Charles Page High School senior Marlo Fox has spent a lot of time in the spotlight while playing for the Sand Springs boys’ basketball team, but it was extra bright this week for the young star. Not only did he put up his 50th career double-digit game, but he also scored his 1,000th career point and was named Kissing Captain at the Sandite Winter Homecoming.
The Sandites (6-9 overall, 1-7 conference) rolled to an 80-62 win over the Northeast Oklahoma Association of Homeschools (6-8) Thursday night on Homecoming, but fell 71-66 to Bartlesville (5-13, 2-6) Friday night in overtime. The girls’ game against Bartlesville was canceled due to COVID problems in the Bruin program.
Fox rolled into the game against NOAH with 999 career points after four years of varsity action and three years as a starter. After Jason Clark made the opening bucket, Fox drained a three for the 5-0 lead and the crowd went wild.
Sand Springs never trailed against the Jaguars but never quite pulled away. The visitors did their best to create a better matchup than their first meeting - a lopsided season-opening 103-67 Jaguar loss. The Sandites led 31-21 at the half and went on an eleven-point run late in the fourth quarter for their biggest lead at 80-59 before NOAH’s Jarreth Ingram hit a three for the final basket.
Corbin Fisher led the team for the second game in a row with 21 points but had a career night cut short by an early fourth quarter foul-out. He was only two points away from a career high and one board away from a double-double when he left the game with 5:04 to play. Fox finished the game with 17 points, also fouling out early in the fourth, and Jason Clark had 17 as well. Ingram led all scorers with 24.
The Sandites played from the hole through almost the entire game against Bartlesville, trailing 18-8 after the first quarter before rallying to a brief 23-21 lead midway through the second. The Bruins ended the half on a ten-point run and didn’t give up the lead again till there was only 2:24 left in regulation.
Down 55-49 after a pair of free throws from Adam Nakvinda, Fisher drained a three, then Fox converted an and-one to tie it up. A free throw from Cooper Wood and a three from Aadhi Ayyappan put the Bruins back up, Oakley responded with two free throws, then Ayyappan made a free throw for a three-point lead with 32 seconds left.
Fisher tied it back up with a three from the left corner with an assist from Savage. On the final play of the game, with both teams in the double-bonus, Nakvinda missed a two-pointer and was fouled by Oakley on the rebound with 0.1 seconds remaining. He missed both shots, sending the game to overtime.
David Castillo opened on a four-point run for the Bruins, but John Keim and Costen Brockman made buckets to tie it. Then Castillo added two more and Jordan Carter added a third from the stripe for the final lead of the game.
Bartlesville won a crucial jump ball with 57 seconds to go and Fisher fouled out moments later, removing a key weapon for the Sandites. Castillo ended the game with three more free throws and led all scorers with 39 points, 16 of which came at the free throw line.
Fox led the Sandites with 20 points, followed by Savage with 17, Fisher with 12, and Oakley with 10. Nakvinda was the only other Bruin in double digits with 16 points.
Sandite Basketball will return to action Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. with a conference home game against No. 16 Muskogee (10-3, 7-1). They previously had a December match-up canceled due to COVID problems in the Sand Springs program. Bartlesville will travel to No. 13 Bixby (10-5, 4-4) Tuesday at 8:00. The Spartans are riding a four-game losing streak.
