Savage scores 24 as Sandite streak comes to a stop at Sapulpa

/

Story and Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Stat source: Scott Emigh and Morgan Miller, Staff

The No.14 ranked Charles Page High School varsity basketball team (14-6) won four games straight before seeing that streak come to an end at Sapulpa High School Chieftain Center Tuesday night.

Earlier this season Sand Springs defeated the No.11 Sapulpa team (16-4) 69-60 at home. Since then, both teams have given up losses to Owasso and Jenks, but where the Sandites fell 57-52 to Union, Sapulpa pulled off a two-point win. 

Perhaps it was the home field advantage, but this time around it was Sapulpa with the 9 point rivalry win.

Sand Springs started in the hole from the get-go with Sapulpa senior Alex Ogunseye hitting two free throws and a layup for a 4-0 Chieftain advantage. The Sandite hero of the night, sophomore Colt Savage, put up two, but Sapulpa freshman Julian Smith sank a three soon after.

The biggest problem of the night for Sand Springs was accuracy. While Savage impressed with a 67% field goal rate, when you remove him from the equation the team accuracy drops to only 32%. 

Junior Kyle Keener missed back-to-back point blank field goals before sophomore Brooks Haddock finally sent the rebound in for two. Julian Smith and Sandite senior Arvionte Nichols each added two, then Keener had back to back layups for the first lead of the game for Sand Springs.

That's when junior Keenan Ballance showed up with a pair of threes and Ogunseye slammed a dunk at the buzzer to carry a 19-13 lead into the second quarter.

Savage hit the first basket of the second period, but Ballance scored 8 straight and Sapulpa held a double digit halftime advantage at 35-25.

At one point Sapulpa led by a much as 18 before Sand Springs went on a 9-0 run by Savage and Haddock. Smith hit a free throw and a layup to break the streak, but Sand Springs went right back at it with a freebie by Nichols, a layup by Fort Hayes State football commit Jacob Taber, and back-to-back threes from Savage to narrow it to 48-45.

Haddock sent senior Khaleel Marshall to the line to shoot two. Marshall shot one-for-two, but Savage sank a two to make it a two-point gap for the first time in three periods. 

The Sandites were on the verge of rallying for an incredible come-from-behind victory when Savage fouled out with 1:52 left to play. Without their top player of the night, Sand Springs slipped back into the deficit as their rivals avenged themselves with a final score of 58-49.

Sand Springs will return to action Friday night at No.5 Union (16-4) with only three games left before Regionals. 

Mutiri scores 15 but Sapulpa runs away with 54-40 rivalry win over Lady Sandites

/

Story and Photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No.11 ranked Charles Page High School girls’ basketball team (13-6) got a rematch against Highway 97 rival No.4 Sapulpa (17-3) Tuesday night at Sapulpa High School Chieftain Center. Earlier this season the Sandites hosted Sapulpa and lost 54-43 after leading till there was less than four minutes left. Unfortunately for the Lady Sandites, things would be no better this time around.

The game was a shootout from the start with senior guard and University of Oklahoma signee Chelsea Dungee returning the tip off for a layup in the first ten seconds. Sandite junior Sydney Pennington was fouled on a layup of her own and shot one-for-two with Sapulpa controlling the rebound and scoring a three-pointer off senior Bailey Mader for a 5-1 lead.

The teams combined for 16 points in the first two minutes alone. Things began to slow down from there and Pennington tied things up at 9-9. Senior Whitney Kameis briefly took the lead back for Sapulpa but 6’1” sophomore Gloria Mutiri hit back to back layups for a 13-10 Sandite lead going into the second period.

From there it belonged to the home team. Pennington had a layup blocked, Sandite freshman Holly Kersgieter rebounded it and sent it to Johnson, but Johnson’s corresponding layup was nullified for charging.

Mader, Dungee, and Brice Calip went on a 5-0 run for the lead. Mutiri hit a pair of free throws, but it was Sapulpa with the next four-straight baskets. Mutiri hit another field goal to put her in double digits for the first half, but Kameis iced the cake for her team with a 27-17 halftime break.

Dungee fouled Johnson to start the half and the Sandite sank both of her free throws, then Calip sent Mutiri to the line after accidentally slapping her in the face on a block attempt. Mutiri was clearly phased as she only made one of two, then was sent right back by Isabella Bacon and missed both. The Lady Sandites trailed 27-21 and it was the closest the two teams would be for the remainder of the night.

This time it was Sapulpa on the receiving end of a pair of fouls and Calip went three-of-four, then added back-to-back field goals. By the end of the third period Sapulpa had a staggering 42-24 lead.

The Lady Sandites wouldn’t go down without a fight. Senior Cierra Scott hooked a steal and sent it to junior Jessica Collins for a layup attempt. Mader fouled her and Collins missed both freebies, but Johnson got the ball back for the Sandites and sent it to Mutiri for two.

Dungee scored next but sent Johnson to the floor soon after with an elbow and fouled out of the game.

Penalties continued to define the fourth quarter, leading the Sand Springs student section to chant “you can’t do that,” to which the Cheiftains responded “you still suck.” Sand Springs retaliated with “let’s play football,” for which Sapulpa had one word. “Bixby! Bixby!”

I’m sure Sand Springs can live with barely losing one of two games to the State Champions, but nevertheless, Highway 97 Rivalry continues to show itself alive and well.

Ultimately Sapulpa would earn back the bragging rights with a final score of 54-40.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Friday night at Union (8-12) whom they have already defeated 59-39 earlier this season. 

Pennington scores 22 as #12 Lady Sandites avenge week 2 loss to Bixby, 60-48

/
Darrian Myles (Bixby) guards Jessica Collins (Sand Springs).

Darrian Myles (Bixby) guards Jessica Collins (Sand Springs).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Three Sandites doubled in a 12-point conference win over the Bixby Lady Spartans (7-12) Friday night at Ed Dubie Field House (13-5). Sydney Pennington led the No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School girls' team with 22 points, trailing by 1 to the Lady Spartans' Addison Richards. Gloria Mutiri added 13 and Destiney Johnson had 11. 

The Spartans were the second opponent of the season for the Sand Springs girls who were dealt a 61-51 upset loss in their first Frontier Valley Conference game to then No.17 ranked Bixby. Friday night's Homecoming game was not only a victory, but a moral victory as well as it snapped a three-game losing streak.

The home girls took a quick 6-0 lead before Richards sank her first of three threes. From there the Lady Spartans battled back to take a 12-10 lead. Johnson hit a three, followed by Dariann Myles with a three of her own. Pennington was fouled and sank both free throws, but Myles hit yet another three to ride an 18-16 lead into the second quarter.

The next period would not be as kind to the Lady Spartans as Mutiri hit a pair of layups to take the Sandite lead back once and for all. The Lady Sandites outscored Bixby 18-6 and Pennington scored a transition layup right at the buzzer for a 34-24 haltime lead. 

The Sandites won the next two periods as well, by close scores of 13-12 and 13-10 respectively. The closest Bixby would come to the Sandites would be eight points down early in the third, and by the time it was over Sand Springs had more than avenged their conference-opening loss. 

The Lady Sandites are now fifth in Frontier Valley with a conference record of 5-4 with five games left before Regionals. The girls will next see action Tuesday night at No. 1 Sapulpa. 

Varsity girls stats

The JV girls posted a 31-27 victory to improve to 8-3 this season. 

Brooks Haddock scores 46 in wins over Broken Arrow and Bartlesville

/

By: Scott Emigh, Editor in Chief

Sophomore Brooks Haddock is making his mark as one of the top scorers in Charles Page history.

The two-year starter scored 25 in a 73-56 win over Broken Arrow (7-10) Tuesday night at Tiger Fieldhouse, then followed it up with 21 in a 54-35 home victory against the #19 Bartlesville Bruins (8-9) Friday night. 

The 16th-ranked Sand Springs Sandites (12-5) appear to be on the rebound after a four-game losing streak came to an end in the Coffeyville tournament where the boys took second place. The two conference wins place the Sandites fourth in Frontier Valley standings.

Sand Springs started in the hole Friday night, trailing 10-4 before finding themselves. Sophomore Colt Savage was the early scoring threat, running up 10 in the first quarter before Haddock sank his first basket of the night to take a 15-12 lead.

The second period belonged entirely to the Sandites who outscored Bartlesville 10-4 for a 25-16 halftime advantage. 

The third quarter was a low-scoring affair with the Bruins out-doing Sand Springs 8-7, but the fourth is when Haddock came alive, scoring 14 of the team's 20 points.

Tyler Smith got the ball for a sweet dunk with 0:02 left to seal the victory 54-35.

Colt Savage and Kyle Keener were equally impressive in both games, scoring 32 and 23 respectively. Keener had a team-high 13 rebounds against Bartlesville along with 4 blocks to make him the biggest defensive asset in the win. 

Charles Page will next take on the #15 Muskogee Roughers (10-6) Tuesday night at Ed Dubie Field House. With only six games left before Regionals, each match-up will be crucial in conference standings. 

Bartlesville stats

Broken Arrow stats


#11 Lady Sandites upset by Bartlesville 46-41 in overtime

/

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Morgan Miller, Staff

The Sand Springs girls led for the entire game, often by double digits, until a late rally from senior Lauryn Washington put the Lady Bruins back in the game.

The 11th-ranked Charles Page High School varsity Lady Sandites (12-4) hadn't been tied since 0-0 and for all appearances they had an easy win over #17 Bartlesville (9-8). 

Bartlesville was like a pesky gnat, however, and wouldn't go away. Sand Springs jumped to a 7-0 lead to start, but the Bruins fought back within a single possession to end the first period 9-7. 

The Sandites went on a run to start the second quarter, with Holly Kersgieter, Sydney Pennington, and Destiney Johnson scoring back-to-back-to-back to double the Bruins 15-7. 

Jena Williams, Ronni Gilliard, and Washington sank a series of free throws to narrow it to 22-15 at the half. Free throws would prove to be one of the most crucial points of the game for both teams. 

Sophomore Gloria Mutiri scored seven in the third period en route to a thirteen-point advantage and it was beginning to look more and more like the Lady Sandites had this game all wrapped up. 

Then Washington showed up, scoring thirteen points in the fourth quarter to cut the gap to 2. With seven seconds left, Gilliard drew a foul and sank both of her free throws to tie the game up for the first time since tip-off.

At 39-all, the girls were headed into overtime for the first time this season. 

Bartlesville won the tip-off and Washington sank a two to give Bartlesville their first lead of the game. Pennington tied things up at 41, but Bartlesville went on a free throw spree to ice their cake 46-41. 

Despite their (at times) heavy lead, the Sandites had a rough time scoring, shooting only 35% on field goals and 5-of-17 from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Bartlesville scored 14-of-16 on freebies. 

Mutiri shot 6-of-8 on field goals and tacked on a pair of freebies for a team-high 14 points, making her the lone Sandite to double in the low-scoring affair. Washington had the game-high, however, with 24 points. 

This marks two-straight losses for the girls who have ran up an impressive tournament record with wins over 5A #4 Shawnee for the Bishop Kelley Invitational Championship, and a tough Life Prep Academy team for the Interstate Classic Championship. When it comes to Frontier Valley, however, the girls have had a tough time with upset losses to Bixby and now Bartlesville. 

The girls are 5th in conference with a 4-4 record and big games looming against #5 Muskogee and #1 Sapulpa. They've more than proven they can take on tough foes, however, upsetting #8 Owasso and leading Sapulpa for much of that game before the Chieftains finally rebounded. 

The next game for the girls is this Tuesday with the Muskogee Lady Roughers (14-2) visiting Ed Dubie Field House at 6:00 pm. 

The Lady Sandites also lost their Tuesday night match-up against #4 Broken Arrow, 54-47.

Lady Sandites win five straight games by 20+ points, win Interstate Classic tournament

/

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Morgan Miller, Staff

The Charles Page High School varsity basketball girls have been having one heck of a season. They're certainly the best squad since the 2010-2011 Regional Championship team, and possibly even better. With eight regular season games left before Regionals, the ladies only need to post one more victory to beat last year's record and officially claim their best season since 2011. 

How did they get to this point?

From 2011-2013 the Lady Sandites went 3-42 under Head Coach Bob Banfield. 

In 2012, the ladies added freshman Cierra "CJ" Scott who was an immediate scoring threat with well over 100 points, setting a career-high in her sixth game with 16 points--an amount she would repeat a month later.

For the 2013-2014 season, Dustin Morrow took over Head Coaching duties and led the team to a 10-14 overall record, 5-9 in Frontier Valley. Sydney Pennington, Jessica Collins, Amari Grant, Bailey Boaz, Lee Leslie, and Maddie Ward were the freshman additions to the team. 

Pennington erupted on the scene with 373 points, only failing to double in three games, and set a personal best of 22 points against Muskogee. Scott scored 101. 

Last season the Sandites added Selena Hitchcock and major inside scoring threat Gloria Mutiri. Pennington led all scorers with 412 points and set a new career-high with 32 points against Muskogee once again. Mutiri made an incredible debut with 200, Scott added 150,  Collins scored 69, and Hitchcock had 31. 

That year the 8th grade girls went a perfect 28-0 and secured a Frontier Valley Conference Championship. In 2015 those girls became freshmen. 

The first game of the 2015-2016 season saw a 59-39 rout of the Green Country Defenders home school team. Pennington scored a team-high 22 points, and eight other girls scored including four freshmen.

The next game was a 61-51 loss to Bixby, but Pennington had a double-double with 19 points, followed by Scott with 18. 

Next came the Bishop Kelley Invitational. The ladies swept the tournament, dominating Cascia Hall 59-37, Norman North 52-38, and 5A #4 Shawnee 49-40. Freshman Destiney Johnson had her break-out game against Cascia with 14 points. Collins added 12, Pennington 11, and Scott 10. Pennington led against Norman North with 15. The Shawnee game proved a defining night for two different freshmen. Isabella Regalado led with 17, followed closely by Holly Kersgieter with 14. Johnson, Pennington, and Scott were named to the all-tournament team and Pennington was named MVP.

The next game was against then #6 Sapulpa, who would go on to be ranked #1 for weeks before dropping to their current position at #2. The Sandites led for nearly the entire game before a series of fouls gave the Chieftains a 54-43 win. Johnson and Pennington both doubled with 14 and 11 respectively.

From there it's been nothing but wins, and most of them were big ones.

Mutiri, Kersgieter, Pennington, and Johnson all doubled in a 59-39 win over #14 Union. 

Pennington and Kersgieter doubled in a 57-28 doubling of Green Country. 

Johnson, Pennington, and Mutiri doubled in a 51-48 upset of #8 Owasso.

Mutiri scored 20, aided by Pennington and Johnson with 11 each in a 64-43 extermination of Jenks.

Scott scored 17, and Pennington and Mutiri each added 10 in a 67-46 smothering of Bishop Kelley.

Currently the ladies are ranked 11th with a 12-2 record, sitting at 4th in Frontier Valley Conference standings. 

Thursday night the girls arrived in Coffeyville, Kansas for the 43rd Harold Thomas Interstate Classic, where they went undefeated last year. 

In Thursday's round one matchup with Field Kindley High School (Coffeyville), the Lady Sandites continued their dominating streak with a 64-33 smack down. Gloria Mutiri led all scorers with 15 points, followed by Collins with 9, Pennington with 7, Hitchcock with 7, Regalado with 6, Johnson with 6, Kersgieter with 4, Ward with 4, Scott with 2, Presnall with 2, and Grant with 2. 

Friday night was even more impressive, as they outscored Nathan Hale 60-16, led by Hitchcock with 10, Ward 8, Grant 7, Pennington 7, Taber 6, Presnall 5, Collins 5, Leslie 4, Kersgieter 3, Regalado 3, Mutiri 2.

Saturday saw an end to their streak of 20+ point wins, but not an end to their overall winning streak. The Ladies took down Life Prep Academy 51-49 to defend their Interstate Classic Champions title and add to their eight-straight win streak. Pennington scored 22, aided by Johnson with 8, Kersgieter 6, Scott 5, Hitchcock 4, Regalado 3, Collins 2, Mutiri 1. Mutiri and Pennington made the All-Tournament team and Pennington was named the tournament's Most Inspirational Player. 

The girls return to action Tuesday night at #4 Broken Arrow (14-2) in a Frontier Valley Conference battle.