Holiday Shootout.

No. 18 Mustang (19)

Mustang (3-2) took a bye week after sweeping the Plainview Tournament and won't return to action till the new year at the Skiatook Tournament. 

No. 19 Yukon (17)

The Millerettes (4-3) split last week's games, trumping unranked Southmoore (1-5) 51-40, but falling 42-28 to No. 13 Edmond Memorial (4-3). Yukon holds the No. 11 defense in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they travel to No. 5 Deer Creek (6-1).

No. 20 Moore (20)

Moore (3-4) lost their lone game last week, 69-38 to No. 6 Westmoore (6-1). The Lionesses are done for the year and will resume the season at the Weatherford Tournament. 

Conference Strength

1. Central Oklahoma (50)
2. Frontier Valley (45.5)
3. Big Ten (38.7)
4. Green Country (26.5)
5. All-City (9.4)

Sandites sweep Tulsa Memorial Invitational with 79-49 victory over NW Arkansas

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sand Springs 79 NWA 49

1Q Sand Springs 14-8
2Q Sand Springs 27-15
3Q NWA 18-17
4Q Sand Springs 21-8

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Colt Savage 22, Garbey 11, Keener 11, Taber 11, Golightly 9, Cale Savage 7, Quier 5, Durkee 3. (NWA) Kirkman 14, Sander 12, Roach 10, Schinnerer 5, Winkel 5, Fifter 2, Wenger 1.

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Colt Savage 4, Garbey 3, Keener 3, Taber 3, Cale Savage 2, Durkee 2, Quier 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Colt Savage 5, Cale Savage 4, Taber 4, Garbey 2, Keener 2, Durkee 2, Golightly 1, Bogans 1.
Steals: Garbey 2, Colt Savage 1, Cale Savage 1, Keener 1, Taber 1.
Assists: Colt Savage 7, Keener 2, Taber 2.
Blocks: Keener 1, Golightly 1.
Fouls: Golightly 5, Keener 3, Taber 3, Garbey 2, Cale Savage 2, Durkee 2, Colt Savage 1, Wash 1, Bogans 1. 

Sand Springs 61 OKC 55

1Q Sand Springs 19-16
2Q tie 15-15
3Q OKC 16-12
4Q Sand Springs 15-8

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Keener 22, Colt Savage 18, Garbey 13, Cale Savage 4, Golightly 4. (OKC) Luke Major 12, Alford 10, Grisham 10, Adkins 9, Mukes 5, Josh Major 3, Kilhoffer 2, Sonnier 2. 

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Keener 5, Colt Savage 3, Wash 2.
Defensive Rebounds: Keener 5, Garbey 5, Colt Savage 3.
Steals: Keener 2, Cale Savage 2, Wash 1.
Assists: Durkee 2, Cale Savage 1, Keener 1, Taber 1, Golightly 1. 
Blocks: Keener 6.
Fouls: Keener 3, Garbey 2, Durkee 2, Taber 2, Colt Savage 1, Cale Savage 1, Wash 1.

The Charles Page High School boys varsity basketball team (3-3) went undefeated this weekend at the Tulsa Memorial Veterans' Arena Invitational, hammering two teams and topping a tough battle against the defending Home School National Champions.

Junior Colt Savage led the team in two games while University of Central Oklahoma-signed senior Kyle Keener led the third. Savage scored 23 in an 80-38 win over the Wichita Defenders (3-4), Keener scored 22 in a 61-55 victory over the Oklahoma City Storm (14-13), and Savage scored 22 in a 79-49 victory over the Northwest Arkansas Hornets.

The boys took on a tough competitor Friday night, but came back from a fourth quarter deficit to win 61-55 for their second-straight win of the season. Keener added 10 rebounds to his 22 points for his first double-double of the season.

The Oklahoma City Storm () isn't your typical home-school program. In fact, they're arguably the nation's best with 15 national titles. On Thursday they competed against 5A No. 2 Memorial (8-0) and were neck-and-neck with the powerhouse program before trailing off in the fourth quarter. 

Sand Springs held a close 19-16 advantage over the Storm after a first quarter that put five different Sandites in the scoring column. They held their lead till midway through the second quarter when a two-pointer from Zach Alford gave the Storm a 29-28 advantage. 6'7" senior Peyton Golightly hit a two to regain the lead for Sand Springs and Keener drilled a dunk to make it a two-score advantage. Alford scored again on the next possession, but sophomore Cale Savage got the final points of the half.

The Storm won the third quarter 16-12, leading by as much as 47-39 before Jacob Garbey, Colt Savage, and Keener scored three-straight to cut the deficit to 47-46 to end the period. 

Jacob Grisham started the fourth off in OKC's favor, but Keener, Colt Savage, and Garbey scored another trio of goals to take the lead at 52-51. Grisham did his best to get his team back in the game with a pair of free throws to tie it at 55, but Sand Springs scored six-straight free throws to end the game.

On Saturday the Sandites rolled to a convincing 30-point victory over Northwest Arkansas, warming up with a 14-8 first quarter then bringing the rain for a 27-15 second quarter that the Hornets never recovered from. Despite winning the third quarter and playing competitively throughout, the homeschool team was no match for the Sandites.

Four Sandites doubled in the affair. Colt Savage scored 22 while Garbey, Keener, and Josh Taber tied for second with 11 points each. Golightly was right behind them with 9, and a total of eight Sandites got on the scoreboard.

Colt Savage was just one rebound short of a double-double and also had a team-best seven assists. 

The Sandites will return to action after Christmas at the Duncan Tournament on the 28th through the 30th. Their first game will be Thursday the 28th against the home team at 8:30 p.m. The Lady Sandites won't play again till after the new year. 

Sandites hammer Wichita 80-38; Savage scores 23, Keener 21

Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity basketball team (1-3) rolled into the Memorial Veterans Arena Thursday night still looking for their first win of the season. They found it with spare change, rolling to a dominating 80-38 victory over the Wichita Defenders (3-4) that saw four Sandites post double digits. Led by junior Colt Savage with 23, Kyle Keener, Jacob Garbey, and Cale Savage all scored north of ten.

1Q Sand Springs 20-9
2Q Sand Springs 23-11
3Q Sand Springs 20-12
4Q Sand Springs 17-6

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Colt Savage 23, Keener 21, Cale Savage 11, Garbey 11, Taber 8, Durkee 2, Bogans 2, Quier 2. (Defenders) Schmidt 15, Brown 9, Wolters 6, Guinn 3, Ammons 3, Sidwell 1, Martin 1. 

(Sand Springs Only)
Offensive Rebounds: Keener 6, Durkee 2, Colt Savage 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Taber 5, Colt Savage 4, Bogans 4, Keener 3, Krehbiel 2, Harris 2, Wash 2, Cale Savage 2, Durkee 1. 
Steals: Cole Savage 4, Wash 3, Garbey 2, Durkee 1, Taber 1, Bogans 1.
Assists: Wash 3, Keener 2, Colt Savage 2, Cale Savage 1, Taber 1, Bogans 1, Harris 1. 
Blocks: Keener 4, Bogans 2.
Fouls: Cale Savage 4, Durkee 4, Garbey 3, Colt Savage 2, Bogans 2, Krehbiel 2, Taber 1, Wash 1.

The boys got off to a fast start, taking an 11-0 lead before Sam Schmidt hit back-to-back field goals for the Defenders. Jonah Wolters added another to cut the deficit to 11-7, but the Sandites piled it right back on with nine-straight before giving up the final basket to Justin Brown to end the first period 20-9.

The Sandites did just as much damage in the second period, rolling to a 43-20 halftime lead, capped by the first of many three-point baskets from Garbey. By the end of the third the Sandites were up 63-32 even after running the bench. The victors scored the first ten of the fourth quarter, then Josh Taber scored six on his own before Jonathan Quier hit his first career goal to end the game 80-38.

Keener was right behind Colt Savage with 21 points, and was just one rebound shy of his first double-double this season. Garbey and Cale Savage scored 11 each and Taber was right behind them with 8. Eight total Sandites made their way onto the scoreboard and all eleven players who suited up got to play. 

The Sandites will return to action Friday evening at 6:30 when they take on the Oklahoma City Storm in the second round of the Memorial Invitational. 

Oklahoma Boys High School Basketball: Week Four Rankings and Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The third week of Oklahoma High School basketball left five boys teams undefeated in Class 6A and the rankings are beginning to tighten up at the top with only Edmond North remaining as a clear favorite. Last week we picked twelve games and were 10-2 with 79% accuracy this season.

No. 1 Edmond North (Previously No. 2)

The Huskies (5-0) picked up 22 first-place votes this week after sweeping the Edmond Open and knocking off previous No. 1 Midwest City (4-1) 80-75 in the tournament finals. Edmond North dominated unranked Moore (3-3) 75-56 on Tuesday, then smothered No. 13 Jenks (0-4) 74-48 in the tournament quarterfinals. In the semis they brought down formerly undefeated 5A No. 3 Eisenhower (3-2) 76-56 before earning their spot over the Bombers. 

The Huskies hold the No. 8 offense, No. 14 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in class 6A. They will look to strengthen their resume this week with another top-five matchup. After playing No. 18 Deer Creek (3-3) on Friday, they'll take on No. 5 Norman North (2-1) Saturday on the road.

The picks:
EDN 61 DC 52.
EDN 71 NN 66.

No. 2 Midwest City (1)

Midwest City (4-1) lost their number one ranking after going 2-1 at the Edmond  Open, falling 80-75 to No. 2 Edmond North (5-0), but prevailing 86-75 over No. 4 Putnam City North (5-1) and 99-65 over Casady. Despite their loss, they still retained two first-place votes. 

The Bombers hold the No. 1 offense and No. 1 margin of victory in the State and will give Putnam North a rematch Tuesday on the Panthers' home turf, then will travel to 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuinness (0-2) on Thursday. 

The picks: 
MWC 73 PCN 69
MWC 81 McG 60

No. 3 Union (3)

The Redskins (1-0) have only played one game this season, defeating No. 11 Bartlesville (3-3) 50-46, but it was enough to earn three first-place votes in this week's rankings. The Redskins shared the workload with three players scoring in double digits. Union will return to action Tuesday against unranked Jenks (0-4), then will play No. 10 Broken Arrow (4-1) on Thursday. 

The picks:
Union 69 Jenks 53
Union 55 BA 54

No. 4 Putnam City North (4)

The Panthers (5-1) are off to a great start this season, losing only one game to No. 1 Midwest City (4-1). They topped unranked Enid (1-4) 59-49 last Tuesday, then defeated No. 7 Edmond Santa Fe (5-1) 78-72 in the first round of the Edmond Open. They fell 86-75 to the Bombers, but rebounded with a 74-66 victory over 5A No. 3 Eisenhower (3-2). 

Putnam North has the No. 2 offense and No. 11 margin of victory in 6A and will get a rematch Tuesday when they host Midwest City. They will play this weekend in the Score Board Shootout at Webb City, Missouri. 

No. 5 Norman North (6)

The Timberwolves (2-1) picked up a pair of wins last week, 89-53 over unranked Stillwater (1-5), and 110-96 over Springfield Glendale. They hold the No. 2 offense and No. 6 margin of victory in the state and will travel to No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe (5-1) Friday before hosting No. 1 Edmond North (5-0) on Saturday.

The pick: NN 71 ESF 66.

No. 6 Putnam City West (5)

The Patriots (4-1) picked up a ranked win last week, topping No. 20 Putnam City (1-4) 61-54, and will return to action at 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuinness (0-3). They received one first-place vote.

The pick: PCW 71 McG 60.

No. 7 Westmoore (8)

The Jaguars (6-0) have emerged as the winningest team in the division thus far after topping Deer Creek (3-3) 66-45 and going undefeated at the Durant Tournament. They hammered the hosting school's JV team 89-25, then beat 3A No. 13 Hugo (4-1) 67-52 and No. 19 Yukon (3-2) 63-58. Thirteen Jags got on the board against the JV team and Kody Gilliand, Trey Palmer, and Kenny Springs averaged double digits over the tournament.

Westmoore has the No. 10 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A. They look to continue their streak Friday when they host unranked Moore (3-3).

The pick: Westmoore 68 Moore 53.

No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe (7)

Edmond Santa Fe (5-1) started last week with a 53-36 win over unranked Southmoore (0-4), lost the first round of the Edmond Open to No. 4 Putnam North (5-1), then closed out the tournament with a pair of close wins. After falling 78-72 to the Panthers, they defeated Casady 56-49 and No. 15 Edmond Memorial (1-3) 57-52. 

The Wolves hold the No. 6 defense and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday when they host No. 5 Norman North (2-1). 

No. 9 Booker T. Washington (9)

The Hornets (4-1) took on some out-of-state competitors this past week and topped Ozark, Missouri 65-60 and Columbia Rock Bridge 69-62. Booker T will take on their toughest foe of the season Tuesday when they visit 5A No. 2 Tulsa Memorial (5-0). 

The pick: Memorial 73 BTW 64

No. 10 Broken Arrow (10)

Broken Arrow (4-1) has been posting some impressive numbers lately, topping unranked Bixby (2-2) 53-35, Deer Creek (3-3) 56-49, and No. 20 Putnam City (1-4) 73-42. They dropped one game 62-59 at the Bixby Tournament to 5A No. 5 East Central (5-1). Caleb Huffman has averaged 21 points per game over the last week, including a 30-point performance against Putnam City. 

The Tigers have the No. 2 defense and No. 8 margin of victory in the division. They will take on unranked Sand Springs (0-2) Tuesday before traveling to No. 3 Union (1-0) on Friday. 

The pick: BA 55 SS 44.

No. 11 Muskogee (18)

Muskogee (4-0) are off to a great start after edging out a 65-64 overtime win over No. 16 Owasso (0-2) in their season-opener. At the Tahlequah Tournament this past weekend they beat Tulsa NOAH 89-61, blew out unranked Enid (1-4) 73-35, and topped 3A No. 4 Sequoyah (4-1) 63-62. Junior Brooks Haddock is averaging 20 points per game this season and Keondre Davis adds another 14.

The Roughers hold the No. 5 offense and No. 3 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Tuesday against No. 19 Bixby (2-2) and will travel to No. 14 Sapulpa (3-1) on Friday.

The picks: 
Muskogee 62 Bixby 51
Muskogee 71 Sapulpa 65

No. 12 Yukon (19)

Yukon (3-2) jumped in the rankings after going 2-1 at the Durant Tournament, falling only 63-58 to No. 8 Westmoore (6-0) and defeating Hugo JV 74-43 and 5A No. 20 Durant (3-2) 89-64. They also topped No. 12 Norman (4-2) 66-63 earlier in the week. Cameron Martin averaged 26 points per game and three other Millers also scored double digits in at least one game. 

The Millers hold the No. 9 offense and No. 10 margin of victory in 6A. They will take on unranked Southmoore (0-4) on Tuesday and No. 16 Edmond Memorial (2-4) Friday. 

The picks:
Yukon 67 Southmoore 55.
Yukon 61 EDM 54.

No. 13 Norman (12)

Norman (4-2) fell 66-63 to No. 19 Yukon (3-2) to start last week, but went undefeated at the Duncan Tournament with an average score of 76-45. They beat 5A unranked Woodward (3-2) 67-35, 5A No. 17 MacArthur (4-2) 89-60, and unranked Moore (3-3) 72-40. 

The Tigers are eleventh in both offense and defense with the No. 5 margin of victory in 6A. They will take the next few weeks off before returning to action at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament after the new year.

No. 14 Sapulpa (17)

Sapulpa (3-1) started the season off hot, rolling to a 78-70 victory over No. 13 Jenks (0-4), then went 2-1 at the Bishop Kelley Tournament. They beat 4A No. 14 Daniel Webster (1-6) 66-61, fell 77-66 to 5A No. 6 Claremore (5-0), and smothered 5A No. 7 Edison (1-3) 84-67. 

The Chieftains have the No. 4 offense in the state and will return to action Tuesday at 5A No. 19 Bishop Kelley (2-1) before hosting No. 11 Muskogee (4-0) on Friday.

The pick: Sapulpa 60 BK 58

No. 15 Lawton (unranked)

Lawton (2-0) hasn't gotten to test themselves yet this season, playing only unranked teams, but rolled to a 72-55 victory over U.S. Grant (1-3) and 56-51 over Choctaw (3-3). Their low strength of schedule has given them the No. 9 margin of victory in 6A and they will return to action against 5A No. 15 Del City (1-2) on Tuesday. Their first big test will be Thursday against in-town rival 5A No. 13 MacArthur (4-2).

The picks:
Lawton 66 DC 53
Lawton 60 MacArthur 59

No. 16 Edmond Memorial (15)

Edmond Memorial (2-4) has had a tough schedule to start the season, playing four top-ten teams and losing to each of them. They defeated No. 14 Mustang (2-3) 48-40 to start the last week, then went 1-2 at the Edmond Open. They fell 76-60 to 5A No. 3 Eisenhower (3-2) and 57-52 to No. 7 Edmond Santa Fe (5-1), but defeated unranked Jenks (0-4) 61-46. The Bulldogs will return to action Friday when they host No. 12 Yukon (3-2).

No. 17 Bartlesville (11)

Bartlesville (3-3) had the appearance of a top-ten team after topping No. 14 Sand Springs (0-2) and No. 13 Owasso (0-2) in the first week and closely competing with No. 3 Union (1-0) and 5A No.5 East Central (5-1). After their 50-46 loss to the Redskins and their 59-46 loss to the Cardinals, they were defeated again--this time by an unranked team. Deer Creek (3-3) topped the Bruins 57-49 and Bartlesville needed overtime for a 52-48 win over 5A No. 13 Coweta (1-4). They're done for 2016 and will look to make adjustments before competing at the Arvest Invitational after the new year. 

No. 18 Deer Creek (unranked)

Deer Creek (3-3) made the jump into the rankings after going 2-2 last week. They lost a pair of top ten matchups, 66-45 to No. 8 Westmoore (6-0) and 56-49 to No. 10 Broken Arrow (4-1), but topped No. 11 Bartlesville (3-3) 57-49 and unranked Stillwater (1-5) 43-40. The Antlers will have their biggest test of the season Friday when they take on No. 1 Edmond North (5-0).

No. 19 Bixby (unranked)

Bixby (2-2) started their season last week with a 53-35 loss to No. 10 Broken Arrow (4-1), then went 2-1 at their own tournament. They topped unranked Stillwater (1-5) 62-54 and No. 20 Putnam City (1-4) 47-44, but fell 57-45 to 5A No. 5 East Central (5-1). Joey Homan has been hammering the competition with 18 points per game. The Spartans hold the No. 9 defense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at No. 11 Muskogee (4-0) before traveling to unranked Jenks (0-4) Friday. 

The pick: Bixby 61 Jenks 53.

No. 20 Mustang (18)

Mustang (2-3) started last week with a 48-40 loss to No. 15 Edmond Memorial (1-3), then went 2-1 at the Panther Classic. They beat 2A No. 12 Northeast Academy (2-3) 45-39, but fell 40-37 to 4A No. 3 Harrah (4-1) and 80-75 to 3A No. 8 Star-Spencer (4-1) in overtime. The Broncos return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational.