Oklahoma Girls High School Basketball: Week Six Rankings and Predictions

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The High School basketball season has slowed over Christmas break, but a few games have been played and several teams have shuffled around in the latest rankings by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA). Four teams remain undefeated and four teams picked up first-place votes in the latest coaches' poll.

No. 1 Choctaw (Last week No. 1)

The Yellowjackets (7-0) pulled in 14 first-place votes after a bye week. They are tied for first in the Big Ten Conference standings. They also hold the top offense, top defense and the largest margin of victory in the league. So far they have only played three ranked opponents and no ranked 6A teams.

Choctaw returns to action on Wednesday at the prestigious Tournament of Champions.

No. 2 Edmond Santa Fe (2)

Edmond Santa Fe (7-0) picked up one first-place vote after a bye week. They are tied for first in the top-rated Central Oklahoma Conference. The Wolves hold the No. 6 offense, No. 4 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in 6A with wins over five ranked opponents and four ranked 6A opponents.

Santa Fe will return to action Wednesday at the Sapulpa Girls Tournament.

No. 3 Sand Springs (3)

The Lady Sandites (6-0) picked up two first-place votes after a bye week. They are the only undefeated team remaining in the Frontier Valley Conference. They hold the No. 5 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in 6A with wins over five ranked opponents and four ranked 6A opponents.

Sand Springs will return to action after the new year at the Muskogee Bedouin Shrine Tournament.  

No. 4 Putnam City West (4)

Putnam West (7-1) picked up a pair of first-place votes after going 3-1 at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas last week. They topped Mullen, Colorado 53-31, Liberty, Nevada 64-22 and Bishop Gorman 66-64, but fell 51-47 to Campbell County, Wyoming. The Patriots are still undefeated in the Big Ten. They hold the No. 2 offense, No. 5 defense and No. 2 margin of victory in the league.

The Patriots will return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational.

No. 5 Deer Creek (5)

Deer Creek (6-1) maintained their ranking after a bye week. They hold the No. 8 offense, No. 13 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in 6A and are still undefeated in the Central Oklahoma Conference.

The Antlers will return to action after the new year when they host No. 19 Yukon (4-3).

No. 6 Westmoore (7)

Westmoore (6-1) moved up one spot after a bye week. They hold the No. 4 offense, No. 12 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in 6A and are still a contender for the Central Oklahoma Conference title with only one loss thus far.

The Jaguars will return to action after the new year when they travel to No. 12 Norman North (3-2).

No. 7 Booker T. Washington (6)

Booker T. Washington (6-0) slipped a spot in the rankings despite a dominating 73-34 victory over 4A unranked McLain (3-3). The Lady Hornets are the only 6A team and only undefeated team in the Green Country Conference. They hold the No. 3 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in the league.

Washington will return to action Wednesday at the Sapulpa Girls Tournament.

No. 8 Owasso (8)

Owasso (4-2) maintained their ranking after a bye week. They hold the No. 15 defense and No. 20 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Wednesday at the Tournament of Champions.

No. 9 Norman (11)

Norman (5-1) has continued to climb in the rankings after a four-straight winning streak and a sweep at the Southern Oklahoma Invitational. They hold the No. 7 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at the Ardmore Tournament.

No. 10 Edmond Memorial (10)

Edmond Memorial (4-3) maintained their ranking after a bye week. The Bulldogs hold the No. 18 defense in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they host unranked Stillwater (1-6).

No. 11 Bartlesville (9)

The Lady Bruins (3-3) slipped in the rankings after a bye week. They hold the No. 12 defense and No. 19 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year at the Skiatook Tournament.

No. 12 Norman North (13)

Norman North (3-2) moved up a notch after a bye week. The Timberwolves hold the No. 10 offense and No. 12 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Thursday at the Enid Holiday Classic.

No. 13 Midwest City (12)

Midwest City (5-2) dropped one spot after a bye week. The Bombers hold the No. 11 offense and No. 13 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Wednesday at the Sapulpa Holiday Classic.

No. 14 Sapulpa (15)

Sapulpa (2-1) moved up a spot in the rankings after a bye week. The Lady Chieftains hold the No. 14 offense and No. 18 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action when they host the Holiday Classic Tournament this Thursday.

No. 15 Union (14)

The Lady Redskins (4-2) slipped a spot in the rankings after a bye week. They hold the No. 19 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 14 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational.

No. 16 Mustang (19)

Mustang (3-2) moved up in the rankings after a bye week. They hold the No. 18 offense, No. 16 defense, and No. 15 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year at the Skiatook Tournament.

No. 17 Broken Arrow (16)

The Lady Tigers (2-2) slipped a spot after a bye week. They hold the No. 17 defense in 6A and will return to action Wednesday at the Sapulpa Holiday Classic.

No. 18 Edmond North (17)

The Huskies (3-3) dropped a spot after a bye week. They hold the No. 16 offense and No. 17 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Wednesday at the Duncan Holiday Shootout.

No. 19 Yukon (19)

Yukon (4-3) held their spot in the rankings after a bye week. They hold the No. 20 offense, No. 11 defense, and No. 16 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they travel to No. 5 Deer Creek (6-1).

No. 20 Ponca City (unranked)

Ponca City (4-2) entered the rankings after a bye week. They hold the No. 13 offense, No. 8 defense, and No. 10 margin of victory in 6A. The Lady Wildcats are the only 6A team without a conference, playing an independent schedule since the collapse of the Centennial Conference.

They will return to action after the new year when they host 5A unranked Guthrie (1-2).

Conference Strength

  1. Central Oklahoma (52)
  2. Frontier Valley (43.2)
  3. Big Ten (37.7)
  4. Green Country (25.3)
  5. All-City (9.9)

Frontier Valley Conference Womens' Basketball Standings

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The 2016-2017 womens' basketball season is under way and the Frontier Valley Conference is as competitive as ever with seven out of ten teams being ranked in their divisions. Three of the FVC girls teams are in the top-ten of 6A and the Lady Sandites are leading the way with an undefeated record. 

The FVC is currently ranked second out of the five 6A conferences in strength of schedule, but with several cross-conference match-ups approaching in the next few weeks, they could slip ahead to first place. 

No. 3 Sand Springs (6-0, 3-0) is the only undefeated team remaining in the conference and they're one of only four teams to receive a first-place vote in the 6A rankings. The Lady Sandites have the best offense, best defense, and highest margin of victory in the conference. In addition to winning the Bishop Kelley Tournament, they also defeated Bartlesville 51-34, Bishop Kelley 71-36, and Broken Arrow 66-45. Five different players have led in scoring this season and three are averaging in double digits, led by Sydney Pennington with 13.5 points per game. They return to action after the new year when they compete at the Muskogee Bedouin Shrine Tournament.

No. 9 Bartlesville (3-3, 2-1) holds the No. 6 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 51-34 to Sand Springs, but beat Owasso 52-39 and Union 42-33. Owasso got payback, however, with a non-conference 39-33 win at the Bixby Tournament. Jena Williams has led in scoring for the last five games and is averaging 12.8 points. The Lady Bruins return to action after the new year when they play No. 18 Mustang (3-2) at the Skiatook Tournament.

No. 8 Owasso (4-2, 2-1) holds the No. 7 offense, No. 4 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 52-39 to Bartlesville, but defeated Muskogee 49-39 and Bishop Kelley 48-32. They also got payback on the Lady Bruins with a 39-33 non-conference win at the Bixby Tournament. The Lady Rams have two players averaging in the double digits, with Terryn Milton leading the team with 13.3 points per game. They will return to action on the 28th at the prestigious Tournament of Champions with a first round game against 3A No. 1 Adair (6-0). 

No. 14 Union (4-2, 2-1) holds the No. 4 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 42-33 to Bartlesville, but have won their last four games, including a 61-34 victory at Jenks and a 41-36 win over Broken Arrow. The Lady Redskins are led by Taylor Malham with 13.7 points per game. They will return to action after the new year when they take on unranked Putnam City North (3-4) in the first round of the Putnam City Invitational.

No. 15 Sapulpa (2-1, 2-1) holds the No. 2 offense, No. 8 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in the conference. They defeated Jenks 56-45 and Muskogee 53-51, but fell 51-44 to Bishop Kelley. They are led by freshman Ray Osborn with 12.7 points per game and will return to action at the Sapulpa Holiday Classic when they take on No. 12 Midwest City (5-2) in the first round.

No. 16 Broken Arrow (2-2, 2-2) holds the No. 9 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in the conference. They defeated Bishop Kelley 43-37 and Bixby 36-31, but fell 66-45 to Sand Springs and 41-36 to Union. They are led by Jalise Smallwood with 17.8 points per game and will return to action in the first round of the Sapulpa Holiday Classic when they take on undefeated No. 6 Booker T. Washington (6-0).

Muskogee (2-4, 1-2) holds the No. 3 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in the conference. They defeated Bixby 51-40, but fell 49-39 to Owasso and 53-51 to Sapulpa. They are led by Trena Mims with 21.4 points per game. They will return to action at the Bedouin Shrine Classic when they take on 3A unranked Okmulgee (2-2).

Jenks (2-4, 1-2) holds the No. 5 offense, No. 10 defense, and No. 10 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 56-45 to Sapulpa, then fell 61-34 to Union before registering a 57-49 win over Bixby. The Lady Trojans are led by Makenley Church with 9.7 points per game and will return to action at the Bedouin Shrine Classic against Ponca City (4-2). 

5A No. 15 Bishop Kelley (3-4, 1-3) holds the No. 10 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 9 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their first two games 43-37 to Broken Arrow and 71-36 to Sand Springs, then won three-straight including a 51-44 victory over Sapulpa before falling 48-32 to Owasso. The Lady Comets are led by Macy Craig with 9.7 points per game and will return to action after the new year when they travel to Union. 

Bixby (2-4, 0-3) holds the No. 8 offense, No. 6 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in the conference. They have yet to secure a conference win this season after falling 36-31 to Broken Arrow, 51-40 to Muskogee, and 57-49 to Jenks. The Lady Spartans are led by Maddie Bittle with 17 points per game.

Conference Strength:

  1. Central Oklahoma (50)
  2. Frontier Valley (45.5)
  3. Big Ten (38.7)
  4. Green Country (26.5)
  5. All-City (9.4)

FVC Leading Scorers (points-per-game)

  1. Trena Mims (Muskogee) 21.4
  2. Jalise Smallwood (Broken Arrow) 17.8
  3. Maddie Bittle (Bixby) 17.0
  4. Taylor Malham (Union) 13.7
  5. Sydney Pennington (Sand Springs) 13.5
  6. Terryn Milton (Owasso) 13.3
  7. Jena Williams (Bartlesville) 12.8
  8. Ray Osborn (Sapulpa) 12.7
  9. Hailey Morrison (Sapulpa) 12.0
  10. Sadie Moyer (Union) 11.0

Editor's Note: We are currently missing individual scoring results for several games. Please forward results to SanditePrideNews@gmail.com

Missing:

  • 12/6 Muskogee vs Owasso
  • 12/8 Muskogee vs NOAH
  • 12/8 Jenks vs Edmond Santa Fe
  • 12/8 Union vs Anadarko
  • 12/9 Union vs Putnam North
  • 12/9 Muskogee vs Tahlequah
  • 12/9 Jenks vs Edmond North
  • 12/10 Union vs Edmond North
  • 12/10 Jenks vs Putnam North
  • 12/10 Muskogee vs Yukon
  • 12/13 Bixby vs Muskogee

Regalado scores 18, four Lady Sandites double in 71-36 rout of No. 14 Bishop Kelley

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Correction: This article originally attributed Regalado with 20 and Pennington with 11. The correct totals are 18 and 13, respectively. 

The No. 5 ranked Charles Page High School varsity girls basketball team (2-0) traveled to 5A No. 14 Bishop Kelley (0-2) for a Frontier Valley Conference matchup Tuesday evening and nearly doubled their opponents for a final score of 71-36. Sophomore Isabella Regalado led in the scoring melee with 20 points, but three other Lady Sandites also doubled in the 35-point victory. 

1Q Sand Springs 17-6
2Q Sand Springs 12-8
3Q Sand Springs 20-17
4Q Sand Springs 22-5

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Regalado 18, Pennington 13, Johnson 12, McGee 10, Mutiri 7, Kersgieter 6, Grant 5. (Bishop K) Craig 9, Martin 7, Harrel 5, Wilson 5, Stecker 4, Washington 2, Easterling 2, Davie 1, Poleman 1.

Penalties: CPHS 23, Kelley 17.
Turnovers: CPHS 12, Kelley 8.
Free Throws: SS 9 of 22, Kelley 18 of 31.

(Sand Springs Only)
Offensive Rebounds: Regalado 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Mutiri 4, Taber 3, Johnson 3, Kersgieter 2, Regalado 2, Pennington 1.
Assists: Kersgieter 3, McGee 3, Regalado 2, Johnson 1.
Steals: Pennington 3, McGee 3, Regalado 2, Taber 2, Kersgieter 2, Johnson 2, Grant 2, Boaz 1. 
Blocks: Mutiri 1
Fouls: Taber 5, Kersgieter 5, Johnson 4, Pennington 3, Mutiri 2, McGee 2, Regalado 1, Grant 1.

The Lady Sandites were like a tsunami, building momentum as the game progressed, posting their highest numbers in the second half and outscoring the home team 22-5 in the fourth quarter. 

Bishop Kelley was competitive from the start, but the visitors played hard and aggressive, making off with eight steals for a 17-6 first period advantage. The teams were physical from the very beginning. Sophomore Holly Kersgieter picked off an early pass and sent it to Senior Kierra McGee, who was immediately blocked on a reverse and four girls went down in a scrum that the Comets came out of to tie it up 5-5.

Regalado snagged a steal on the next possession and launched it to Kersgieter for an undefended layup and the Sandites never look back. The Comets scored only one field goal in the second quarter, but the Sandites gave up six points on free throws in a penalty heavy period that ended 29-14.

The home team had their biggest output in the third quarter, scoring nearly half of their total offense. Sophomore Destiny Johnson scored all twelve of her points in the second half, including the first two Sandite field goals of the third quarter. Oklahoma State University softball signed senior Sydney Pennington got in on the action with back-to-back layups, one coming on a steal. Kelley's Micaela Martin followed it up with a pair of her own, and the two teams exchanged blows from there.

Kelley went on a six-point run to cut it to 46-31 shortly before the fourth, but a buzzer-beater three by McGee gave the Sandites momentum for the final period. 

Johnson started the final period with a pair of free throws and a pair of goals, one of which came on a steal and reverse from McGee. Martin interjected with a free throw as Kersgieter fouled out, but Pennington hit a two and Regalado added a three in retaliation. The Sandites lost another player when Jacie Taber fouled out, but it didn't slow them down a bit. Mutiri hit a two, followed by McGee, followed by back-to-back baskets from senior Amari Grant almost immediately after she joined the game. Mutiri sealed the game with a free throw to remain undefeated.

The Lady Sandites will return to Bishop Kelley this Thursday for a tournament. They will play 3A unranked Cascia Hall (0-1) at 1:30 p.m. Their next game will be played Friday at either 7:00 p.m. or 1:00 p.m. depending on if they win or lose.

CPHS Senior Jessica Collins signs with Connors State College Softball

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School senior Jessica Collins signed with Connors State College Cowgirl Softball team Tuesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House. 

Connors State is a public college located in Warner, Oklahoma and participates in the National Junior College Athletics Association Division I. They finished last season with a 36-18 overall record, and were 20-12 in conference. Michael Deese is in his first year as the interim Head Coach, replacing Rick Carbone who took over the head coaching position at Muskogee High School in May. 

Collins is a three-time All District Honorable Mention and was named to the All-District, All-Region, and All-State teams this year after helping her team to their third State Tournament appearance during her time at CPHS.

She was one of the top batters on the team this past fall, batting .316 for a .342 slugging average and .447 on-base percentage. She landed 29 singles, 7 doubles, and 19 sacrifices for 39 runs and 22 RBI on 114 at-bats. She was five of six on base stealing and was in one one double play.

The Lady Sandites finished the season 30-8, 11-3 for second place in their district and first in Regionals They made the State Championship two years in a row and finished as State Runners-Up in 2015. 

SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Jake Terry officially signs with University of Oklahoma baseball
SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Sydney Pennington signs with Oklahoma State University Softball
SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Cheyenne Walden signs with Oklahoma State University Cross Country
SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Alexis Davis signs with SWOSU Cross Country
SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Kyle Keener signs with University of Central Oklahoma Basketball

Sydney Pennington and Jessica Collins make All-State Fast Pitch team

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The High School Fast Pitch Softball season came to a close several weeks ago as the Charles Page team fell 10-2 at the State Tournament. The girls finished the season with 30 wins to only 8 losses, took second place in their district, and won the Regional Tournament for the second-straight year. 

Two Sandite Seniors were named to the Oklahoma Large East All-State team. Oklahoma State University commit Sydney Pennington was selected as a midfielder and Jessica Collins was selected as a utility player. 

Pennington finished her Senior year with a .543 batting average with 27 singles, 19 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs, 38 RBI and 45 runs on 105 at-bats. Those numbers would be a lot higher if coaches weren't too afraid to pitch to her. Pennington was walked 31 times this season, most of which was intentional. She never once struck out, and she was two for two on base stealing. She was also in on five double plays. In addition to playing short stop, she also spent time on the mound and pitched just under forty innings. She finished the season undefeated with a 6-0 record, 1.41 ERA, and 1.135 WHIP (Walks + Hits per innings pitched). She threw 61% strikes. 

Collins finished the year with a .316 batting average with 29 singles, 7 doubles, 22 RBI, 39 runs, and 19 sacrifices on 114 at-bats. She was five for six on base stealing and was involved in one double play. Her older sister, Mallory, was also an All-State player in 2013. 

The addition of Pennington and Collins brings the all-time Sand Springs All-State roster to 39. Only nine schools had more than one All State player on the two Large teams. Only four teams had three All-State players, and Sand Springs only even had three Seniors. 

The whole team was recognized at Monday evening's Sand Springs Board of Ed meeting. Head Coach Shelli Brown was presented with a Coin of Excellence and the team received a plaque recognizing their accomplishments. The girls fell short of the State Title on the diamond, but they were named the Academic State Champions with a team GPA of 3.85. School Superintendent Sherry Durkee expressed her opinion that the Academic State Championship was even more impressive and important than the athletic Championship.

The All-State game will be played in June at Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond.

2016 Lady Sandite roster:

Jensen Arnold
Madelyn Blair
Rachel Blair
Cameron Clemons
Jessica Collins
Felicity Horn
Rachel Jones
Elizabeth Luttrell
Sydney Pennington
Kimi Presnell
Makenna Skaggs
Jacie Taber
Sabrina Usher

 

All-State Lady Sandites:

1986 - Tina Smalley, Ashley Burgess
1987 - Andi Sallee, Tricia Spencer
1988 - Cori Jones
1990 - Danielle Miller, Marsha Rogers
1993 - Jamie Pennington, Kendra Williams
1994 - Debra Collins, Rachel Phillips
1995 - Tiffany Redding, Jenny Kennemer
1996 - Jennifer Bottoms
1997 - Tauni Kennemer, Angie Smalley
1999 - Shawna Wright
2000 - Lindsey Dyer, Brandi Horn
2001 - Patty Keho, Jessica Clark, Danielle Blackwell
2002 - Erin Bouse
2003 - Amanda Hale, Sara Dyer
2004 - Melanie Skinner
2006 - Alyssa Poole
2008 - Ashlynn Kelley
2010 - Madison Thompson, Darrian Williams, Joely Rogers
2012 - Taylor Perdue
2013 - Mallory Collins, Hailey Andrews, Kasey Burgess
2015 - Jessica Schuler, Kennedy "Goose" Salyers
2016 - Sydney Pennington, Jessica Collins. 

 

Sandite of the Week: Jessica Schuler

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

This week Sandite Pride would like to recognize Charles Page High School senior Jessica Schuler for her consistent outstanding performances at all three slow pitch softball games last week. Schuler is the second-highest scorer on the team with 25 runs and 34 RBI this season and is the leading home-run hitter with 13 this season. She has the highest slugging average at 1.644 and is the only Lady Sandite to hit a grand slam this season.

This past week has been particularly notable for Schuler, who is signed to play for Northeastern State University this fall. In a Tuesday evening game against 2A No.3 ranked Barnsdall (23-4) the No.14 Lady Sandites (10-5) scored a 13-8 upset win with Schuler (6-2) on the mound. 

The Lady Panthers led 4-3 in the bottom of the third when Schuler scored a go-ahead 2RBI homer. Barnsdall had tied it back up at 8-8 in the top of the fifth, but once more it was Schuler to the rescue with a grand slam to make it 12-8. Schuler pitched all seven innings and gave up 12 hits, 1 walk, and 8 earned runs with 1 strike out while throwing 43% strikes. 

On Thursday evening the Sandites had a close double-header rivalry match-up at Sapulpa. In the first game Schuler only got off a single on four at-bats, but she was instrumental in the second game.

Once more Schuler was on the mound, giving up just two earned runs and twelve hits over eight innings while throwing 73% strikes. Schuler got a base hit in the top of the second and courtesy runner Jensen Arnold scored the go-ahead on a Jacie Taber sacrifice. The Chieftains retook the lead in the bottom of the third, but in the top of the fourth Schuler hit a home run to tie it back up. Sapulpa battled back to a 6-6 tie by the top of the fifth and it held through extra innings till Sydney Pennington scored Kimi Presnell, then came home on a single by Schuler to ice the cake. 

The Sandites have just two game-days left in the regular season and will play next at Bixby (5-14) on Tuesday.