Oklahoma Boys High School Basketball: Week Six Rankings and Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Few games were played over Christmas Break this past week and the four undefeated teams had bye weeks. The OSSAA has released their week six rankings and the Big Ten conference has moved slightly ahead of Central Oklahoma in overall team standings.

No. 1 Edmond North (Last week No. 1)

Edmond North (6-0) brought in seventeen first-place votes after a bye week. The Huskies hold the No. 4 offense, No. 10 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Wednesday at the Tournament of Champions with a first-round match against Class A No. 1 Ft. Cobb-Broxton (8-0).

The pick: Ed North 65 Ft. Cobb 48

No. 2 Midwest City (2)

Midwest City (6-1) received one first-place vote after a bye week. The Bombers hold the No. 1 offense and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A and are undefeated in the Big Ten. They will return to action Wednesday at the Tournament of Champions with a first-round match against 4A No. 2 Tulsa Central (6-2).

The pick: MWC 65 Central 60

No. 3 Union (3)

Union (3-0) received one first-place vote after a bye week. The Redskins hold the No. 17 offense, No. 1 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Wednesday at the Tournament of Champions with a first-round match against 3A No. 4 Tahlequah Sequoyah (5-2).

The pick: Union 58 Sequoyah 53

No. 4 Putnam City North (4)

Putnam City North (6-2) didn't play any games last week. The Panthers hold the No. 5 offense and No. 11 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational.

No. 5 Edmond Santa Fe (tied for 5)

Edmond Santa Fe (6-1) didn't play any games last week and are still undefeated in the Central Oklahoma Conference. The Wolves hold the No. 13 offense, No. 8 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament.

No. 6 Westmoore (tied for 5)

Westmoore (7-0) didn't play any games last week. The Jaguars hold the No. 9 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Wednesday at the Duncan Holiday Tournament with a first round matchup against unranked U.S. Grant (1-3).

The pick: Westmoore 76 Grant 44

No. 7 Norman North (8)

Norman North (2-2) didn't play any games last week. The Timberwolves hold the No. 2 offense and No. 13 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they host No. 6 Westmoore (7-0).

No. 8 Putnam City West (7)

Putnam West (6-4) dropped a spot in the rankings after going 1-3 in the Tarkanian Classic last week in Las Vegas. The Patriots fell 64-59 to Bishop O'Dowd, 53-44 to Clark, Nevada, and 71-68 to Windermere Prep, Florida. They defeated Cathedral Catholic 54-46. They hold the No. 12 offense and No. 15 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational.

No. 9 Broken Arrow (10)

Broken Arrow (5-2) moved up a spot after a bye week. The Tigers hold the No. 18 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 12 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year at the Skiatook Invitational.

No. 10 Muskogee (11)

Muskogee (6-0) moved up a spot after a bye week. The Roughers hold the No. 7 offense, No. 14 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they travel to unranked Jenks (0-6).

No. 11 Booker T. Washington (9)

Booker T. Washington (5-2) slipped a few spots in the rankings despite a dominating 91-65 victory over 4A No. 11 McLain (3-4). RJ Fuqua scored an incredible 38 points in the onslaught and two other players also doubled. The Hornets hold the No. 6 offense and No. 14 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year at the Skiatook Tournament.

No. 12 Yukon (14)

Yukon (4-3) moved up two spots despite having a bye week. The Millers hold the No. 11 offense, No. 15 defense, and No. 10 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they host unranked Deer Creek (3-4).

No. 13 Sapulpa (13)

Sapulpa (4-2) holds the No. 10 offense and No. 17 margin of victory in 6A. The Chieftains had a bye week last week and won't return to action till after the new year when they play the McDonalds Classic in Ada.

No. 14 Norman (12)

Norman (4-2) holds the No. 8 offense, No. 11 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in 6A. They are coming off a bye week and won't return to action till the Bishop McGuinness Tournament in January.

No. 15 Lawton (16)

Lawton (3-1) holds the No. 14 offense, No. 19 defense, and No. 16 margin of victory in 6A. They are coming off a bye week and will return to action Wednesday at the Hobbs Invitational in New Mexico.

No. 16 Edmond Memorial (15)

Edmond Memorial (3-4) holds the No. 13 defense in 6A and will return to action after the new year against No. 5 Westmoore (7-0).

No. 17 Bixby (18)

Bixby (3-3) holds the No. 6 defense in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they host No. 18 Bartlesville (3-3).

No. 18 Bartlesville (17)

Bartlesville (3-3) holds the No. 4 defense and No. 20 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year at the Arvest Invitational.

No. 19 Mustang (20)

Mustang (2-3) holds the No. 7 defense in 6A and will return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational.

No. 20 (tied) Owasso (unranked)

Owasso (1-2) holds the No. 17 defense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at the KSA Holiday Classic in Orlando.

No. 20 (tied) Sand Springs (unranked)

Sand Springs (3-3) holds the No. 16 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 9 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Wednesday at the Duncan Holiday Invitational with a first-round matchup against 5A unranked Duncan (0-8).

The pick: CPHS 64 Duncan 45.

Conference Strength

1. Big Ten (53.2)
2. Central Oklahoma (50)
3. Green Country (47.7)
4. Frontier Valley (43.2)
5. All-City (29.8)

Oklahoma Boys High School Basketball: Week Five Rankings and Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Of the five teams who entered week four undefeated, four remain. We picked 18 games last week and were correct on 15 with 80% accuracy overall this season. 

No. 1 Edmond North (1)

Edmond North (6-0) played only one game this past week and easily rolled to a 77-43 victory over No. 18 Deer Creek (3-4). The Huskies hold the No. 4 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action on the 28th at the Tournament of Champions. They received 23 first-place votes. 

No. 2 Midwest City (2)

Midwest City (6-1) reinforced their top five position with a pair of great wins last week. They edged out No. 4 Putnam City North (5-2) 62-61 and dominated 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuiness (0-5) 81-48. The Bombers hold the No. 1 offense and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action on the 28th at the Tournament of Champions. They received one first-place vote. 

No. 3 Union (3)

Union (3-0) picked up their second ranked win of the season 60-56 over No. 10 Broken Arrow (5-2) and also topped unranked Jenks (0-7) 66-40 last week. Three players doubled in the win over the Tigers, led by Adrian Rodriguez with 16. The Redskins hold the No. 1 defense and No. 8 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action on the 28th at the Tournament of Champions. They received one first-place vote.

No. 4 Putnam City North (4)

Putnam City North (6-2) lost to No. 2 Midwest City (6-1) for the second time this season, this time only 62-61. They also traveled to the Webb City Shootout and defeated Jackson 66-43. The Panthers hold the No. 5 offense and No. 9 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational. 

No. 5 (tied) Edmond Santa Fe (8)

Edmond Santa Fe (6-1) picked up a huge win last Thursday when they topped No. 5 Norman North (2-2) 84-73. The Wolves hold the No. 13 offense, No. 8 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they compete at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament.

No. 5 (tied) Westmoore (7)

Westmoore (7-0) played only one game last week and topped in-town rival Moore (3-4) 59-49. The Jaguars hold the No. 9 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action on the 28th when they travel to the Duncan Holiday Tournament. 

No. 7 Putnam City West (6)

Putnam City West (5-3) is in the middle of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. They dropped their first two games last weekend, but will return to action Monday when they take on Cathedral Catholic. Last week they rolled to a 73-40 victory over 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuiness (0-5) on Tuesday before losing 64-59 to Bishop O'Dowd and 53-44 to Clark, Nevada. At the conclusion of the Vegas Tournament they will take the rest of the year off before competing at the Putnam City Invitational in January. 

No. 8 Norman North (5)

Norman North (2-2) lost to their first Oklahoma opponent last week, 84-73 to No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe (6-1). The Timberwolves hold the number two offense in the state, averaging 82 points-per-game, but also give up more points than any other team in 6A at 75 for the No. 13 margin of victory. They will return to action after the new year when they host No. 7 Westmoore (7-0). 

No. 9 Booker T. Washington (9)

Booker T. (4-2) suffered a 71-57 loss last week to 5A No. 2 Tulsa Memorial (9-0). The Hornets hold the No. 12 offense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at 4A No. 8 McLain (3-2). 

The pick: BTW 61 McLain 55.

No. 10 Broken Arrow (10)

Broken Arrow (5-2) split wins last week, coming from behind to edge out Sand Springs (3-3) 55-54, but falling 60-56 to No. 3 Union (3-0). Caleb Huffman led both games, scoring 29 against the Sandites and 16 against the Redskins. The Tigers do a good job sharing the ball with three players doubling against Sand Springs and four doubling against Union.

The Tigers hold the No. 2 defense and No. 12 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they compete at the Skiatook invitational.

No. 11 Muskogee (11)

Muskogee (6-0) has benefited hugely from junior transfer Brooks Haddock, who has led his new team in scoring five out of six games this season, averaging 20 points per game. With Tyreece Berry out of commission, it's been Haddock and Keondre Davis doing the bulk of the scoring for the Roughers. Davis hasn't been far behind Haddock with 14.5 points per game. Berry scored 25 in the season opener but hasn't played since. He is expected to return after the new year, however, making the Roughers a serious competitor for the State and Conference titles this year. Most recently they topped No. 19 Bixby (3-3) 65-63 and No. 14 Sapulpa (4-2) 58-50.

The Roughers hold the No. 7 offense and No. 6 margin of victory in 6A. They won't return to action till January 13th when they travel to No. 17 Jenks before their biggest test yet in No. 3 Union (3-0).

No. 12 Norman (13)

Norman (4-2) took last week and the rest of the year off, ending 2016 on a three-game winning streak at the Duncan Tournament. They hold the No. 8 offense, No. 11 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament.

No. 13 Sapulpa (14)

The Chieftains (4-2) split wins last week, defeating 5A No. 19 Bishop Kelley (2-2) 60-50, but falling 58-50 to No. 11 Muskogee (6-0). They have three handy scorers in Keenan Ballance, Trey Phipps, and Julian Smith. Phipps scored 24 against Muskogee, Ballance scored 28 against Kelley, and Smith averaged 11 between the two. Sapulpa owns the No. 10 offense in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they travel to the McDonalds Classic in Ada.

No. 14 Yukon (12)

The Millers (4-3) split wins last week, defeating unranked Southmoore (0-6) 72-53, but falling 49-48 to No. 16 Edmond Memorial (3-4). Cameron Martin scored 27 points over Southmoore. Yukon holds the No. 6 offense and No. 9 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they host unranked Deer Creek (3-4).

No. 15 Edmond Memorial (16)

Despite topping No. 12 Yukon (4-3) 49-48, the Bulldogs (3-4) only moved up one spot in the rankings. They'll take on No. 5 Westmoore (7-0) after the new year.

No. 16 Lawton (15)

Lawton (3-1) split a pair of 5A games last week, defeating No. 15 Del City (1-3) 63-61, but falling 67-60 to No. 13 MacArthur (5-2). They hold the No. 14 offense and No. 15 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action on the 28th at the Hobbs Invitational.

No. 17 Bartlesville (17)

Bartlesville (3-3) finished the year off two weeks ago at the Bixby Invitational and won't return to action till the Arvest Invitational on January 5th. The Bruins hold the No. 4 defense in 6A.

No. 18 Bixby (19)

Bixby (3-3) split their last week's games, falling 65-63 to No. 11 Muskogee (6-0), but defeating unranked Jenks (0-7) 49-36. The Spartans hold the No. 7 defense in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they host No. 17 Bartlesville.

No. 19 Moore (unranked)

Moore (3-4) moved up into the rankings after competing closely with No. 7 Westmoore (7-0) and only falling 59-49. They will return to action after the new year when they host No. 20 Mustang (2-3).

No. 20 Mustang (20)

Mustang (2-3) end their year two weeks ago after going 1-2 at the Harrah Panther Classic. They hold the No. 6 defense in 6A and will return to action at the Putnam City Invitational on January 5th. 

Conference Strength

1. Central Oklahoma (51)
2. Big Ten (49.7)
3. Green Country (48)
4. Frontier Valley (40.8)
5. All-City (32.5)

Sandites sweep Tulsa Memorial Invitational with 79-49 victory over NW Arkansas

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sand Springs 79 NWA 49

1Q Sand Springs 14-8
2Q Sand Springs 27-15
3Q NWA 18-17
4Q Sand Springs 21-8

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Colt Savage 22, Garbey 11, Keener 11, Taber 11, Golightly 9, Cale Savage 7, Quier 5, Durkee 3. (NWA) Kirkman 14, Sander 12, Roach 10, Schinnerer 5, Winkel 5, Fifter 2, Wenger 1.

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Colt Savage 4, Garbey 3, Keener 3, Taber 3, Cale Savage 2, Durkee 2, Quier 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Colt Savage 5, Cale Savage 4, Taber 4, Garbey 2, Keener 2, Durkee 2, Golightly 1, Bogans 1.
Steals: Garbey 2, Colt Savage 1, Cale Savage 1, Keener 1, Taber 1.
Assists: Colt Savage 7, Keener 2, Taber 2.
Blocks: Keener 1, Golightly 1.
Fouls: Golightly 5, Keener 3, Taber 3, Garbey 2, Cale Savage 2, Durkee 2, Colt Savage 1, Wash 1, Bogans 1. 

Sand Springs 61 OKC 55

1Q Sand Springs 19-16
2Q tie 15-15
3Q OKC 16-12
4Q Sand Springs 15-8

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Keener 22, Colt Savage 18, Garbey 13, Cale Savage 4, Golightly 4. (OKC) Luke Major 12, Alford 10, Grisham 10, Adkins 9, Mukes 5, Josh Major 3, Kilhoffer 2, Sonnier 2. 

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

The Charles Page High School boys varsity basketball team (3-3) went undefeated this weekend at the Tulsa Memorial Veterans' Arena Invitational, hammering two teams and topping a tough battle against the defending Home School National Champions.

Junior Colt Savage led the team in two games while University of Central Oklahoma-signed senior Kyle Keener led the third. Savage scored 23 in an 80-38 win over the Wichita Defenders (3-4), Keener scored 22 in a 61-55 victory over the Oklahoma City Storm (14-13), and Savage scored 22 in a 79-49 victory over the Northwest Arkansas Hornets.

The boys took on a tough competitor Friday night, but came back from a fourth quarter deficit to win 61-55 for their second-straight win of the season. Keener added 10 rebounds to his 22 points for his first double-double of the season.

The Oklahoma City Storm () isn't your typical home-school program. In fact, they're arguably the nation's best with 15 national titles. On Thursday they competed against 5A No. 2 Memorial (8-0) and were neck-and-neck with the powerhouse program before trailing off in the fourth quarter. 

Sand Springs held a close 19-16 advantage over the Storm after a first quarter that put five different Sandites in the scoring column. They held their lead till midway through the second quarter when a two-pointer from Zach Alford gave the Storm a 29-28 advantage. 6'7" senior Peyton Golightly hit a two to regain the lead for Sand Springs and Keener drilled a dunk to make it a two-score advantage. Alford scored again on the next possession, but sophomore Cale Savage got the final points of the half.

The Storm won the third quarter 16-12, leading by as much as 47-39 before Jacob Garbey, Colt Savage, and Keener scored three-straight to cut the deficit to 47-46 to end the period. 

Jacob Grisham started the fourth off in OKC's favor, but Keener, Colt Savage, and Garbey scored another trio of goals to take the lead at 52-51. Grisham did his best to get his team back in the game with a pair of free throws to tie it at 55, but Sand Springs scored six-straight free throws to end the game.

On Saturday the Sandites rolled to a convincing 30-point victory over Northwest Arkansas, warming up with a 14-8 first quarter then bringing the rain for a 27-15 second quarter that the Hornets never recovered from. Despite winning the third quarter and playing competitively throughout, the homeschool team was no match for the Sandites.

Four Sandites doubled in the affair. Colt Savage scored 22 while Garbey, Keener, and Josh Taber tied for second with 11 points each. Golightly was right behind them with 9, and a total of eight Sandites got on the scoreboard.

Colt Savage was just one rebound short of a double-double and also had a team-best seven assists. 

The Sandites will return to action after Christmas at the Duncan Tournament on the 28th through the 30th. Their first game will be Thursday the 28th against the home team at 8:30 p.m. The Lady Sandites won't play again till after the new year. 

Oklahoma Boys High School Basketball: Week Four Rankings and Predictions

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The third week of Oklahoma High School basketball left five boys teams undefeated in Class 6A and the rankings are beginning to tighten up at the top with only Edmond North remaining as a clear favorite. Last week we picked twelve games and were 10-2 with 79% accuracy this season.

No. 1 Edmond North (Previously No. 2)

The Huskies (5-0) picked up 22 first-place votes this week after sweeping the Edmond Open and knocking off previous No. 1 Midwest City (4-1) 80-75 in the tournament finals. Edmond North dominated unranked Moore (3-3) 75-56 on Tuesday, then smothered No. 13 Jenks (0-4) 74-48 in the tournament quarterfinals. In the semis they brought down formerly undefeated 5A No. 3 Eisenhower (3-2) 76-56 before earning their spot over the Bombers. 

The Huskies hold the No. 8 offense, No. 14 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in class 6A. They will look to strengthen their resume this week with another top-five matchup. After playing No. 18 Deer Creek (3-3) on Friday, they'll take on No. 5 Norman North (2-1) Saturday on the road.

The picks:
EDN 61 DC 52.
EDN 71 NN 66.

No. 2 Midwest City (1)

Midwest City (4-1) lost their number one ranking after going 2-1 at the Edmond  Open, falling 80-75 to No. 2 Edmond North (5-0), but prevailing 86-75 over No. 4 Putnam City North (5-1) and 99-65 over Casady. Despite their loss, they still retained two first-place votes. 

The Bombers hold the No. 1 offense and No. 1 margin of victory in the State and will give Putnam North a rematch Tuesday on the Panthers' home turf, then will travel to 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuinness (0-2) on Thursday. 

The picks: 
MWC 73 PCN 69
MWC 81 McG 60

No. 3 Union (3)

The Redskins (1-0) have only played one game this season, defeating No. 11 Bartlesville (3-3) 50-46, but it was enough to earn three first-place votes in this week's rankings. The Redskins shared the workload with three players scoring in double digits. Union will return to action Tuesday against unranked Jenks (0-4), then will play No. 10 Broken Arrow (4-1) on Thursday. 

The picks:
Union 69 Jenks 53
Union 55 BA 54

No. 4 Putnam City North (4)

The Panthers (5-1) are off to a great start this season, losing only one game to No. 1 Midwest City (4-1). They topped unranked Enid (1-4) 59-49 last Tuesday, then defeated No. 7 Edmond Santa Fe (5-1) 78-72 in the first round of the Edmond Open. They fell 86-75 to the Bombers, but rebounded with a 74-66 victory over 5A No. 3 Eisenhower (3-2). 

Putnam North has the No. 2 offense and No. 11 margin of victory in 6A and will get a rematch Tuesday when they host Midwest City. They will play this weekend in the Score Board Shootout at Webb City, Missouri. 

No. 5 Norman North (6)

The Timberwolves (2-1) picked up a pair of wins last week, 89-53 over unranked Stillwater (1-5), and 110-96 over Springfield Glendale. They hold the No. 2 offense and No. 6 margin of victory in the state and will travel to No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe (5-1) Friday before hosting No. 1 Edmond North (5-0) on Saturday.

The pick: NN 71 ESF 66.

No. 6 Putnam City West (5)

The Patriots (4-1) picked up a ranked win last week, topping No. 20 Putnam City (1-4) 61-54, and will return to action at 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuinness (0-3). They received one first-place vote.

The pick: PCW 71 McG 60.

No. 7 Westmoore (8)

The Jaguars (6-0) have emerged as the winningest team in the division thus far after topping Deer Creek (3-3) 66-45 and going undefeated at the Durant Tournament. They hammered the hosting school's JV team 89-25, then beat 3A No. 13 Hugo (4-1) 67-52 and No. 19 Yukon (3-2) 63-58. Thirteen Jags got on the board against the JV team and Kody Gilliand, Trey Palmer, and Kenny Springs averaged double digits over the tournament.

Westmoore has the No. 10 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A. They look to continue their streak Friday when they host unranked Moore (3-3).

The pick: Westmoore 68 Moore 53.

No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe (7)

Edmond Santa Fe (5-1) started last week with a 53-36 win over unranked Southmoore (0-4), lost the first round of the Edmond Open to No. 4 Putnam North (5-1), then closed out the tournament with a pair of close wins. After falling 78-72 to the Panthers, they defeated Casady 56-49 and No. 15 Edmond Memorial (1-3) 57-52. 

The Wolves hold the No. 6 defense and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday when they host No. 5 Norman North (2-1). 

No. 9 Booker T. Washington (9)

The Hornets (4-1) took on some out-of-state competitors this past week and topped Ozark, Missouri 65-60 and Columbia Rock Bridge 69-62. Booker T will take on their toughest foe of the season Tuesday when they visit 5A No. 2 Tulsa Memorial (5-0). 

The pick: Memorial 73 BTW 64

No. 10 Broken Arrow (10)

Broken Arrow (4-1) has been posting some impressive numbers lately, topping unranked Bixby (2-2) 53-35, Deer Creek (3-3) 56-49, and No. 20 Putnam City (1-4) 73-42. They dropped one game 62-59 at the Bixby Tournament to 5A No. 5 East Central (5-1). Caleb Huffman has averaged 21 points per game over the last week, including a 30-point performance against Putnam City. 

The Tigers have the No. 2 defense and No. 8 margin of victory in the division. They will take on unranked Sand Springs (0-2) Tuesday before traveling to No. 3 Union (1-0) on Friday. 

The pick: BA 55 SS 44.

No. 11 Muskogee (18)

Muskogee (4-0) are off to a great start after edging out a 65-64 overtime win over No. 16 Owasso (0-2) in their season-opener. At the Tahlequah Tournament this past weekend they beat Tulsa NOAH 89-61, blew out unranked Enid (1-4) 73-35, and topped 3A No. 4 Sequoyah (4-1) 63-62. Junior Brooks Haddock is averaging 20 points per game this season and Keondre Davis adds another 14.

The Roughers hold the No. 5 offense and No. 3 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Tuesday against No. 19 Bixby (2-2) and will travel to No. 14 Sapulpa (3-1) on Friday.

The picks: 
Muskogee 62 Bixby 51
Muskogee 71 Sapulpa 65

No. 12 Yukon (19)

Yukon (3-2) jumped in the rankings after going 2-1 at the Durant Tournament, falling only 63-58 to No. 8 Westmoore (6-0) and defeating Hugo JV 74-43 and 5A No. 20 Durant (3-2) 89-64. They also topped No. 12 Norman (4-2) 66-63 earlier in the week. Cameron Martin averaged 26 points per game and three other Millers also scored double digits in at least one game. 

The Millers hold the No. 9 offense and No. 10 margin of victory in 6A. They will take on unranked Southmoore (0-4) on Tuesday and No. 16 Edmond Memorial (2-4) Friday. 

The picks:
Yukon 67 Southmoore 55.
Yukon 61 EDM 54.

No. 13 Norman (12)

Norman (4-2) fell 66-63 to No. 19 Yukon (3-2) to start last week, but went undefeated at the Duncan Tournament with an average score of 76-45. They beat 5A unranked Woodward (3-2) 67-35, 5A No. 17 MacArthur (4-2) 89-60, and unranked Moore (3-3) 72-40. 

The Tigers are eleventh in both offense and defense with the No. 5 margin of victory in 6A. They will take the next few weeks off before returning to action at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament after the new year.

No. 14 Sapulpa (17)

Sapulpa (3-1) started the season off hot, rolling to a 78-70 victory over No. 13 Jenks (0-4), then went 2-1 at the Bishop Kelley Tournament. They beat 4A No. 14 Daniel Webster (1-6) 66-61, fell 77-66 to 5A No. 6 Claremore (5-0), and smothered 5A No. 7 Edison (1-3) 84-67. 

The Chieftains have the No. 4 offense in the state and will return to action Tuesday at 5A No. 19 Bishop Kelley (2-1) before hosting No. 11 Muskogee (4-0) on Friday.

The pick: Sapulpa 60 BK 58

No. 15 Lawton (unranked)

Lawton (2-0) hasn't gotten to test themselves yet this season, playing only unranked teams, but rolled to a 72-55 victory over U.S. Grant (1-3) and 56-51 over Choctaw (3-3). Their low strength of schedule has given them the No. 9 margin of victory in 6A and they will return to action against 5A No. 15 Del City (1-2) on Tuesday. Their first big test will be Thursday against in-town rival 5A No. 13 MacArthur (4-2).

The picks:
Lawton 66 DC 53
Lawton 60 MacArthur 59

No. 16 Edmond Memorial (15)

Edmond Memorial (2-4) has had a tough schedule to start the season, playing four top-ten teams and losing to each of them. They defeated No. 14 Mustang (2-3) 48-40 to start the last week, then went 1-2 at the Edmond Open. They fell 76-60 to 5A No. 3 Eisenhower (3-2) and 57-52 to No. 7 Edmond Santa Fe (5-1), but defeated unranked Jenks (0-4) 61-46. The Bulldogs will return to action Friday when they host No. 12 Yukon (3-2).

No. 17 Bartlesville (11)

Bartlesville (3-3) had the appearance of a top-ten team after topping No. 14 Sand Springs (0-2) and No. 13 Owasso (0-2) in the first week and closely competing with No. 3 Union (1-0) and 5A No.5 East Central (5-1). After their 50-46 loss to the Redskins and their 59-46 loss to the Cardinals, they were defeated again--this time by an unranked team. Deer Creek (3-3) topped the Bruins 57-49 and Bartlesville needed overtime for a 52-48 win over 5A No. 13 Coweta (1-4). They're done for 2016 and will look to make adjustments before competing at the Arvest Invitational after the new year. 

No. 18 Deer Creek (unranked)

Deer Creek (3-3) made the jump into the rankings after going 2-2 last week. They lost a pair of top ten matchups, 66-45 to No. 8 Westmoore (6-0) and 56-49 to No. 10 Broken Arrow (4-1), but topped No. 11 Bartlesville (3-3) 57-49 and unranked Stillwater (1-5) 43-40. The Antlers will have their biggest test of the season Friday when they take on No. 1 Edmond North (5-0).

No. 19 Bixby (unranked)

Bixby (2-2) started their season last week with a 53-35 loss to No. 10 Broken Arrow (4-1), then went 2-1 at their own tournament. They topped unranked Stillwater (1-5) 62-54 and No. 20 Putnam City (1-4) 47-44, but fell 57-45 to 5A No. 5 East Central (5-1). Joey Homan has been hammering the competition with 18 points per game. The Spartans hold the No. 9 defense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at No. 11 Muskogee (4-0) before traveling to unranked Jenks (0-4) Friday. 

The pick: Bixby 61 Jenks 53.

No. 20 Mustang (18)

Mustang (2-3) started last week with a 48-40 loss to No. 15 Edmond Memorial (1-3), then went 2-1 at the Panther Classic. They beat 2A No. 12 Northeast Academy (2-3) 45-39, but fell 40-37 to 4A No. 3 Harrah (4-1) and 80-75 to 3A No. 8 Star-Spencer (4-1) in overtime. The Broncos return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational. 

No. 10 Broken Arrow scores 55-54 come-from-behind win at Sand Springs; Savage scores 22

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The unranked Charles Page High School varsity basketball team (0-3) was a minute away from wrapping up their first win of the season, leading 54-53 over No. 10 Broken Arrow (5-1). With 1:05 to play, all they had to do was drain the clock. Instead, sophomore Cale Savage saw an opening and passed the ball to Kyle Keener who appeared to make the two point basket. The goal was called off on a travel, however, and the Tigers got the ball to score and held on for the win.

1Q Broken Arrow 16-13
2Q Sand Springs 14-12
3Q Sand Springs 16-13
4Q Broken Arrow 14-11

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Colt Savage 22, Keener 19, Durkee 8, Cale Savage 2, Taber 2, Wash 1. (Broken Arrow) Huffman 29, Hall 11, Boyer 11, Smith 2, Hughes 2.

(Sand Springs Only)
Offensive Rebounds: Keener 3, Garbey 1, Colt Savage 1. 
Defensive Rebounds: Garbey 4, Keener 2, Colt Savage 2, Durkee 2, Wash 1, Cale Savage 1.
Assists: Taber 2, Colt Savage 1, Garbey 1, Durkee 1, Wash 1.
Blocks: Keener 4.

In the first two games of the season, the Sandites led going into the half and gave up the wins after falling apart in the third quarter. Only four players scored in either of the first two games as the mostly young and inexperienced team had difficulty in sharing the workload. Things were far different this time around as six Sandites got on the scoreboard, two doubled, and the boys led the Tigers through the entire fourth quarter before giving up the final basket of the game.

University of Central Oklahoma-signed senior Kyle Keener posted 19 points in the game and junior Colt Savage led his team with 22, but the remaining 13 points were equally impressive for the Sandites as they finally proved what their fans knew all along, that this was a team that could execute and win. Sophomore Cole Durkee posted a career-high 8 points, and Caleb Wash, Cale Savage, and Josh Taber also got on the board in the back-and-forth thriller.

Though the Sandites are still searching for a win, they have effectively competed against a top-ten team and very nearly won. They were outstanding on offense, shooting eight-of-ten from the charity stripe and 21-of-36 on field goals in their best performance of the season.

The game was back and forth from the beginning. The home team took a 4-0 lead off of layups by Keener and Savage, and the Tigers responded with two pointers from Major Smith and Caleb Huffman. Huffman was the game's leading scorer with 29 points. Colt Savage and Huffman were locked in a shootout in the first quarter with Savage scoring nine and Huffman scoring fourteen to give the Tigers a 16-13 lead.

Durkee started off the second quarter with his first goal of the season, followed by a free throw from Wash and a two by Colt Savage. The Sandites outscored their opponents 14-12 in the second quarter as the two teams exchanged the lead six times and the Tigers ended up with a 28-27 halftime advantage.

The third quarter was equally contested as the lead changed six more times before settling on the Sandites. The home team led by as much as 43-38 before Huffman drilled a three to end the period down 43-41. The Sandites never relinquished the lead in the fourth quarter until the traveling call on Keener. They were up 54-48 after a three from Durkee, then the Tigers went to work.

Tony Hall hit a two. Colt Savage had the opportunity to make a free throw, but missed and ended up fouling Huffman on a two. The Broken Arrow junior sank his free throw to make it a one-point game. After the turnover from Keener, the Tigers went full offense and rebounded four times before finally connecting on the go-ahead score from Braden Boyer. 

With three seconds left, senior Jacob Garbey launched a three that bounced back and fourth within the rim before being ejected into the waiting arms of the nearest Tiger.

The Sandites will return to action this weekend at the Tulsa Memorial High School festival. They will play the Wichita Defenders Thursday at 8:00 p.m., the OKC Storm Friday at 6:30 p.m., and the Northwest Arkansas Hornets Saturday at 1:00 p.m.