Sandite Boys Show Promise in 67-48 Loss at Owasso

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Kooper Kelly, pictured against Edmond MEmorial, was the Sandites’ leading scorer Friday at Owasso with 16 points. (Photo by Charity Emigh).

Fans of the Charles Page High School boys’ basketball team shouldn’t be discouraged by an 0-2 start. The Sandites are showing plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the season to come.

The boys fell 59-55 to Edmond Memorial on Tuesday due to injuries and foul trouble, and their 67-48 loss to Owasso on Friday was a similar ordeal.

Sand Springs entered the game minus one starter in Blake Johnson, who was still in concussion protocol following a head-to-floor collision on Tuesday.

Despite missing the 6’5” junior forward, the Sandites still hung tight with one of last year’s State semifinalists until late in the game, only trailing 52-48 until the Rams closed on a 15-0 run in the final minutes.

An eight-point first quarter from Deke Thompson led to an 11-11 tie entering the second stanza.

Strong three-point shooting gave the Rams a 29-23 halftime advantage, but they were unable to pull away in the third quarter, never leading by more than seven before taking a 46-42 advantage into the final period.

Unfortunately for the Sandites, Khalil Allen drew a fourth foul early in the third and Kason Evans drew his fourth foul not long after.

With the visitors handcuffed in terms of physicality, the Rams attacked their foes relentlessly in the paint to run away with it.

Five-star sophomore prospect Jalen Montonati scored 23 points to lead all scorers while Gabe Patterson scored 12 and Boden Williams added 10 to put three Rams in double digits.

Kooper Kelly led the Sandites with 16 points, shooting 5-of-9 in the field and 3-of-4 at the stripe. Thompson scored 12 as the only other Sandite in double digits.

The Sandites and Rams will get a rematch on January 26th.

Sand Springs will look to get in the win column Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. with a district road game at Enid (0-1, 0-1), who fell 47-43 in its season-opener against Owasso. The Rams will host Edmond Memorial (2-0, 2-0) Tuesday.

Owasso 67 CPHS 48

1Q: Tied 11-11.
2Q: Owasso 18-12.
3Q: CPHS 19-17.
4Q: Owasso 21-6.
Free Throws: Owasso 12-of-17, CPHS 9-of-13.
Field Goals: Owasso 23-of-47, CPHS 16-of-40.
Offensive Rebounds: Owasso 8, CPHS 3.
Defensive Rebounds: Owasso 18, CPHS 12.
Total Rebounds: Owasso 26, CPHS 15.
Steals: Owasso 2, CPHS 3.
Blocks: Owasso 2, CPHS 4.
Fouls: Owasso 11, CPHS 18.

Sand Springs Statistics

Scoring: Kelly 16, Thompson 12, Fueshko 8, Allen 7, Evans 5.
Offensive Rebounds: Mitchell 1, Evans 1, Roper 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Allen 5, Fueshko 4, Thompson 2, Evans 1.
Total Rebounds: Allen 5, Fueshko 4, Thompson 2, Evans 2, Roper 1, Mitchell 1.
Steals: Kelly 1, Fueshko 1, Collins 1.
Assists: Fueshko 2, Mitchell 1.
Blocks: Kelly 3, Fueshko 1.
Fouls: Allen 4, Evans 4, Kelly 3, Thompson 3, Fueshko 2, Shope 1, Young 1.

Owasso Statistics

Scoring: Montonati 23, Patterson 12, Williams 10, Harbaugh 7, Lechlider 5, Nantois 4, Milton 3, Kerr 3.
Fouls: Harbaugh 3, Montonati 2, Lechlider 2, Kerr 2, Patterson 2.

Injuries and Fouls Add Up to Tough Season-Opening Loss for Sandites

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Deke Thompson scored 26 points in his Sandite debut. (Photo by Charity Emigh).

Injuries and fouls derailed a fast start and what could have been a statement win over a west-side team to open the season.

Charles Page High School fell 59-55 to Edmond Memorial after jumping out to a 14-9 first quarter lead and didn’t trail till the last bucket of the half.

Unfortunately for the Sandites, Khalil Allen drew a fourth foul early in the second quarter and spent the rest of the half on the bench. Kason Evans fouled out early in the third quarter, and Blake Johnson suffered a head injury that took him out of the game early in the third as well.

“That hurt,” said head coach Eric Savage. “We were real thin right there and giving a big size advantage once we lost all three of them. And really Khalil, he played the whole second half with four fouls, couldn’t be as aggressive as he normally is.”

“We were just holding on there in the second half,” said Savage. “But I thought they showed a lot of heart, didn’t give up, and gave us a chance there at the end. We just couldn’t get over the hump.”

Kooper Kelly got hot late in the game, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Sandites trailed as much as 47-36 before Kelly sparked a 10-2 run.

“Kooper’s been doing a good job,” said Savage. “He’s a three-year starter so we kind of expect that from him and just kind of encourage him to not wait so late to get get going. I think the tendency is to kind of wait around and wait for other guys to get involved, but we want him to be aggressive and keep shooting the ball.”

Deke Thompson picked up where Kelly left off with 9 points in the final two minutes, including a three-pointer on a steal and assist by Kelly to make it 52-49 with 1:49 to play.

Kelly fouled out with 21 seconds left and Thompson cut it as close as 57-55 nine seconds later, but Danny Lynn hit a pair of free throws in the final moments to put the game away for the Bulldogs.

Thompson, a junior transfer from Jenks, led all scorers with 23 points.

“He’s a great player,” said Savage. “Obviously he’s a scorer and can do a lot of things and it’s going to free up some opportunities for some other guys. Take a little of the pressure off them.”

Kelly had 13 as the only other Sandite in double digits, while the Bulldogs were led by Lynn with 14.

The Sandites have more inside size than they’ve had in recent years and the addition of Thompson to an already-loaded junior class has the Sandites positioned for a resurgent season after a three-year slump of losing seasons.

Last year was already a bounce-back effort after the Sandites doubled their previous year’s win total at 10-14. With the OSSAA’s transition to district play this year, the Sandites should have an easier time returning to their pre-COVID form.

“I think we have a well-rounded team,” said Savage, who enters his 11th year at the helm.

“I think it’s going to take a little bit with the newcomers coming in for us to gel a little bit. We’re still haven’t had a lot of time together and our schedule’s really tough here at the beginning of the year and we’re going to have to go through some battles. But I really like our group and it’s going to be fun. We’ll get through the hurdles and I like where we’re going to be come January.”

Sand Springs will return to action Friday at 8:00 p.m. with a district road game against Owasso (1-0, 1-0) while Edmond Memorial will host Putnam City (1-0, 1-0) on Friday.

EDM 59 CPHS 55

1Q: CPHS 14-9.
2Q: EDM 18-11.
3Q: EDM 15-11.
4Q: CPHS 19-17.

Field Goals: EDM 21-of-39, CPHS 17-of-36.
Free Throws: EDM 14-of-22, CPHS 16-of-20.
Offensive Rebounds: EDM 9, CPHS 1.
Defensive Rebounds: EDM 15, CPHS 10.
Total Rebounds: EDM 24, CPHS 11.
Steals: EDM 6, CPHS 5.
Blocks: EDM 1, CPHS 1.
Fouls: EDM 21, CPHS 21.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Thompson 23, Kelly 13, Allen 9, Johnson 6, Roper 3, Evans 1.
Offensive Rebounds: Johnson 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Allen 4, Thompson 3, Fueshko 2, Mitchell 1.
Total Rebounds: Allen 4, Thompson 3, Fueshko 2, Johnson 1, Mitchell 1.
Steals: Kelly 2, Thompson 2, Allen 1.
Assists: Kelly 1, Thompson 1, Allen 1, Johnson 1, Fueshko 1.
Blocks: Allen 1.
Fouls: Kelly 5, Evans 5, Allen 4, Johnson 2, Fueshko 2, Mitchell 2, Roper 1.

Edmond Memorial Statistics

Points: Lyon 14, Pedulla 8, Hancuff 8, Nero 8, Miller 6, Youngblood 5, Franz 4, Brown 3, Lashley 3.
Fouls: Nero 4, Brown 4, Pedulla 3, Franz 3, Youngblood 3, Hancuff 2, Lynn 1, Miller 1.

Sandite College Report

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Men’s Basketball

2021 CPHS alum Marlo Fox is in his junior year at Rogers State University (2-2). He played two minutes in a season-opening 82-58 loss to Minot State but didn’t see action in the past three games. The Hillcats will return to action Saturday afternoon against Fort Hays State (5-1).

Football

Pittsburg State University backup quarterback Ty Pennington (2021) saw his season come to an end in a 24-21 loss to No. 2 Grand Valley State (11-1) in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

The seventh-ranked Gorillas (11-2) took a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter but gave up 10 unanswered points, including the go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds remaining, to end their season.

Pennington ended his redshirt-freshman year 46-of-69 passing for 447 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception with another 359 yards and four touchdowns on 76 carries.

Cheer

Ashley Blake (2022) is in her sophomore year at Oklahoma Baptist University and Coleman Wright (2020) is in his senior season at Nichols College.

Softball

Drew Hawkins (2021) is gearing up for her junior season next spring at Northeastern State University. The starting outfielder had a flawless defensive record last season while batting .235 while the RiverHawks went 30-21.

Jordyn Pearson (2021) will look to pick up some additional playing time in her junior year at Missouri Baptist University after playing two games last season in a 35-18-1 Spartan campaign. Pearson holds a 3.82 ERA and .333 career batting average after two seasons.

Shooting Sports

Gunnar Casey (2021) and Sammy Naugle (2021) are in their junior season at Connors State College. Casey recently posted a top-20 finish at the Ft. Hayes tournament in double skeet.

Baseball

Kyler Copeland (2019) will kick off his junior year this spring at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. Copeland is in his second year with the Savage Storm after previous stints at College of the Ozarks and Dodge City Community College.

Kaden Young (2021) is expected to play at Randall University in Moore this spring after a two-year stint at Oklahoma Wesleyan.

2023 graduates Jabe Schlehuber and Dominic Ornelas will start their college careers at Northern Oklahoma College at Enid this spring.

2019 graduates Cale Savage and Cal Watkins will play their junior years together at Washburn University. Watkins played two years at Seminole State College while Savage played two years at NOC-Enid before the two reunited last season.

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.

OSSAA Announces New Districts for Baseball, Basketball, Football

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The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association has announced new district assignments for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.

Football

The football districts are still pending OSSAA board approval on September 6th.

The Sandites will remain in Class 6A-II, playing in District 2 with Stillwater, Bartlesville, Capitol Hill, Muskogee, Northwest Classen, Piedmont, and Ponca City.

Capitol Hill, Northwest Classen, Piedmont, and Ponca City will all be newcomers while Tahlequah, Putnam City West, and U.S. Grant will drop from the Sandites’ schedule.

Sand Springs has never played Capitol Hill, Northwest Classen, or Piedmont. The two Oklahoma City schools are currently in 6A-II but play in the opposite district, while Piedmont will be moving up from 5A.

Ponca City is a longstanding rival of the Sandites, with the two teams having met every year since 1978, even in non-district years.

Baseball

Sand Springs will play alongside Bartlesville, Jenks, Moore, Muskogee, Norman North, Owasso, and Stillwater in District 6A-3.

The Sandites are currently in a district with Jenks and Owasso, but Bartlesville, Moore, Muskogee, Norman North, and Stillwater will all be new foes.

Sand Springs played Bartlesville and Muskogee last year in non-district action but haven’t played Moore since 2017. The Sandites and Norman North last played in 2021.

The Stillwater and Sand Springs meetings will be particularly exciting after the Pioneers sabotaged the Sandites’ home regional this past year.

Basketball

Sandite fans will see a big change in basketball scheduling as the OSSAA implements districts for the first time, effectively ending the conference era.

Sand Springs will retain longtime Frontier Valley foes Owasso, Union, and Bartlesville while forging new rivalries with a slate of west-side schools in Edmond Memorial, Enid, U.S. Grant, and Putnam City.

Lady Sandites Beat Stillwater, Advance to Area Playoffs

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For the ninth time in the past decade, the Lady Sandite basketball team is advancing to the Area playoffs Thursday night at Sapulpa at 7:30 p.m.

6A-East No. 6 Sand Springs (17-8) is scheduled to play its fourth game of the year against No. 7 Owasso (13-11) after the two teams finished as runners-up in their regions.

The winner of that game will play the loser of No. 1 Booker T. Washington (19-5) vs. No. 5 Broken Arrow (17-8) Saturday at 1:30 p.m. for a ticket to the State Tournament.

Sand Springs won 58-43 against No. 11 Stillwater (8-16) in the first round of the Norman regional on Thursday with three Lady Sandites in double digits. Hailey Jackson scored 19, Sakauri Wilson scored 15, and Kiaryn Taylor added 12.

On Saturday, however, No. 3 Norman (19-4) extended its win streak to nine with a 63-36 victory.

The host Tigers went on a 14-0 run to end the first quarter up 16-3 and though the rest of the game was closer, the Sandites could never muster a comeback attempt

“There were a lot of things that we missed tonight - a lot of opportunities that we let go,” said head coach Josh Berry.

“If you want to win, you’ve got to make those plays in these games.”

Sand Springs struggled with accuracy, shooting only 26% in the field, and also faced a distinct size advantage as the average Norman starter had three inches on the average Sandite starter.

“We showed it earlier in the year, beating some good teams,” said Berry. “When we play together we can beat anybody in the state.”

“But when we don’t, and we play like today where we’re not in one accord, then we can be beat by anybody.”

The team initially funneled its offense through Jackson as the six-foot senior took seven shots before any other Sandite attempted one. The Tigers often two-manned her in the paint, however, and Jackson didn’t get hot till the second half when she scored 12 of her game-best 17.

Wilson got rolling in the second quarter, where she scored all eight of her points, but was shut down in the second half.

By halftime the Tigers led 30-13 and pushed their advantage to 45-21 entering the fourth.

Nessa Begay and Kayla Jones scored 16 to lead Norman, followed by Keeley Parks with 12.

“We missed a lot of transition baskets and transition opportunities that we had early on and it just dug us in a hole,” said Berry.

“Defensively we missed some things and we just dug that hole too early and it’s hard to get out of that with this group. And we shot the ball bad. We couldn’t buy a bucket.”

On Thursday the Owasso Rams will be looking to snap an 11-game losing streak against the Sandites that dates back to 2018. The Sandites won the first three meetings this year 51-49, 48-47, and 45-36.

“That’s a good team, well coached,” said Berry. “We’ve got to go out there and play because this is a brand new game and a brand new season. Win or go home time.”

“We’ve just got to relax, have fun, enjoy each other, trust each other, believe in each other.”

Boys

The 6A-East No. 11 boys (10-13) suffered a 61-48 defeat against No. 6 Moore (17-6) in the Regional knockout round Friday at Bixby.

The Lions went on a 14-0 run to end the first quarter up 21-7 and the Sandites never recovered despite winning the fourth quarter 20-10.

Alijah Roper scored a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers but was the only Sandite in double digits.

Moore was led by Tristan Hankins with 19, Darian Grant with 15, and Malachi Lee with 11.

The Sandites have missed out on making it to Area the last two seasons but have made it past the first round of Regionals 7 out of the last 10 seasons and are poised for success next year as they return 3 of 5 starters and 65% of their scoring power.