By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
The No. 12 ranked Sapulpa High School boys' basketball team (17-7) extended their season by at least one more night by putting an end to the season for their Highway 97 rivals from Sand Springs. The Charles Page High School Sandites (12-14) battled back from a 23-point deficit in the third quarter of the Area Consolation Semifinals, but ultimately fell 85-73 at Whitey Ford arena in Bixby Friday night.
It was a shootout from the very beginning as University of Central Oklahoma-signed senior Kyle Keener drew first blood for the Sandites off an assist from Colt Savage. Keenan Ballance hit a pair from the stripe, Savage reclaimed the lead with a two-point jump shot, then Julian Smith did the same to tie it right back up. The back and forth affair continued with the Chieftains first taking the lead at 9-8 off a three-point basket from Ballance. Ballance scored again from two-point range then it was back and forth again with Sapulpa leading 17-15 at the buzzer.
Smith made it a two-score game with a pair of free throws to start the second, but Keener and Jacob Garbey scored back-to-back to tie it at 19-all. Ballance struck again from three-point range, then Keener hit double digits with 5:30 left in the half.
Then Sapulpa began to pull away. Smith hit two from the stripe and Ballance snagged a steal and scored in transition. Not to be outdone, Smith did the same, and did it twice in a row to make it 30-21. The Chieftains were deadly from three-point range, shooting six-of-eleven in the first half and slowly deepening the gap to 45-31 by halftime.
Both teams had two players in double digits by the final buzzer of the half. Ballance and Smith led all scorers with 20 and 19 respectively, followed by Keener with 15 and Savage with 12.
Senior Josh Taber started the second half hot for Sand Springs, scoring twice in the first minute to cut things to 48-37, but Sapulpa scored six-straight before Matt Price made his way into the scorebook with a layup. It wasn't enough to stymie the Chieftain tide, however. Hunter Hoggatt got in on the action with a three, Smith made a three-point play off a Savage foul, then scored through contact once again to make it 62-39 with 2:10 in the third.
Just as things were beginning to look bleak, the Sandites went on a nine-point run. Colt Savage hit a two, younger brother Cale Savage hit his first bucket of the game with a three ball, the elder Savage hit two from the charity stripe, and Keener hit a layup to cut it to 62-48. Ballance got the final say of the period and the Chieftains entered the final stretch 64-48.
Keener dominated the basket in the fourth quarter, scoring thrice on offensive rebounds, and picked up penalty shots on two of them all in the first few minutes. A basket by Price cut things to 71-58, but the deficit would remain in that region for the duration. The closest the Sandites would get was 78-68, but as soon as Sand Springs would start to draw near, the Chieftains would surge forward once again, ultimately holding out for the 85-73 win.
Three players ended up north of thirty in the wild affair, and five broke double digits. Ballance led all scorers with 35 points, and teammates Smith and Trey Phipps contributed 30 and 15, respectively. Keener ended his high-school career with a bang and led the Sandites for the eighth time this season with his fifth double-double. The future Broncho scored 31 points to beat his previous career-high of 22, and snatched eleven rebounds. Junior Colt Savage posted 22 points with six rebounds.
The Chieftains will take on No. 7 Booker T. Washington (18-7) in the Area Consolation Finals Saturday at 6:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to the State Tournament next week. The two teams have yet to meet this season.
