Girls Basketball: Norman wins first State Title since 2005, 44-31 against Norman North

They didn’t win their conference. They didn’t win their Region. But when it came down to it, the No. 12 ranked Norman High School girls basketball team (23-7) won the games that counted most, ending the season on a five-game streak for their fifth State Title and first since 2005. To make it extra sweet, the finals win came against their in-town rivals, No. 4 Norman North (22-7).

6’2” sophomore standout Kendra Gillispie led the Tigers with double-doubles in all three games of the tournament. She recorded 59 points and 37 rebounds in the three-round Championship.

The game marked the first State Title for the Central Oklahoma conference since 2015, and the first 6A title since 2012. The conference holds 23 titles overall and sixteen in the top classification. Frontier Valley continues to lead the top-class race with eighteen titles.

The final season rankings proved that polls don’t matter and only thing that counts is a team’s desire to win.

Only four of the top eight-ranked teams advanced to the State Tournament, and three of those four were knocked off in the quarterfinals. Three out of four semifinal teams weren’t even ranked in the top-ten, let alone the top-four.

Top-ranked Putnam West and No. 2 Shawnee tied for the longest win-streak of the season with 22-straight victories apiece. Jenks had the biggest win of the season, 94-11 over Daniel Webster. Sand Springs had the highest-scoring game, 109-39 over Muskogee.

State Tournament Results
Finals: Norman 44-31 Norman North.
SF: Norman 55-48 Edmond Santa Fe.
SF: Norman North 59-49 Mustang.
QF: Norman 59-52 Sand Springs.
QF: Edmond Santa Fe 51-43 Shawnee.
QF: Norman North 41-29 Union.
QF: Mustang 51-50 Putnam City West.

Class 6A by win/loss record
Shawnee (25-2)
Putnam West (23-2)
Sand Springs (21-5)
Union (21-6)
Norman (23-7)
Norman North (22-7)
Edmond North (20-7)
Choctaw (20-7)
Moore (19-7)
Mustang (20-9)
Midwest City (17-7)
Bartlesville (18-8)
Edmond Santa Fe (19-9)
Ponca City (16-8)
Edmond Memorial (17-9)
Deer Creek (16-10)
Booker T. Washington (16-11)
Sapulpa (13-10)
Westmoore (12-11)
Bixby (12-12)
Jenks (11-12)
Southmoore (9-14)
Putnam North (9-14)
Broken Arrow (9-15)
Enid (8-16)
Owasso (7-17)
Putnam City (6-15)
Yukon (6-17)
Stillwater (5-19)
Lawton (3-17)
U.S. Grant (2-20)
Muskogee (2-21)

Top Girls’ Offenses
73.4 Putnam City West
61.0 Jenks
60.3 Choctaw
59.6 Midwest City
59.4 Sand Springs
59.3 Shawnee
59.3 Booker T. Washington
58.8 Ponca City
58.5 Norman
58.4 Moore

Top Girls’ Defenses
36.9 Union
37.1 Shawnee
41.8 Edmond Memorial
42.4 Norman North
43.3 Bartlesville
43.3 Choctaw
45.3 Moore
45.4 Bixby
45.6 Edmond North
45.7 Sapulpa

Top Avg. Margin of Victory
23.9 Putnam City West
22.2 Shawnee
16.9 Choctaw
13.1 Moore
11.9 Norman
10.8 Sand Springs
10.7 Bartlesville
10.3 Union
10.2 Mustang
9.3 Midwest City

6A Conference Post-Season Records
25-18 Central Oklahoma - 3 Regional Champs, 3 Area Consolation Champs, 1 Area Champ, State Champ.
9-12 Frontier Valley - 3 Regional Champs, 2 Area Champs.
3-2 Suburban - 1 Area Champ.
5-8 Big Ten - 2 Regional Champs, 1 Area Champ.
0-1 All-City

CPHS Basketball: Class of 2019 leaves legacy of Sandite greatness

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They never brought home State gold, but the seniors on the 2018-2019 Charles Page High School girls’ basketball team left their mark on the program and will be remembered for years to come.

The Class 6A No. 6 ranked Lady Sandites (21-5) ended the season in a 59-52 loss to No. 12 Norman (21-7) Thursday afternoon at Memorial Veterans Arena in the OSSAA State Quarterfinals. Thus ended the high school careers of six athletes who will go down as one of the best units in school history.

Destiny Johnson will continue her career at the University of Tulsa, Holly Kersgieter will play for the University of Kansas, and Isabella Regalado will play at Northeastern State University. Jacie Taber will also play college ball, but for the Missouri State softball team. Ashlee Bunch and Daniela Solis are also seniors.

The Class of 2019 went 80-24 overall, 45-11 in conference, 12-5 in the playoffs, and 28-5 on their home court. They won two Frontier Valley Conference titles, three Regional titles, and three Area titles, and had two undefeated seasons in the Ed Dubie Field House. They also won the Interstate Classic twice and the Bishop Kelley Invitational thrice.

They may not have brought home the school’s second gold ball, but when they stepped on the court as freshmen, they inherited a program that had gone 25-68 in the four years prior, and they turned it into a powerhouse with an expectation of success.

Kersgieter recorded fourteen double-doubles in her career, leading her team on 42 occasions, and scoring a career-high 38 points senior year against Jenks. Her numerous accolades include Bishop Kelly Invitational MVP and FVC Defensive Player of the Year.

Johnson recorded four double-doubles, leading her team on 31 occasions, and scoring a career-high 31 points junior year against Ponca City. She was the FVC Newcomer of the Year as a freshman and made the Bishop Kelley All-Tournament team.

Regalado recorded one double-double with six team-highs and a career-high 23 points junior year against Jenks. She was named to the Insterstate Classic All-Tournament team as a sophomore.

Taber had one double-double and scored a career-high fifteen points senior year against Bartlesville. Solis scored a career-high four points against Field Kindley as a sophomore, and Bunch scored a career-high seven against Tulsa Memorial earlier this season.

Senior Class Career Stats

Games Played

104 Kersgieter
103 Johnson
103 Regalado
91 Taber
37 Presnell
25 Bunch
20 Solis

Games Started

102 Kersgieter
100 Johnson
61 Regalado
39 Taber
26 Presnell

Total Points Scored
1406 Kersgieter
1315 Johnson
695 Regalado
294 Taber
90 Presnell
26 Bunch
15 Solis

Field Goal %

52.6 Bunch
49.7 Johnson
47.0 Kersgieter
45.5 Taber
32.9 Presnell
32.0 Regalado
25.0 Solis

Three-Point %

42.9 Bunch
36.5 Kersgieter
31.4 Regalado
30.8 Taber
24.0 Johnson

Two-Point %

58.3 Bunch
53.9 Johnson
50.4 Kersgieter
48.0 Taber
34.0 Regalado
30.8 Solis

Free-Throw %

100.0 Solis
75.7 Kersgieter
68.6 Johnson
68.3 Regalado
66.7 Bunch
65.5 Taber

Offensive Rebounds (Avg)

2.3 Kersgeiter
1.3 Taber
1.2 Johnson
1.1 Regalado
0.5 Solis
0.4 Presnell
0.2 Bunch

Defensive Rebounds (Avg)

4.3 Kersgieter
3.1 Regalado
2.7 Johnson
2.3 Taber
1.3 Presnell
0.6 Solis
0.5 Bunch

Total Rebounds (Avg)

6.6 Kersgieter
4.2 Regalado
3.9 Johnson
3.6 Taber
1.7 Presnell
1.1 Solis
0.7 Bunch

Assists (Avg)

1.3 Kersgieter
1.1 Johnson
0.9 Taber
0.4 Regalado
0.2 Presnell

Steals (Avg)

2.2 Johnson
2.0 Kersgieter
1.3 Taber
0.9 Regalado
0.8 Presnell
0.4 Solis
0.2 Bunch

Blocks (Avg)

0.5 Johnson
0.4 Kersgieter
0.4 Regalado
0.1 Taber
0.1 Solis

Fouls (Avg)

3.0 Taber
2.5 Johnson
2.2 Regalado
1.9 Kersgieter
1.7 Presnell
0.4 Bunch
0.1 Solis

Points Avg

13.5 Kersgieter
12.8 Johnson
6.7 Regalado
3.2 Taber
2.4 Presnell
1.0 Bunch
0.8 Solis

CPHS Tennis: Sandites place 15th at Jenks

The Charles Page High School boys’ tennis team kicked off the season with a fifteenth place finish at the Jenks Invitational.

Logan Bateman placed twelfth in No. 1 Singles with a consolation win over Henryetta’s Grant Holder. Colby Williams defeated Adam Bodick (Ponca City) and Cory Knox (Henryetta) for thirteenth place in No. 2 Singles.

The doubles teams both took fifteenth place. Aries Howard and Tanner Burgess defeated the Stillwater duo in No. 1 Doubles. Dylan Warren and Hayden Ashcroft received a default from Union in No. 2 Doubles.

Head Coach Drew White was pleased with his team’s performance, calling it a huge improvement from last year.

The Lady Sandites didn’t get to compete due to a Jenks scheduling error, but will kick off the season Saturday morning at Union. The Boys will play at Union on Friday.

CPHS Soccer: Sandites start season 2-0, Saldana and Franco score braces

The Charles Page High School boys’ soccer team is 2-0 to start the season, and has yet to surrender a goal. The Sandites pummeled Coweta 8-0 in their season debut, and defeated Tahlequah 4-0 in a sub-freezing home opener.

Jack Bratcher, Miguel Munoz, Kaiden Cox, Gustavo Saldana, and Angel Esparza scored one goal apiece Friday against Coweta (0-2) and Gustavo Franco had a brace. They also benefited from an own-goal by the Tigers.

On Friday the boys took a 3-0 lead in the first half against Tahlequah (1-1) but slowed down in the second. Gustavo Saldana scored the first goal just five minutes into the match and Fernando Saldana scored on a header ten minutes later.

Cox, Luke Jeffus, Kaleb Brooks, and Jack Bratcher all had close shots on goal in the first half, and Jeffus put his team up 3-0 in the 36th minute. Fernando Saldana scored his second goal in the 50th minute and the teams remained scoreless for the last half hour of regulation.

The Sandites will travel to East Central (2-0) Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

The JV boys are 1-0-1, beating Coweta 4-0 and going scoreless for a 0-0 tie against Tahlequah.

CPHS Soccer: Lady Sandites tame two Tiger teams, start season 2-0

The Charles Page High School girls’ soccer team kicked off the season with a pair of wins this past week. The Lady Sandites (2-0) defeated the Coweta Tigers (0-2) on the road and the Tahlequah Tigers (1-1) in their home opener.

On Friday they were missing four starters and had to rely on their younger players to grind out a 1-0 win in overtime penalty kicks.

First-year Head Coach Matthew Watkins was excited with the way his players performed, particularly his underclassmen. “Freshman Karsen Lynch battled throughout the game in midfield,” said Watkins, “constantly supplying support to the battered back line, and creating combination plays to move the ball forward.”

He also praised sophomore forward Elizabeth Horn and sophomore goalie Ali Day. “Lizzy Horn was outstanding in her first returning game as a Sandite since injury last season. Her tireless efforts wore down Coweta’s back line.”

Horn, Lynch, Elizabeth Watts, and Josie Gelsthorpe all netted PKs in overtime.

On Tuesday the Lady Sandites won their home opener 3-0. While Tahlequah played solid defense, their forwards were only able to get off a handful of shots and most of the match was spent on the Tiger side of the field.

Arial Esparza scored the opening goal in the 13th minute of the match and Baylee Metcalfe gave her team a 2-0 advantage before the half. Lynch scored the third goal in the 75th minute.

Sand Springs will return to action Thursday at the Edison Green and White Tournament in Tulsa.

The JV girls are 2-1-2 on the season. They went scoreless for 0-0 ties against both Coweta and Tahlequah. At the Mannford JV Tournament they lost 6-0 to Union, but defeated Tulsa Rogers 2-0 and Drumright 2-1.

CPHS Track: Aden Baughman wins Owasso Invitational, Mackey and relay team take second

The Charles Page High School Track and Field teams kicked off the season Saturday at the Owasso Invitational.

The boys voided six events, but still pulled off an impressive seventh-place finish out of eighteen teams. State Champion Aden Baughman won gold in the 800-meter run, finishing in 1:59.25.

Joel Mackey came in runner up at the 200-meter dash in 23.43 seconds, just half a second behind the champion. He also took fourth place in the 100-meter dash in 11.36 seconds.

The 4x800 relay team came in runner-up in 8:30.24, less than three seconds behind Bartlesville.

Alex Newport set a personal record in the 300-meter hurdle at 47.92. Knox Goggins set a PR in the 110 hurdle in 20.28. Caleb James set a PR in the 3200 in 11:19.93. Riley Magee threw a PR in Shot Put at 34’03.

The Lady Sandites settled for fifteenth place out of seventeen teams, having only sent five competitors, and voided nine events.

Mackenzie Rader made her varsity debut at fifth place in the 100 hurdle, finishing in 18.22. She also placed fourth in the long jump at 14 feet, 3 inches.

Erika Baker and Annaston Wiseley set 1600 PRs at 6:36.57 and 6:44.86, respectively. Baker also PRed in the 3200 in 13:36.71.

The Sandites will return to action Friday, March 8 in Bartlesville.

Sand Springs Individual Results
4x800: 2nd Place - 8:30.24
110H: Matt Wilkerson (13th) - 18.75
Alex Newport (18th) - 19.48
Knox Goggins (20th) - 20.28
300H: Alex Newport (17th) - 47.92
Matt Wilkerson (20th) - 49.49
Knox Goggins (23rd) - 54.02
100m: Joel Mackey (2nd) - 11.36
Joseph Mattison (29th) - 12.44
Justis Myers (50th) - 13.29
Nicholas Sango (53rd) - 13.49
Asher Beard (57th) - 14.03
200m: Joel Mackey (2nd) - 23.43
Joseph Mattison (16th) - 25.67
Justis Myers (35th) - 28.54
Titus Wright (37th) - 29.36
400m: Titus Wright (43rd) - 1:03.72
800m: Aden Baughman (1st) - 1:59.25
Alejandro Lopez (26th) - 2:19.96
1600m: Nelson Yazzie (12th) - 4:56.87
Danny Murray (24th) - 5:18.73
Caleb James (39th) - 5:38.76
3200m: Jacob Smith (9th) - 10:46.71
Danny Murray (12th) - 11:01.45
Caleb James (18th) - 11:19.93
Shot Put: Mitchell Mefford (20th) - 36’05.0”
Riley Magee (24th) - 34’03.0”

Male Owasso Invitational Champions
4x100: Bixby - 43.12
4x200: Bixby - 1:31.57
4x400: Bixby - 3:33.7
4x800: Bartlesville - 8:27.57
110H: Luis Avad - 15.6
300H: Nicklaus Fisher - 42.08
100m: Dakari Charlton - 11.22
200m: Kalope Morris - 22.91
400m: Joshua Strauss - 51.87
800m: Aden Baughman - 1:59.25
1600m: Jay Kiefer - 4:40.72
3200m: Spencer Hales - 10:09.39
High Jump: Ashton Bartholomew - 6’04.0”
Pole Vault: Brandon Hanoch - 16’05.0”
Long Jump: Ashton Bartholomew - 20’07.5”
Shot Put: Brandon Zamarripa - 52’01.0”

Male Team Scores

125.5 Edmond Memorial
117.5 Broken Arrow
89.0 Owasso
46.0 Bixby
39.0 Bartlesville
37.0 Claremore
31.0 Sand Springs
29.0 Wagoner
25.0 Collinsville
20.0 Tahlequah
17.0 Edmond Memorial JV
15.0 Broken Arrow JV
12.0 Bishop Kelley
9.0 Sapulpa
4.0 Owasso JV
4.0 Claremore JV
3.0 Westville
1.0 Bartlesville JV

Lady Sandite Individual Results
4x800: 9th Place - 12:20.47
100H: Mackenzie Rader (5th) - 18.13
200m: Davina Green (15th) - 31.06
Joselyn Shinnerer (26th) - 36.83
400m: Annaston Wiseley (22nd) - 1:10.38
1600m: Erika Baker (15th) - 6:36.57
Annaston Wiseley (16th) - 6:44.86
3200m: Erika Baker (17th) - 13:36.71
Long Jump: Mackenzie Rader (4th) - 14’03.0”

Female Owasso Invitational Champions
4x100: Broken Arrow - 50.29
4x200: Edmond Memorial - 1:48.2
4x400: Owasso - 4:12.9
4x800: Broken Arrow - 10:19.83
100H: Mary McKey - 15.89
300H: Kennedy Smith - 48.86
100m: Majesty Bonner - 13.01
200m: Levi Gladd - 26.52
400m: Adeline O’Connor - 1:01.89
800m: Sierra Williams - 2:19.36
1600m: Payton Hinkle - 5:34.32
3200m: Payton Hinkle - 11:13.4
High Jump: Taylor Dozier - 5’00.”
Pole Vault: Katie Henry - 10’00.0”
Long Jump: Hattie Johnson - 16’02.5”
Shot Put: Sadie Boos - 40’04.0”

Female Team Scores

157.0 Broken Arrow
138.0 Owasso
88.0 Edmond Memorial
40.0 Bixby
31.5 Claremore
30.0 Bishop Kelley
23.0 Bartlesville
19.0 Collinsville
16.0 Sapulpa
15.0 Broken Arrow JV
12.0 East Central
12.0 Tahlequah
10.0 Wagoner
9.5 Edmond Memorial JV
9.0 Sand Springs
6.0 Westville
2.0 Claremore JV