No. 1 Sandite Wrestling sends eight contenders to finals matches at Sapulpa

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 1 ranked Charles Page High School varsity wrestling team is currently sitting in first place at the Jerry Billings Invitational in Sapulpa, by a significant margin. The tournament began Friday morning and Sand Springs entered wrestlers in only ten of fourteen weight classes while resting several athletes with minor injuries.

The Sandites currently lead No. 3 Broken Arrow 194 points to 142, with 5A No. 3 Collinsville holding 133 points. The Sandites' massive lead is made even more impressive considering they didn't wrestle anybody at 152, 182, 195, or 285 pounds. Eight Sand Springs wrestlers will be competing for first place in their brackets, while six others have the possibility of placing as high as third place.

The consolation matches will begin Saturday at noon and the finals matches will be wrestled at 4:00 p.m. in the Sapulpa Chieftain Center at 1201 East Lincoln Avenue.

106 Riley Weir (Sand Springs) vs Rocky Stevens (Collinsville) - 1st Place
113 Tanner Ward (Sand Springs) vs Caleb Tanner (Collinsville) - 1st Place
120 Michael Ritchey (Sand Springs) vs Gunner Hamm (Collinsville) - 1st Place
126 Irwin Portillo (Sand Springs) vs Bennett Sherrer (Pryor) - Consolation Quarterfinals
126 Blake Sargent (Sand Springs) vs (Sherrer/Portillo) - Consolation Semifinals
132 Daton Fix (Sand Springs) vs TaJuan Daniels (Broken Arrow) - 1st Place
138 Jack Karstetter (Sand Springs) vs Louden Akin (Sperry) - 1st Place
145 Derek Davis (Sand Springs) vs Braden Roller (Bixby) - Consolation Quarterfinals
145 Beau Bratcher (Sand Springs) vs Nate Keim (Collinsville) - 1st Place
160 Mikey Burns (Sand Springs) vs Skylar Johnson (Union) - Consolation Quarterfinals
160 Noah Almy (Sand Springs) vs (Burns/Johnson) - Consolation Semifinals
170 Zane Basma (Sand Springs) vs Dalton Abney (Cascia Hall) - 1st Place
220 Gage Fain (Sand Springs) vs Noah Cortes (Broken Arrow) - Consolation Quarterfinals
220 Delvin Jordan (Sand Springs) vs Cody Adams (Bixby) - 1st Place

Colt Savage scores 34 as No. 18 Sand Springs tops No. 19 Bixby 76-71

Colt Savage led all scorers with 34 points in the Sandites' first conference win of the season. (Photo: Morgan Miller)

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

CPHS 76 Bixby 71

1Q Bixby 16-14
2Q Bixby 20-15
3Q Sand Springs 20-13
4Q Sand Springs 27-22

Fouls: Sand Springs 16, Bixby 18.
Free Throws: Sand Springs 21-of-28, Bixby 18-of-24. 

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Colt Savage 34, Garbey 21, Cale Savage 8, Wash 5, Taber 4, Golightly 2, Smith 2. (Bixby) Fiser 22, Hink 13, King 10, Waggnor 10, York 7, Moore 7, Homan 2. 

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

Muskogee 47 CPHS 42

1Q Muskogee 15-7
2Q Muskogee 12-12
3Q Sand Springs 17-12
4Q Muskogee 8-6

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Colt Savage 20, Keener 9, Garbey 9, Durkee 4. (Muskogee) Berry 18, Haddock 16, Davis 6, Evans 5, Cherry 2. 

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Keener 3, Durkee 2, Colt Savage 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Keener 6, Colt Savage 5, Golightly 2, Garbey 1, Cale Savage 1, Bogans 1.
Assists: Cale Savage 2, Keener 1, Durkee 1.
Blocks: Keener 1.
Fouls: Colt Savage 4, Cale Savage 4, Garbey 3, Golightly 2, Durkee 1.

The No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School boys varsity basketball team (6-5) hosted the No. 19 Bixby Spartans (5-6) Friday night at the Ed Dubie Field House and rolled to a wild 76-71 finish for their first conference win of the season. 6'5 junior Colt Savage led all scorers with a career-high 34 points, and two other Sandites also set personal records in one of the highest scoring games of the season.

The Sandites were without 6'6" senior power forward Kyle Keener, who averages more than 16 points per game this season, but the rest of the team more than stepped up to make up for his absence. Savage, Jacob Garbey, and Caleb Wash all had career-high scoring performances and seven players got in the scoring column. Wash also led the JV game with 15 points earlier that evening.

The first half belonged to the Spartans, though the home team was competitive throughout. The Sandites got the lead to start before Will Fiser hit three straight free throws to tie it up at 6-6. From there it was a back and forth shootout that ended with a two-pointer from Parker Moore to take the 16-14 lead shortly before the buzzer. Tre Smith made his varsity debut and shot a two in the first period.

The second quarter was equally back-and-forth with four lead changes and two tied scores. The Sandites led 24-22 midway through after a two-pointer from Josh Taber, but the Spartans outscored the home team 14-5 in the final minutes for a 36-29 halftime lead after a last second three from Logan York.

It was the Sandites' time to shine in the second half, though the Spartans led for the entire third quarter. Midway through the period Colt Savage his a two, Josh Taber had a steal and a layup, then Savage hit a two and free throw to cut it to 45-44. Savage and Staton King both sank free throws and York hit a two, but Wash launched a buzzer-beater three to tie things up 49-49. 

The final stretch saw a combined 49 points and was the highest scoring quarter of the night. Fiser reclaimed the lead for his team with a free throw and a two-pointer to start, but Colt Savage did the same and younger brother Cale Savage shot a three to take the penultimate lead.

Fiser shot another two and added one from the charity stripe, but a three pointer from Garbey gave the Sandites the lead once and for all. Cale and Colt Savage each sank a pair of free throws to make it a seven-point game. Half of the fourth quarter was spent at the free throw line, where Colt Savage scored eleven of his thirteen points for that period. 

At one point the Sandites led by as much as 69-59 after a pair of free throws from Peyton Golightly. The Sandites let Fiser end the night with an uncontested three-pointer and officially put away their first conference win of the season.

The Sandites traveled to No. 9 Muskogee (7-1) on Tuesday and suffered a close 47-42 defeat, partially at the hands of a former teammate. Junior standout and former Sandite Brooks Haddock transferred to Muskogee shortly before the season began and has led his new team in scoring with 21.7 points per game. He posted only sixteen against Sand Springs, but he had the final four of the night, effectively sealing the victory for Muskogee.

The Sandites dug themselves in a hole early-on, trailing 15-7 after the first period, but matched their opponents in the second and won the third 17-12. The Sandites were within a field goal going into the final stretch and back-to-back layups from Keener and Colt Savage put them within a point of their first conference victory at 43-42. With under a minute to play, Muskogee was playing keep-away and the Sandites had to foul three times quickly to get the Roughers to the line. Haddock sank the first two and made it 45-42. Jacob Garbey, who was four-of-six for the evening, was driving up court to shoot when he stumbled and was called for traveling with 2.9 seconds left. The Sandites fouled Haddock once again, but once again he sank both of his shots to seal the deal. 

Colt Savage led all players in scoring with 20 points and six rebounds, shooting eight-for-ten on field goals. Muskogee senior Tyreece Berry led his team with 18 points.

Oklahoma Men's High School Basketball: Week Eight Rankings and Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The last of the undefeated teams have fallen, leaving Union as the indisputable top-dog in 6A basketball. 

No. 1 Union (Last week No. 1)

Union (9-0) pulled in 28 first-place votes after winning the Putnam City Invitational last week. They defeated No. 20 Mustang (4-4) 49-37, 4A No. 7 Heritage Hall (5-4) 84-77, and No. 7 Putnam City West (8-5) 58-50. The Redskins hold the No. 15 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A, while playing one of the toughest schedules. They will return to action Tuesday when they host 5A No. 13 Bishop Kelley (4-3), then they will host unranked Owasso (5-4) on Friday. 

The picks:
Union 57 BK 45
Union 59 Owasso 47

No. 2 Edmond North (2)

Edmond North (8-1) pulled in two first-place votes and held on to their second-place spot after a bye week. The Huskies hold the No. 3 offense, No. 13 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in 6A and will travel to unranked Southmoore (1-8) on Tuesday and No. 13 Norman (6-3) on Friday. 

The picks:
EDN 65 Southmoore 52
EDN 62 Norman 59

No. 3 Midwest City (3)

Midwest City (9-2) picked up a dominating 83-54 win over No. 16 Lawton (5-3) last week. The Bombers hold the No. 2 offense and No. 4 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action when they host 5A No. 6 Eisenhower (4-2) on Tuesday. 

The pick: MWC 73 Ike 64.

No. 4 Putnam City West (7)

Putnam West (8-5) leapfrogged over the competition after a pair of quality wins at the Putnam City Invitational. They topped Putnam City (4-6) 65-56 and No. 6 Putnam City North (7-4) 91-88 in overtime before falling 58-50 to No. 1 Union (9-0). The Patriots hold the No. 10 offense and No. 17 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host No. 15 Lawton (5-3). 

The pick: PCW 66 Lawton 63.

No. 5 Putnam City North (6)

Putnam North (7-4) moved up a spot in the rankings despite losing two out of three games last week. They defeated the OKC Storm (16-14) 77-55 in the first round of the Putnam City Invitational, but fell 91-88 to Putnam West (8-5) and 71-55 to 4A No. 7 Heritage Hall (5-4). The Panthers hold the No. 5 offense and No. 11 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action at No. 20 Putnam City (4-6) on Monday, then will host unranked Choctaw (4-4) on Friday. 

The picks:
PCN 64 Putnam 61
PCN 63 Choctaw 61

No. 6 Westmoore (5)

Westmoore (10-1) slipped a spot in the rankings after giving up a 78-63 upset to No. 8 Norman North (6-2). The Jaguars hold the No. 9 offense, No. 4 defense, and No. 1 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Thursday when they host No. 17 Edmond Memorial (4-6). 

The pick: Westmoore 59 EDM 51.

No. 7 Norman North (8)

Norman North (6-2) is coming off a big week as they swept the Bishop McGuinness Tournament and upset No. 5 Westmoore (10-1) 78-63. They topped No. 12 Norman (6-3) 70-68, the OKC Knights (4-12) 120-42, and No. 14 Yukon (7-4) 72-51. The Timberwolves hold the No. 1 offense and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday with a rematch at No. 12 Yukon. 

The pick: NN 80 Yukon 68.

No. 8 Booker T. Washington (9)

Booker T. Washington (7-3) moved up a spot in the rankings after taking second place at the Skiatook Invitational, despite suffering an overtime upset to an unranked team. They defeated 5A No. 20 Pryor (4-5) 67-49 and No. 11 Broken Arrow (7-3) 62-50, but fell 72-71 to Owasso (5-4). The Hornets hold the No. 8 offense and No. 13 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday against Will Rogers (5-7), then will travel to 4A No. 2 Tulsa Central (8-3) on Friday.

The picks:
BTW 68 Rogers 60
Central 70 BTW 67

No. 9 Muskogee (10)

Muskogee (6-1) finally lost their first game of the season, 77-69 to Life Prep Academy (2-6) at the Muskogee Shrine Tournament, but they're still undefeated against Oklahoma teams and in conference. The Roughers hold the No. 6 offense, No. 19 defense, and No. 9 margin of victory in 6A and will host No. 18 Sand Springs (5-4) on Monday before traveling to unranked Jenks (1-6) on Friday. 

The picks: 
Muskogee 59 CPHS 57
Muskogee 68 Jenks 56

No. 10 Edmond Santa Fe (4)

Edmond Santa Fe (7-3) dropped hard in the rankings after a stunning 47-45 upset by 5A No. 17 Bishop McGuinness (3-8), whom they were expected to throttle. They also lost a close 44-39 matchup to unranked Deer Creek (5-6) before finally snapping out of it with a 103-41 victory over the OKC Knights (4-12). The Wolves hold the No. 13 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday when they get a home court rematch against Deer Creek. 

The pick: ESF 60 DC 50

No. 11 Broken Arrow (11)

Broken Arrow (7-3) won two of three games at the Skiatook Invitational, hammering Daniel Webster (2-9) 72-42, falling 62-50 to No. 9 Booker T. Washington (7-3), then topping 5A No. 5 East Central (7-4) 59-45. Caleb Huffman averaged 16.3 points per game, followed by Tony Hall with 14.3 and Braden Boyer with 12. The Tigers hold the No. 19 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 10 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at No. 14 Sapulpa (5-2). 

The pick: BAHS 60 Sapulpa 57

No. 12 Yukon (14)

Yukon (7-4) won two of three games at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament and took second place last week. They topped Deer Creek (5-6) 64-57 and 5A No. 17 Bishop McGuinness (3-8) 65-58 before falling 72-51 to No. 8 Norman North (6-2) in the finals. The Millers hold the No. 11 offense, No. 18 defense, and No. 14 margin of victory in 6A and will get a rematch against Norman North on their home court Friday. 

The pick: Norman North 68 Yukon 65

No. 13 Norman (12)

Norman (6-3) took a slight dip in the rankings after winning two of three games at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament. They topped No. 15 Edmond Memorial (4-6) 41-38 and 5A No. 17 Bishop McGuinness (3-8) 50-48, but fell 70-68 to No. 8 Norman North (6-2). The Tigers hold the No. 14 offense, No. 10 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at Mustang (4-4), then will host No. 2 Edmond North (8-1 on Thursday).

The pick: Norman 57 Mustang 52

No. 14 Sapulpa (13) 

Sapulpa (5-2) dropped a spot despite a 78-66 win over Newcastle (2-6) in the first round of the Ada Tournament, which was cancelled on day two. The Chieftains hold the No. 6 offense and No. 16 margin of victory in 6A and will host No. 11 Broken Arrow (7-3) Tuesday before traveling to No. 16 Bartlesville (5-4) on Friday. 

The pick: Sapulpa 58 Bartlesville 56

No. 15 Lawton (16)

Lawton (5-3) moved up a spot in the rankings despite getting hammered 83-54 by No. 3 Midwest City (9-2). The Wolverines hold the No. 12 offense in 6A and will travel to No. 4 Putnam City West (8-5) Tuesday, then will host No. 20 Putnam City (4-6) on Thursday. 

The pick: Putnam City 62 Lawton 60.

No. 16 Bartlesville (17)

Bartlesville (5-4) moved up a spot in the rankings after a second place performance at their home tournament. They defeated Enid (3-10) 63-57 and Southmoore (1-8) 44-36, but fell 63-44 to 5A No. 1 Carl Albert (11-0). Barron Tanner led the team with 14 points per game, followed by A.J. Archambo with 13.3. The Bruins hold the No. 6 defense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at No. 19 Bixby (4-5) before hosting No. 14 Sapulpa (5-2) on Friday. 

The pick: Bartlesville 52 Bixby 51.

No. 17 Edmond Memorial (15)

Edmond Memorial (4-6) had a rough go at the Bishop McGuinness tournament, defeating the OKC Knights (4-12) 79-27, but falling 41-38 to No. 12 Norman (6-3) and 52-51 to unranked Deer Creek (5-6). The Bulldogs hold the No. 2 defense and No. 19 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host unranked Stillwater (4-6). They will travel to No. 6 Westmoore (10-1) on Thursday.

The pick: EDM 53 Stillwater 49.

No. 18 Sand Springs (19)

Sand Springs (5-4) moved up a spot in the rankings after a bye week. The Sandites hold the No. 16 offense, No. 1 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in 6A and will travel to No. 9 Muskogee (6-1) on Tuesday, then will host No. 19 Bixby (4-5) on Friday. 

The pick: CPHS 58 Bixby 50

No. 19 Bixby (18)

Bixby (4-5) dropped a spot in the rankings after winning only one of three games at the Bartlesville Tournament last week. They fell 79-61 to 5A No. 1 Carl Albert (11-0) and 52-51 to 5A No. 15 Del City (4-6) before topping unranked Enid (3-10) 62-60 in overtime. The Spartans hold the No. 14 defense in 6A and will host No. 16 Bartlesville (5-4) on Tuesday before traveling to No. 18 Sand Springs (5-4) on Friday. 

No. 20 Putnam City (unranked)

Putnam City (4-6) entered the rankings after winning one of two games at the Putnam City Invitational last week. They fell 65-56 to No. 7 Putnam West (8-5) and 54-48 to No. 20 Mustang (4-4), but defeated the OKC Storm (16-14) 64-53. 

Conference Strength

1. Big Ten (52.5)
2. Central Oklahoma (46)
3. Green Country (45.33)
4. Frontier Valley (45.3)
5. All-City (31.5)

No. 1 Sandites remain undefeated with 46-21 victory at No. 3 Broken Arrow

Delvin Jordan and Zach Marcheselli are both ranked No. 1 in their weight classes. Marcheselli moved up a division and lost a 4-3 decision to Jordan Thursday night in Broken Arrow.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

CPHS 46 BAHS 21

106 #3 Riley Weir t.f. #7 Jackson Cockrell 16-1
113 #3 Tanner Ward t.f. #4 Andrew Police 15-0
120 #4 Michael Ritchey d. Blake Gonzalez 1-0
126 #5 Blake Sargent p. James Phares 0:55
132 #1 Daton Fix p. Matt Police 1:33
138 #3 Jack Karstetter d. #5 TaJuan Daniels 5-2
145 #2 Beau Bratcher p. #7 Bryce Mattioda 1:15
152 #1 Payton Scott p. Aedan Cottle 3:20
160 #10 Brady Mattioda d. #8 Noah Almy 7-3
170 #2 Zane Basma d. #3 Caleb Wise 4-2
182 #1 Gavin Potter inj. Luke Bratcher
195 Noah Cortes p. #10 Gage Fain 5:59
220 #1 Delvin Jordan d. #1 Zach Marcheselli 4-3
285 #3 Trenton Lieurance p. Dominique Pipes 2:28

The No. 1 ranked Charles Page High School varsity wrestling team (5-0) traveled to No. 3 Broken Arrow (2-2) Thursday night and won ten out of fourteen matches to continue their undefeated start to the season. Only two other undefeated teams remain and Sand Springs won't meet either in the regular season.

Sand Springs has held the No. 1 spot in the tournament rankings since winning the Perry Tournament a month ago, and they have been tied for first in the dual rankings with Choctaw (3-0) for two weeks now. Both teams received nine first-place votes this past week and neither will get the chance to knock each other off till Dual State. No. 4 Edmond North (5-0) is also undefeated, but they will end their regular season at Choctaw in early February. 

The Sandites will return to action Friday and Saturday at Sapulpa High School for the Jerry Billings Invitational against a tough field that includes No. 3 Broken Arrow, No. 6 Union, No. 8 Ponca City, 4A No. 6 Cascia Hall, 5A No. 3 Collinsville, and 3A No. 4 Plainview.

The dual started off at 106 with State Qualifier Riley Weir (16-6 season, 37-18 career) versus freshman Jackson Cockrell. It took Weir less than twenty seconds to take down his opponent and he worked him over for back points with half a minute left in the period. Weir started the second period neutral with a 5-0 lead and doubled it going into the final stretch. He start the third period on bottom and quickly reversed for nearfall points before cutting his opponent loose. He ended things with a takedown for a 16-1 tech fall in 5:20.

Senior State-placer Tanner Ward (14-7, 90-19) and Andrew Police came out fast and aggressive, and it was the Sandite who took the early 5-0 lead with nearfall points. He added two more back points soon after and started the second period on bottom with a 7-0 advantage. A quick reversal and nearfall points finished it off 15-0 in 3:44. 

Senior State-placer Michael Ritchey (16-7, 45-31) met Blake Gonzalez in a well-matched bout that ended the first period 0-0. Ritchey got the first and only point after escaping to start the second period, and once again neither contender could secure a takedown. Ritchey never allowed his opponent to break free and secured the 1-0 decision for a 13-0 team lead.

Junior State-placer Blake Sargent (16-6, 68-20) came out jacked for the Sandites and phinned James Phares in 0:55 after taking an early 2-0 lead. Senior three-time State Champion Daton Fix (21-0, 139-0) worked his typical mayhem against Matt Police at 132 pounds and built an 8-3 lead before getting the pin in 1:33 to give his team a 25-0 advantage. 

State Qualifier TaJuan Daniels put up a tough match against State Runner-Up Jack Karstetter (7-1, 80-16), but the Sandite was resilient despite having wrestled only one match in the last month. The match was tied 2-2 going into the third period when Karstetter took the lead with an escape. His Broken Arrow counterpart was looking desperately for an open shot, but the Sandite came out on top to end things 5-2.

State Runner-Up Beau Bratcher (18-5, 109-28) wasted no time in taking down Bryce Mattioda and pinned his foe in 1:15. State-placer Payton Scott (20-1, 41-8) wrestled a page out of the Daton Fix playbook, working up a quick 8-4 lead by taking down his opponent just to cut him loose repeatedly. He eventually pinned Aedan Cottle in 3:20 to officially secure the dual as a Sandite victory with a 40-0 lead.

Sophomore Noah Almy (9-10) was equally matched against State-qualifier Brady Mattioda throughout the first period and started the second 0-0. Almy scored first on an escape, then gave up a takedown, but escaped again to tie it up at 2-2. Mattioda started the third period down, escaped, scored, and led 5-2. Almy escaped, but Mattioda came out on top once again to end things 7-3 and officially put points on the board for Broken Arrow. 

Zane Basma (6-1, 64-25) and Caleb Wise both took third in State last year and were very close for the entirety of their match. Wise struck first, but Basma didn't stay under for long. He trailed 2-1 starting the second on top, but never let his opponent loose and added nearfall points to make it 3-2. He cushioned his lead with a third period escape and stayed up through the remainder for a 4-2 decision.

Luke Bratcher (3-1) suffered an unfortunate loss after a great start to a tough match. The Sophomore took on top-ranked Gavin Potter at 182 and the two were all knotted up early on, leaving a literal blood trail in their wake. After a timeout for cleanup, Bratcher quickly put points on the board for a 2-0 lead before giving up the match on an injury default. 

Gage Fain (13-7, 26-29) wrestled against Noah Cortes and suffered a literal last-second pin. The Tiger scored first, but Fain reversed almost immediately before letting Cortes out with seconds to go in the first period. Cortes started the second with another escape, gave up a point on an illegal hold, then added a takedown with twenty seconds to go. Trailing 6-3 to start the third, Fain scored an escape and picked up another caution point to cut it to a one point deficit before giving up another takedown. This time Cortes added nearfall points before Fain was saved by yet another illegal hold to make it 11-7. Cortes added another takedown, cut Fain loose, took him down again, cut him loose again, then got the pin with a single second left.

The marquee match-up of the evening was State Qualifier Delvin Jordan (20-2, 51-14) against State Champion Zach Marcheselli. Jordan is ranked first in the State in 220 after winning the Perry and Geary Championships, while Marcheselli is ranked first in 195 with Geary, Cascia Hall, and Gardner-Edgerton Championships this season. The two top-dogs of their divisions put on one of the most intense matches of the night. Jordan led 2-0 after a wild first period and added an escape to start the second. Marcheselli tied it up immediately to start the third with an escape and a takedown, but Jordan cut loose to make it 4-3, which he held till the end.

Sophomore Dominique Pipes (0-2, 0-4) wrestled his second dual of his career, and for the second time was pitted against a State-qualifier. He took on Senior Trenton Lieurance and trailed 8-1 before getting pinned in 2:28.

Oklahoma Girls High School Basketball: Week Eight Rankings and Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

There were a lot of tournaments scheduled for this past weekend, and there were a lot of games cancelled due to the blanket of ice and snow that covered the state. For the first time this season there is a new number one team, but not due to head to head matchup.

No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe (Previously No. 2)

Edmond Santa Fe (10-0) picked up sixteen first-place votes to claim the top spot, despite not playing a game since the new year. The Lady Wolves hold the No. 6 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday when they host their toughest opponent yet, No. 5 Deer Creek (9-1), who is also undefeated within the conference.

The pick: Deer Creek 48 ESF 47.

No. 2 Choctaw (1)

Choctaw (10-1) brought in eleven first-place votes and slipped from the number-one spot for the first time this season, despite a dominating 85-17 performance over Northwest Classen (3-4) in the first round of the Ada Tournament. Their only loss this season was 52-45 to 4A No. 1 Ft. Gibson (9-0) at the Tournament of Champions.

The Yellowjackets hold the No. 2 offense, No. 1 defense, and No. 1 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at 5A No. 13 Del City (4-6). They will also take on unranked Putnam City North (1-9) Friday. 

The picks:
Choctaw 70 Del 41
Choctaw 75 PCN 34

No. 3 Sand Springs (3)

Sand Springs (7-0) didn't get to play the whole Muskogee tournament, but they got in a 60-46 victory over Providence Academy before the ice storm hit and received two first-place votes. As always, the scoring was spread out with seven Lady Sandites on the scoreboard and three in double digits, led by sophomore Holly Kersgieter with a career-best 16. 

The Lady Sandites hold the No. 5 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Tuesday at unranked Muskogee (3-4), then will host unranked Bixby (3-7) on Friday. 

The picks:
CPHS 55 Muskogee 42
CPHS 55 Bixby 43

No. 4 Putnam City West (4)

Putnam West (10-1) handily swept the Putnam City Invitational last week with two blowouts and received one first-place vote. They dominated the OKC Storm (11-2) 70-49, topped in-town rival Putnam City (4-5) 81-72, then stomped No. 15 Union (6-3) 67-41. The Patriots hold the No. 1 offense, No. 14 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Tuesday when they host unranked Lawton (3-4). 

The pick: PCW 60 Lawton 43

No. 5 Deer Creek (5) 

Deer Creek (9-1) is still undefeated in 6A with their only loss coming to 5A No. 1 Collinsville (9-1). Last week they topped Class A No. 12 Ft. Cobb-Broxton (11-5) 71-36, 4A No. 10 Blanchard (8-3) 59-40, and 4A No. 8 Anadarko (7-3) 46-40 in the Anadarko Tourrnament. 

The Antlers hold the No. 7 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Friday at No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe (10-0). 

No. 6 Westmoore (6)

Westmoore (8-3) dropped a 51-48 upset to No. 9 Norman North (7-2) last week, then came in second at their home tournament, defeating the OKC Knights (3-8) 78-26 and No. 18 Sapulpa (5-4) 72-38 before falling 68-52 in the finals to 4A No. 2 Harrah (10-1). Junior Jessi Murcer led the team with 24.3 points per game, followed by freshman sister Kristen with 13.6. 

The Jaguars hold the No. 3 offense, No. 10 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday when they host No. 13 Edmond Memorial (5-4).

The pick: Westmoore 54 EDM 41.

No. 7 Booker T. Washington (7)

Booker T. Washington (9-3) had a rough time at the Westmoore Tournament last week, dropping two games by a single point. They dominated unranked Enid (4-9) 69-38 in the first round before falling 44-43 to 4A No. 2 Harrah (10-1) and 53-52 to No. 18 Sapulpa (5-4). 

The Lady Hornets hold the No. 4 offense, No. 4 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host unranked 4A Will Rogers (8-4). On Friday they will travel to another unranked 4A opponent in Tulsa Central (2-6). 

The picks:
BTW 61 Rogers 46
BTW 61 Central 32

No. 8 Norman North (9)

Norman North (7-2) bumped up a spot in the rankings after topping No. 6 Westmoore (8-3) at home last week. The Timberwolves hold the No. 8 offense, No. 12 defense, and No. 9 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday when they travel to No. 18 Yukon (7-4). 

The pick: NN 50 Yukon 45.

No. 9 Norman (8)

Norman (7-2) slipped a spot in the rankings after a bye week, but will get the chance to make up for it Tuesday when they travel to No. 14 Mustang (4-4) and Thursday when they host No. 17 Edmond North (5-4). The Tigers hold the No. 9 offense, No. 8 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in 6A.

The picks:
Norman 50 Mustang 43
Norman 49 EDN 46. 

No. 10 Owasso (10)

Owasso (7-5) won two of three games last week at the Skiatook Tournament, defeating the 5A No. 11 host team (6-3) 53-42 before falling 52-47 to 5A No. 12 Pryor (6-4). In the consolations they topped No. 16 Mustang (4-4) 46-42. Terryn Milton led the team with 14 points per game, closely followed by Mya Bhinhar with 13.6.

The Lady Rams hold the No. 19 offense and No. 19 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host unranked Jenks (2-5). They will travel to No. 12 Union (6-3) Friday).

The picks:
Owasso 52 Jenks 46
Union 48 Owasso 44

No. 11 Midwest City (13)

Midwest City (7-4) made a statement last week with a 65-32 blowout over Lawton (3-4). The Bombers hold the No. 15 offense, No. 16 defense, and No. 14 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host 5A unranked Lawton Eisenhower (2-7). 

The pick: MWC 50 Ike 42.

No. 12 Union (15)

Union (6-3) received a bump in the rankings after winning two of three games at the Putnam City Invitational. They dominated Putnam City North (1-9) 62-31 and No. 11 Edmond Memorial (6-4) 52-29 before falling 67-41 to No. 4 Putnam City West (10-1). The Redskins hold the No. 16 offense, No. 4 defense, and No. 12 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host 5A No. 15 Bishop Kelley (3-4), then will host No. 10 Owasso (7-5) on Friday. 

The pick: Union 49 BK 39.

No. 13 Edmond Memorial (11)

Edmond Memorial (6-4) won two out of three games at last week's Putnam City Invitational, but dropped a 52-29 upset to No. 15 Union (6-3). They defeated Southmoore (2-7) 47-28 and Putnam City (4-6) 51-47. The Bulldogs hold the No. 17 defense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host unranked Stillwater (2-8), then will travel to No. 6 Westmoore (8-3) on Friday. 

The pick: EDM 47 Stillwater 42

No. 14 Mustang (16)

Mustang (4-4) got a nice bump in the rankings after a 46-43 overtime win over No. 12 Bartlesville (4-5) in the first round of the Skiatook Tournament, despite falling 52-45 to 4A No. 1 Ft. Gibson (9-0) and 46-42 to No. 10 Owasso (7-5). Senior Abby Niehues led in two out of three games with an average score of 12. The girls hold the No. 18 defense and No. 17 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host No. 9 Norman (7-2) and unranked Southmoore (2-7) on Friday. 

The pick: Mustang 50 Southmoore 41.

No. 15 Bartlesville (12)

Bartlesville (4-5) took a drop in the rankings after winning only one of two games at the Skiatook Tournament. They fell 46-43 to No. 16 Mustang, hammered 4A McLain (2-7) 52-18, then lost 56-50 to 5A No. 11 Skiatook (6-3). The Bruins hold the No. 6 defense and No. 15 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at unranked Bixby (5-7), then will host No. 18 Sapulpa (5-4) on Friday. 

The picks:
Bartlesville 48 Bixby 45
Bartlesville 43 Sapulpa 38.

No. 16 Broken Arrow (14)

Broken Arrow (5-5) fell a few spots in the rankings after winning only one of two games at the Skiatook Tournament. They fell 38-35 to 5A No. 12 Pryor (6-4) and 52-48 to 5A No. 11 Skiatook (6-3) in overtime before getting a 48-40 win over 4A unranked McLain (2-7). Kinsey Callen led the team with an average of 13 points per game, followed by Jalise Smallwood with 9.6. The Tigers hold the No. 11 defense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at No. 19 Sapulpa (5-4).

The pick: BA 45 Sapulpa 44. 

No. 17 Edmond North (17)

Edmond North (5-4) held on to their position in the rankings after a bye week. The Huskies hold the No. 13 offense, No. 15 defense, and No. 13 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at unranked Southmoore (2-7), then will travel to No. 9 Norman (7-2) on Thursday.

The pick: EDN 52 Southmoore 41.

No. 18 Yukon (19)

Yukon (7-4) moved up a notch after sweeping the Chickasha Tournament with three solid wins. They defeated unranked 3A Douglass (2-7) 66-51, 5A No. 16 MacArthur (5-5) 59-47, and 5A No. 17 Duncan (6-8) 69-39. The Millers hold the No. 18 offense, No. 20 defense, and No. 18 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday when they host No. 8 Norman North (7-2).

No. 19 Sapulpa (18)

Sapulpa (5-4) slipped a spot in the rankings despite a pair of impressive top-ten upsets at the Westmoore Tournament this past weekend. They defeated 5A No. 10 Carl Albert (6-5) 58-48, fell 72-38 to No. 6 Westmoore (8-3), then topped No. 7 Booker T. Washington (9-3) 53-52. Kiarra Brooks led the team with 13 points per game, followed by Taylor Dement with 9.6. The Chieftains hold the No. 20 offense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday when they host No. 16 Broken Arrow (5-5). On Friday they will travel to No. 15 Bartlesville (4-5). 

No. 20 Ponca City (20)

Ponca City (6-2) held on to their spot in the rankings after dominating unranked 5A Guthrie (3-6) 57-31 and unranked Jenks (2-5) 60-44 last week. Julissa Garcia scored 18 against Jenks, followed by Baylee Fincher with 14. The Wildcats hold the No. 12 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 10 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Tuesday when they host 5A No. 9 El Reno (6-4). 

The pick: Ponca 46 El Reno 45.

Conference Strength

1. Central Oklahoma (55)
2. Frontier Valley (39.5)
3. Big Ten (37.8)
4. Green Country (25.8)
5. All-City (9.9)

No. 3 Lady Sandites remain undefeated with 62-43 victory over Muskogee

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

CPHS 62 Muskogee 43

1Q Sand Springs 14-13
2Q Sand Springs 12-5
3Q Muskogee 15-11
4Q Sand Springs 25-10

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Kersgieter 14, Johnson 13, Mutiri 13, Pennington 12, McGee 7, Regalado 3. (Muskogee) Mims 20, Virgin 11, Patterson 8, Nash 1.

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

CPHS 60 Providence 46

1Q Sand Springs 16-9
2Q Sand Springs 16-13
3Q Sand Springs 12-8
4Q Sand Springs 16-16

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Kersgieter 16, Mutiri 12, Johnson 11, McGee 7, Pennington 7, Regalado 5, Collins 2. (Providence) Webb 18, Curry 11, Buivydiate 11, Siemans 3, Kash 3.

The No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School varsity girls basketball team (8-0 overall, 4-0 conference) traveled to unranked Muskogee (3-5, 2-2) and secured their eighth-straight double-digit win Tuesday evening.

Four Lady Sandites doubled in the affair and sophomore Holly Kersgieter led with 14 points and five rebounds. Destiney Johnson and Gloria Mutiri both scored 13 and Sydney Pennington had 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. 

It was a slow starter for the Lady Sandites, who average a 30-15 lead at the half thus far this season. The girls were only ahead by a single point after the first quarter and were only four points ahead by the fourth. 

The Lady Roughers should have been a breeze considering the Sandites' past performances this season, but Trena Mims was unstoppable to start the game, scoring the first nine points for the Roughers to lead the Sandites 9-4. The Sandites finally found their feet late in the first quarter to regain the lead, and pushed it as high as 26-18 in the second before being outscored 15-11 in the third. 

Kersgieter went to work in the fourth quarter, scoring nine straight points, followed by six from Gloria Mutiri. The Lady Sandites dominated 25-10 for a final score more closely resembling the rest of their games.

This was Kersgieter's second team-high in a row as she also scored a career-high 16 points this past weekend. The Lady Sandites won their first round game in the Muskogee Shriner Tournament 60-46 over Providence Academy. The rest of the tournament was cancelled due to weather.

Sand Springs will return to action Friday when they host unranked Bixby (2-4, 0-3).