No. 3 CPHS Girls Basketball dominates No. 13 Mustang 42-24 in State Quarterfinals

Isabella Regalado is one of three starting sophomores who will be anchoring the Lady Sandites in the years to come. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

CPHS 42 MHS 24

1Q CPHS 12-4
2Q CPHS 11-4
3Q CPHS 8-7
4Q CPHS 11-9

Free Throws: CPHS 4-of-9. MHS 10-of-15.
Field Goals: CPHS 18-of-48. MHS 7-of-31.
Fouls: CPHS 10. MHS 9.

Scoring: (CPHS) Kersgieter 16, Pennington 9, Johnson 8, McGee 3, Regalado 3, Mutiri 3. (MHS) Niehues 8, Haywood 7, Foreman 4, Metzinger 3, Brown 2.

(CPHS only)
Offensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 4, Pennington 1, Mutiri 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Pennington 6, McGee 5, Kersgieter 3, Mutiri 3, Regalado 1.
Steals: Johnson 3, McGee 3, Kersgieter 2, Pennington 1, Regalado 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 2.
Assists: Pennington 1, Johnson 1, Kersgieter 1.
Fouls: Mutiri 4, Regalado 2, Pennington 2, Johnson 1, McGee 1.

The No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School Girls' Basketball team (24-1) took on No. 13 Mustang (17-11) in the first round of the OSSAA 6A State Championship Thursday afternoon at Memorial High School and rolled to their tenth-straight victory by a final score of 42-24. They will advance to the State Semi-Finals Friday morning at the Oral Roberts Mabee Center where they will meet with No. 4 Deer Creek (25-2) at 9:00 a.m.

The Sandites made their first two attempts from three point range and missed both, but they found their usual niche in transition as sophomore Holly Kersgieter snagged a steal on the Broncos' first possession and turned it into a layup. Fellow sophomore Destiney Johnson struck next for the Sandites, then Kersgieter sank a three for the 7-0 lead.

Next it was time for the upperclassmen to shine as Ohio State Volleyball-commit Gloria Mutiri sank one from the charity stripe and Oklahoma State Softball-signed senior Sydney Pennington scored on a steal for the double digit lead. Johnson got back in the action with another steal and layup for the 12-0 lead and the Broncos used their second timeout.

Mustang finally got on the board with a steal and layup from Mia Brown, then Ellise Foreman added another basket to cut the lead to 12-4 shortly before the buzzer. The Broncos tried to go to work in the second period and scored four straight after an opening basket from McGee, but after a brief timeout, Sand Springs went right back to furthering their lead. Kersgieter scored four, Pennington added three, and Mutiri had two in the final minutes to take a 23-8 advantage into the locker room.

Mustang opened the second half with a pair of free throws from Abby Niehues but Sand Springs retaliated as Pennington hauled in a defensive rebound and sent it down court to Kersgieter for two. Sophomore Bella Regalado struck from three point range to put three sophomores in the scorebook. By the end of the third the Sandites had pushed their lead to 31-15.

Kersgieter, McGee, and Pennington went on a five point run to open the fourth, then the Broncos did the same to negate the damage. But Sand Springs wouldn't be stymied and Pennington and Johnson hit back to back layups for the 40-20 lead with 4:30 left to play. The offense fizzled out from there and the Sandites held on for a 42-24 victory.

Kersgieter led all scorers with 16 points as the only player in the game with double digits. Pennington posted nine and Johnson had eight. Neihuis led the Broncos with eight points.

The Lady Sandites' Friday morning opponent won their quarterfinal 49-42 over No. 6 Booker T. Washington (22-6), who the Sandites defeated 56-44 in the Area Championship. 

State Tournament Preview: No. 3 Lady Sandites to meet No. 13 Mustang in quarterfinal

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The brackets are in for the 2016-2017 OSSAA Basketball State Championship tournaments. All three rounds of the Boys' 6A tournament will be held at the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center, while the Girls' quarterfinals will be hosted by Tulsa Memorial High School. The Girls' semifinals and Championship will be played at the Mabee Center.

The first game will be played at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday between No. 4 Deer Creek (24-2) and No. 6 Booker T. Washington (22-5). Deer Creek has been a top-contender throughout the season, finishing first in the Central Oklahoma Conference with a late-season victory over No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe. They earned their way to State undefeated in the post-season with an impressive 62-50 victory over No. 2 Choctaw. Washington went undefeated as the only 6A team in the Green Country Conference and won their Regional bracket, but ran into a hiccup against No. 3 Sand Springs. After falling 56-44 to the Lady Sandites, they won the Area Consolation 46-43 over No. 14 Bartlesville. 

Next up will be No. 3 Sand Springs (23-1) vs No. 13 Mustang (17-10) at 3:30 p.m. The Lady Sandites are now the only one-loss team left in 6A after both Edmond Santa Fe and Choctaw went down late in the season. They held on to the Frontier Valley Championship despite an upset loss to Owasso, then went undefeated in the post-season with a victory over Booker T. Washington for the Area Championship. Mustang has taken the low-key approach to the State Tournament. They placed sixth in the Central Oklahoma Conference, won their Regional with an upset of No. 8 Norman, fell to No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe in Area, but bounced back with an upset of No. 11 Westmoore. 

No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe (24-2) will meet with the biggest surprise of the season--unranked Ponca City (16-7). Santa Fe took the top-spot in the rankings after previous No. 1 Choctaw fell to 4A No. 1 Ft. Gibson at the Tournament of Champions. They went undefeated till after the Regional brackets came out, then fell 68-51 to No. 4 Deer Creek and 40-39 to No. 13 Mustang. Since then they've won their way through the post season with Regional and Area Championships, capped by a 65-55 payback victory over Mustang. Ponca City's outsider status at the State Tournament is fitting with their outsider status in Class 6A. The Lady Cats are the only team without a conference and have played a mix of teams at various levels of competition. They won their Regional with upsets of No. 12 Midwest City and No. 6 Owasso, then topped No. 9 Norman North in the Area Consolations.

The final game of the day will be between No. 2 Choctaw (23-3) and No. 5 Putnam City West (24-2) at 8:30 p.m. The Yellowjackets have held the No. 2 spot since their finals loss to 4A No. 1 Ft. Gibson in the Tournament of Champions. Despite the loss, they remained undefeated in their division till an upset by Putnam West snatched the Big Ten Conference title from their grip late in the season. They fell 62-50 to No. 4 Deer Creek in the first round of Area, and needed overtime to top No. 16 Edmond North for their ticket to State. Putnam West remains the only team undefeated in Class 6A, with their lone losses coming to Campbell County, Wyoming, and 3A No. 3 Holland Hall. They went undefeated in the post-season, topping Ponca City for the Area title. 

The semifinal games will be played at 9:00 a.m. and noon on Friday, with the Championship round being played at noon on Saturday.

---

Frontier Valley Conference

1. No. 3 Sand Springs (23-1, 13-1)
2. No. 6 Owasso (17-9, 11-3)
3. No. 14 Bartlesville (16-10, 10-3)
4. No. 17 Union (14-12, 8-6)
5. No. 15 Broken Arrow (13-11, 8-6)
6. No. 19 Sapulpa (10-13, 6-7)
7. Jenks (7-16, 5-9)
8. Muskogee (9-14, 4-10)
9. Bixby (7-16, 2-11)
10. 5A No. 17 Bishop Kelley (6-16, 2-12)

Big Ten Conference

1. No. 5 Putnam West (24-2, 13-0)
2. No. 2 Choctaw (24-3, 14-1)
3. No. 12 Midwest City (14-10, 10-3)
4. 5A No. 15 Bishop McGuinness (12-12, 6-7)
5. Putnam City (10-14, 6-8)
6. Enid (8-16, 5-8)
7. Lawton (8-16, 4-9)
8. 5A No. 14 Del City (9-17, 4-9)
9. Lawton Eisenhower (9-17, 3-11)
10. Putnam City North (3-21, 2-12)

Central Oklahoma Conference

1. No. 4 Deer Creek (24-2, 13-1)
2. No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe (24-2, 12-2) 
3. No. 8 Norman (17-9, 10-4)
4. No. 16 Edmond North (17-10, 9-5)
5. No. 10 Edmond Memorial (16-10, 9-5)
6. No. 13 Mustang (17-10, 8-6)
7. No. 11 Westmoore (17-10, 7-7)
8. No. 9 Norman North (16-10, 7-6)
9. No. 18 Yukon (11-12, 3-10)
10. No. 20 Moore (10-13, 3-10)
11. Southmoore (3-20, 1-13)
12. Stillwater (5-19, 1-13)

Green Country Conference

1. No. 6 Booker T. Washington (22-5, 12-0)
2. 5A No. 2 East Central (22-4, 10-2)
3. 5A No. 19 Tulsa Memorial (10-13, 8-4)
4. Will Rogers (12-13, 8-5)
5. McLain (8-15, 7-4)
6. Tulsa Edison (9-13, 6-7)
7. Tulsa Central (3-18, 3-10)
8. Nathan Hale (1-20, 1-10)
9. Daniel Webster (2-22, 0-11)

All-City Conference

1. 4A No. 3 Classen (28-2, 11-0)
2. Millwood (19-10, 11-1)
3. Northwest Classen (12-8, 8-3)
4. OKC Centennial (9-10, 7-2)
5. John Marshall (8-16, 6-5)
6. Douglass (8-15, 6-6)
7. Capitol Hill (15-8, 5-6)
8. Northeast Academy (7-12, 4-5)
9. Southeast (5-16, 3-8)
10. U.S. Grant (3-21, 1-11)
11. Star-Spencer (2-20, 0-12)

CPHS Girls headed to State for first time since 2011 after 56-44 win over No. 6 BTW

The Sand Springs Lady Sandites won the Area Championship for the first time since 2011. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

CPHS 56 BTW 44

1Q CPHS 8-6
2Q CPHS 13-4
3Q CPHS 23-16
4Q BTW 18-12

Free Throws: CPHS 16-of-26, BTW 10-of-17.
Field Goals: CPHS 18-of-41, BTW 16-of-54.
Fouls: CPHS 12, BTW 18.

Scoring: (CPHS) Johnson 20, Kersgieter 12, Regalado 8, McGee 7, Pennington 5, Mutiri 2, Taber 2. (BTW) Davidson 9, Ellis 8, Davis 8, Anderson 6, Jackson 4, Fennell 4, Richardson 3, Reed 2.

(CPHS only)
Offensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 4, Pennington 1, Mutiri 1, Regalado 1, Taber 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Regalado 8, McGee 5, Pennington 4, Kersgieter 3, Johnson 2, Mutiri 2.
Steals: Johnson 3, Pennington 2, Taber 2, Mutiri 1.
Assists: Pennington 3, Johnson 1, Kersgieter 1.
Blocks: Regalado 2, Kersgieter 1, McGee 1.
Fouls: Taber 5, Kersgieter 2, McGee 2, Pennington 2, Mutiri1.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It was history in the making Thursday evening at Will Rogers High School, as the No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (23-1) rolled to dominating 56-44 victory over No. 6 Booker T. Washington (21-5) in the Area Championship. The Lady Sandites will advance to the State Championship tournament next Thursday for the first time since 2011.

Sophomore standout Destiny Johnson tied her career-high with 20 points in the victory, aided by classmate Holly Kersgieter with 12 as the only two players from either team to score in double digits. 

It was a slow starter and the two teams combined for the lowest-scoring first half since the Sandites' season-opener against Bartlesville. The first quarter was evenly paced as both teams warmed up, but by halftime Sand Springs had emerged to double-digit lead over the Lady Hornets.

Sand Springs won the tipoff but turned it over on a travel. Johnson snagged a steal off the Hornet's corresponding possession and sent a long pass to Oklahoma State University-signed senior Sydney Pennington to draw first blood. It would be the first of many combinations for the two. Johnson got on the scoreboard on the next possession to make it 4-0.

The Hornets took a lot of shots, but made few, missing their first ten attempts before getting on the scoreboard with a layup from Megan Jackson. Kambri Davidson followed it up with two more before Johnson snagged yet another steal and transition layup.

Jackson posted two more for the Hornets but junior Ohio State Volleyball-commit Gloria Mutiri entered the game and gave her team an 8-6 lead to end the first period.

Johnson continued her impressive play with the opening basket of the second period on a long in-bound throw from Pennington, and Kersgieter added another basket soon after. Rhys Anderson got the Hornets on the scoreboard, but the deadly duo went back to reeking havoc. Pennington posted two, sent another long assist to Johnson, then hit the bucket once again. Camryn Fennell made her way onto the scoreboard for the Hornets' only other basket of the period, then Pennington and Kierra McGee ended out the half for a 21-10 Lady Sandite lead.

While the first half was a bit slow, the Sandites more than made up for it with their second highest-scoring third period of the season with 23 points. Kersgieter scored three times before Booker T. found the basket. It was back and forth from there till the end of the period when the Sandites went on a seven-point run with a pair of free throws from both Kersgieter and fellow sophomore Jacie Taber, and a three-pointer from Isabella Regalado. Anderson hit a pair from the charity stripe for the Hornets, but Sand Springs held a 44-26 lead going into the final stretch.

The Hornets ate into their deficit in the fourth quarter with seven points from the charity stripe, cutting it to 50-38, but those final twelve points were unattainable and the Sandites held on for a 56-44 victory to punch their ticket to State.

No. 3 CPHS Girls top No. 17 Union 58-46 in Regional Championship

CPHS senior Sydney Pennington scored a team-high points in a playoff victory over No. 17 Union. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

CPHS 58 Union 46

1Q Union 17-11
2Q Sand Springs 17-8
3Q Sand Springs 16-15
4Q Sand Springs 14-6

Scoring: (CPHS) Pennington 14, McGee 13, Mutiri 11, Kersgieter 10, Regalado 6, Johnson 4. (Union) Malham 26, Thomas 10, Moyer 6, Collins 3, Burgess 1.

(CPHS only)
Offensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 4, Pennington 4, Mutiri 1, Johnson 1, Taber 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Pennington 6, Mutiri 5, Kersgieter 3, Regalado 3, McGee 2, Taber 1.
Steals: Kersgieter 3, Mutiri 2, Pennington 2, McGee 1, Regalado 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 2.
Assists: McGee 5, Pennington 3, Regalado 1.
Fouls: Johnson 4, Mutiri 4, Kersgieter 4, Regalado 1.

By: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

The No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (22-1) erased a sloppy start to defeat No. 17 Union High School (14-11) by a final score of 58-46 to win the Regional Championship Saturday afternoon at Broken Arrow High School.

Lady Redskin De'Asia Thomas got the game underway with a layup that was quickly answered by a three ball from Kierra McGee. Ohio State University volleyball-committed junior Gloria Mutiri made a pair of free throws, but Taylor Malham scored through contact and made the bonus free throw, followed by a three pointer from Sadie Moyer. After a timeout was called by Sand Springs the Lady Sandites got things going a bit. Oklahoma State University softball-signed senior Sydney Pennington made a pair of layups and McGee hit a jumper. The Lady Redskins led 17-11 going into the second quarter. 

The second quarter got off to a much better start for the Lady Sandites as Mutiri hit a layup and Holly Kersgieter scored seven-straight points. Malham made a layup to stop the bleeding for Union, only to see McGee hit her second three pointer. The Lady Redskins went on a brief 5-0 run, but McGee hit her third three of the game in the final seconds of the first half to put Sand Springs up 28-25 at the break.  

Both teams came out for the second half fighting. Malham and Thomas combined for all 15 third quarter points for Union. Pennington scored eight of her team high 14 in the third, as well as Destiny Johnson and Isabella Regalado getting on the board. The fourth quarter would get under way with the Lady Sandites up by four. 

Sand Springs refused to relent, however, scoring the first eight points of the quarter to push the lead to 12, a number that was insurmountable for the Lady Redskins as they were unable to cut the lead to single digits for the remainder of the game. Pennington hit a pair of free throws followed by a Regalado triple. Mutiri posted up for a layup followed by a breakaway layup for Kersgieter, and McGee sealed the game with a pair of free throws. 

Four Lady Sandites scored in double figures led by Pennington who also pulled in a game high 10 rebounds. Malham led all scorers with 25 for Union. 

Both teams will advance to the Area playoffs after winning their first Regional games. Sand Springs will take on No. 6 Booker T. Washington (21-4) next weekend, with the winner advancing to State. Union will face No. 9 Norman North (15-9) in the first game of the Area Consolations. The winner of that game will face the loser of Ponca City (15-6) vs. No. 5 Putnam City West (23-2) for the ticket to State. 

No. 3 CPHS girls defeat Stillwater 59-32 in Regional Playoffs; Kersgieter scores 18

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter scored a game-high 18 points in a Regional playoff victory over Stillwater.

CPHS 59 SHS 32

1Q Stillwater 13-12
2Q Sand Springs 20-3
3Q Sand Springs 11-6
4Q Sand Springs 16-10

Free Throws: CPHS 11-of-19, SHS 12-of-15.
Field Goals: CPHS 22-of-52, SHS 9-of-39.
Fouls: CPHS 14, SHS 14.

Scoring: (CPHS) Kersgieter 18, Pennington 14, Mutiri 10, Johnson 6, Regalado 6, McGee 2, Solis 2, Collins 1. (SHS) Tuck 10, Lovelace 6, Kloos 4, Spiva 4, Campis 3, Morales 2, Jessell 2, Purdy 1.

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 3, Pennington 3, Johnson 2, Taber 2, Mutiri 1, Solis 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Pennington 6, McGee 6, Regalado 4, Kersgieter 4, Bunch 2, Mutiri 1, Johnson 1, Collins 1, Boaz 1.
Assists: McGee 4, Pennington 3, Kersgieter 1.
Steals: Johnson 3, McGee 2, Regalado 2, Taber 2, Kersgieter 1, Collins 1, Solis 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 4, Kersgieter 1, Pennington 1, Regalado 1. 
Fouls: Johnson 3, Mutiri 2, Regalado 2, Taber 2, Kersgieter 1, Pennington 1, McGee 1, Collins 1, Boaz 1.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It was a slow starter Thursday night at Broken Arrow High School, but by the end of the game the No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (21-1) had rolled to a dominating 59-32 victory over the unranked Stillwater Lady Pioneers (5-19) in the first round of the Regional playoffs. 

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter led all scorers with 18 points, followed by Oklahoma State University softball-signed senior Sydney Pennington with 14 and Ohio State University volleyball-committed junior Gloria Mutiri with 10. Taylor Tuck was the lone Lady Pioneer to break double-digits, scoring 10. 

The Sandites trailed after the first period for only the second time this season. They won the tip off, but missed their first four shots, including two and three point range and the charity stripe.

Senior forward Maggie Campis scored first blood for the Lady Pioneers from three-point range, but the Sandites took the lead with layups from Destiny Johnson and Pennington.

Taylor Tuck tied things up from the free throw line, Kierra McGee retook the lead for Sand Springs, then Stillwater went on a six-point run to retain the lead for the rest of the quarter. Mutiri entered the game towards the end of the period and scored four points from the charity stripe.

The second quarter was a whole different story, however, as the Sandites returned to their usual form and outscored Stillwater 20-3.

Johnson snagged a steal off the opening possession and took it coast to coast for two, then Pennington padded the score with a free throw. Kersgieter scored back-to-back layups, Tuck sank two from the charity stripe, then the power went out. After a brief intermission the Lady Sandites scored thirteen straight to close the half with a 32-16 advantage.

Sand Springs continued their streak with nine more to start the third before Allyson Spiva broke things up with back-to-back layups. By the end of the third the Sandites had pushed their advantage to 43-22.

Mutiri kicked the final stanza off with a layup, followed by a pair of free throws from Kersgieter. Kersgieter scored ten in the fourth quarter, including two threes before being pulled along with most of the starters by mid-period. Stillwater got the opportunity to shore up the gap against the Sandite bench and posted eight-straight before Daniela Solis posted the final points of the evening.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Saturday at 1:30 p.m. when they play the No. 17 Union Redskins (14-10) who defeated No. 15 Broken Arrow (13-11) 45-41 in overtime. Sand Springs has already topped the Redskins once this season by a score of 78-58. Taylor Malham led the Redskins against Broken Arrow with 20 points. Both teams will advance to the Area playoffs next weekend.

Lady Sandite Basketball wins Frontier Valley Conference Championship

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter led all scorers with 17 points Friday night at Bixby. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

CPHS 59 BHS 46

1Q Sand Springs 12-5
2Q Sand Springs 17-9
3Q Sand Springs 17-13
4Q Bixby 19-13

Scoring: (CPHS) Kersgieter 17, Johnson 14, McGee 13, Regalado 9, Pennington 6. (BHS) Tyree 16, Bittle 15, Myles 9, Fuhr 3, King 1, Stout 1, Brown 1.

(CPHS only)
Offensive Rebounds: McGee 3, Kersgieter 2, Pennington 1, Grant 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 3, Pennington 3, Taber 3, Johnson 2, Collins 2, Grant 2, McGee 1.
Steals: Pennington 3, Kersgieter 2, Johnson 2.
Assists: Johnson 3, McGee 3, Pennington 2, Collins 1, Kersgieter 1.
Blocks: Kersgieter 2, Regalado 2, Pennington 1, Johnson 1.
Fouls: Regalado 5, Kersgieter 3, Taber 3, Pennington 2, Johnson 2, Grant 1, Boaz 1.

The No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (20-1) pulled off a nearly perfect regular season to wrap up their first Frontier Valley Conference Championship in recent memory. Three Lady Sandites doubled in a 59-46 victory at Bixby to clench the title with a 13-1 record. The lone blemish on the girls' season was a 61-57 loss at No. 9 Owasso when starting center Gloria Mutiri was out with an ankle injury. Mutiri was absent from this game as well, playing club volleyball out of town, but it didn't affect the girls this time.

The girls took first place at both the Bishop Kelley Invitational and the Coffeyville Interstate Classic, and earned the right to host a Regional Tournament. Unfortunately the Ed Dubie Field House sustained water damage and the Regional was moved to Broken Arrow. The first game will be played this upcoming Thursday at 8:00 p.m. against Stillwater (5-18).

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter led all scorers Friday night at Bixby with 17 points, followed by Destiny Johnson with 14 and Kierra McGee with 13 for the Sandites. Sarah Tyree was top-dog for the Lady Spartans with 16, closely followed by Maddie Bittle with 15. This was Kersgieter's seventh time leading her team this season.

The visitors got off to a fast start as Johnson scored the opening points with a layup and free throw. Tyree retaliated in similar form to tied it at 3-3, but the Sandites took the lead from there and never looked back. McGee hit a three-pointer, Johnson added back-to-back twos, then Kersgieter scored her first points of the night to make it 12-3. Tyree had the final say of the first quarter with a layup and was the only Lady Spartan to score in the stanza.

Sand Springs doubled down on their host in the second quarter as Kersgieter posted eight points, aided by Johnson with five, McGee with two, and Sydney Pennington with two. Bittle and Dariann Myles both got in on the action for Bixby, but they trailed 29-14 going into halftime.

The third quarter was less of a blowout, though the Sandites did increase their lead to 46-27. The Spartans finally caught a break in the final stretch as Coach Dustin Morrow ran the bench on the Spartans. The home team scored the final eleven points of the game and won the period 19-13.