The Charles Page High School boys’ basketball team made their first State Tournament appearance in 55 years Thursday night at Catoosa High School and nearly upset Class 6A No. 2 ranked Norman North (24-3).
No. 10 Sand Springs (20-7) led the Timberwolves 21-18 at halftime, and were only four points behind in the final minute of the game before Norman North pulled away with free throws.
Both teams started out playing the deep ball, Matthew Price drawing first blood for the Sandites. Juwan White hit a layup on the Timberwolves’ third possession, then Drake Stoops hit a three for the lead and followed it with a free throw. Cale Savage hit a layup for the Sandites but Shemar Smith dunked in retaliation. Smith scored back-to-back then Cale Savage drained a three to end the first period trailing 10-8.
Davon Richardson tied it up with a putback, Colt Savage and White traded free throws, then Price made a freebie for the 13-12 lead. Richardson and Josh Robinson exchanged twos then Colt Savage and Kendrick Williams added free throws. Layups from White and Stoops tied it at 18-18, but Cale Savage had the final say of the half with a last second three.
Richardson kicked off the second half with a pair of free throws, but three-pointers from Jalen Crutchfield, Stoops, and White pushed the Timberwolves back out front at 35-26 with a ten-point run before Richardson broke it up. Cale Savage scored another last-second three to make it 35-31.
Colt Savage and Smith traded layups in the fourth, then Price drained a three to make it a one-point game, briefly. White scored a two, Stoops made a three, and Smith dunked for a 44-36 lead. Colt Savage scored two from the stripe, Smith made a two, then Colt Savage and Cole Durkee combined for four more free throws.
With only 47 seconds to play, the Sandites turned to desperation fouls. The Timberwolves made the most of them, pulling ahead to 51-42 before Colt Savage finished his high school career with an uncontested layup in the final moments.
The Savage brothers were the only two Sandites in double digits. Colt, a University of Central Oklahoma-committed senior, posted a double-double with fourteen points and eleven rebounds, while Cale scored eleven points. Richardson finished with eight points and ten rebounds. Stoops led all scorers with seventeen points, followed by White with fourteen and Smith with thirteen.
The Timberwolves will get to play the big stage at the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center Friday at 4:30 p.m. against No. 3 Putnam City North (23-5). The Putnam North Panthers prevailed 43-41 over No. 4 Union (22-5) in their quarterfinal matchup.
NNHS 51 CPHS 44
1Q NNHS 10-8
2Q CPHS 13-8
3Q NNHS 17-10
3Q NNHS 16-13
Free Throws: CPHS 15-of-20, NNHS 11-of-17.
Field Goals: NNHS 17-of-38, CPHS 12-of-43.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 5, NNHS 4.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 23, NNHS 21.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 28, NNHS 25.
Steals: NNHS 5, CPHS 4.
Blocks: NNHS 6, CPHS 1.
Fouls: CPHS 14, NNHS 15.
(Sand Springs Stats)
Scoring: Colt Savage 14, Cale Savage 11, Richardson 8, Price 8, Durkee 2, Williams 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Richardson 3, Colt Savage 2.
Defensive Rebounds: Colt Savage 9, Richardson 7, Durkee 3, Cale Savage 2, Price 1, Williams 1.
Total Rebounds: Colt Savage 11, Richardson 10, Durkee 3, Cale Savage 2, Price 1, Williams 1.
Steals: Colt Savage 1, Richardson 1, Cale Savage 1, Price 1.
Assists: Colt Savage 1, Richardson 1.
Blocks: Colt Savage 1.
Fouls: Durkee 4, Colt Savage 2, Richardson 2, Cale Savage 2, Price 2, Williams 2.
(Norman North Stats)
Scoring: Stoops 17, White 14, Smith 13, Crutchfield 3, Fender 2, Robinson 2.
Fouls: Smith 4, White 4, Crutchfield 4, Stoops 2, Fender 1, Robinson 1.
