CPHS Boys fall 82-61 to No. 5 Norman North, will face Sapulpa in Area Playoffs Friday

CPHS junior Colt Savage posted 28 points in the Regional Championship game at Norman North. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

NNHS 82 CPHS 61

1Q Norman North 21-19
2Q Norman North 24-14
3Q Norman North 25-16
4Q All 12-12

Scoring: (CPHS) Colt Savage 28, Keener 14, Cale Savage 6, Golightly 4, Durkee 3, Taber 2, Garbey 2, Price 2. (NNHS) Young 47, Stoops 16, Kolar 8, Nelson 4, Crutchfield 3, Klein 2, Smith 2. 

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School boys basketball team (12-13) made a big statement Friday night when they defeated the No. 9 ranked Yukon Millers (15-8) in the first round of the Regional playoffs, but they were unable to repeat in the Saturday Championship round against No. 5 Norman North (19-4).

The host team was led by University of Oklahoma-signed senior Trae Young, who was the highest-recruited player in the country before committing to the Sooners. Young was unstoppable from anywhere on the court, draining nine three-pointers with a total of 47 points. 

The Sandites had their own all-star in Colt Savage, who posted 28 points for his fourth-highest score of the season. The 6'3" junior son of Head Coach Eric Savage has led the Frontier Valley Conference in scoring all season long with an average of 22.5 points-per-game.

Sand Springs hung tight with the Timberwolves through the first quarter and only trailed by two at the buzzer. The elder Savage scored eight in the stanza, aided by University of Central Oklahoma-signed senior Kyle Keener with six, sophomore Cale Savage with three, and Matt Price with two.

The top-seeded team began to pull away in the second period, however, as Young played his best quarter of the game with eighteen points. Peyton Golightly posted all four of his points in the second quarter, Colt Savage scored five, Cale Savage scored three, and Jacob Garbey hit his lone basket of the game. 

Norman North retired to the locker room with a 45-33 advantage. 

Colt Savage did the bulk of his damage in the third period, scoring eleven of the team's sixteen points, but Young had thirteen for the Timberwolves and Drake Stoops posted eight more as the home team led 70-49. The 21-point advantage was insurmountable for the Sandites and both teams scored 12 in the final stretch for a final score of 82-61. 

Despite falling short of the Regional title, the Sandites will still advance to the Area playoffs through the consolation bracket. They will take on their Highway 97 rivals, No. 12 Sapulpa (16-7) in the first round Friday at 8:00 p.m. at Bixby High School. The winner of that game will face the loser of No. 1 Union (25-0) vs No. 7 Booker T. Washington (18-6) for the ticket to State. The Sandites previously fell 72-68 to Sapulpa in a close game this January. 

Kyle Keener scores 19 in Sandites' 58-54 loss at Bixby

Kyle Keener led all scorers with 19 points Friday night in Bixby. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

BHS 58 CPHS 54

1Q Sand Springs 15-10
2Q Sand Springs 12-9
3Q Bixby 14-13
4Q Bixby 25-14

Scoring: (Sand Springs) Keener 19, Colt Savage 18, Cale Savage 6, Taber 6, Garbey 4, Golightly 1. (Bixby) Homan 18, Waggnor 14, Fiser 13, King 6, Hink 3, York 2, Moore 2.

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

By: Virgil Noah, Staff Writer

University of Central Oklahoma-signed senior Kyle Keener scored a team-high 19 points and collected 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season in Charles Page High School's attempt to spoil Bixby High School's Senior Night on Friday. The Sandites (11-12 overall, 5-9 conference) led for almost the entirety of the game but were unable to secure the victory and were defeated 58-54 after a late rally. 

The Spartans (11-12, 6-8) raced out to a 7-0 lead in the opening moments of the game getting layups from Sam Hink and Joey Homan, while Tre Waggnor knocked down a three-pointer. The Sandites then closed out the first quarter on a 15-3 scoring run. Keener knocked down a free throw, followed by baskets from Colt Savage and Jacob Garbey. Colt and younger brother Cale Savage both drained threes and Josh Taber got on the board with a layup to close out the opening stanza with the visitors up by five.

The second quarter saw more of the same as the Sandites outscored Bixby 12-9 in the quarter. Keener and Colt combined for all 12 of those points, and the Sandites headed into halftime leading 27-19.

Taber got the second half going with a layup and Waggnor answered with a conventional three-point play. Spartan Senior Forward Will Fiser got things going as well as Homan to score Bixby's last nine straight points in the quarter, while Colt did damage from the field and the charity stripe. Cale sank another triple and Keener scored in the post to send Sand Springs into the final eight minutes of play with a seven point advantage. 

Keener and Homan traded baskets to start the fourth followed by Fiser and Garbey. Homan then scored despite a foul and converted the and-one opportunity. A layup by Staton King trimmed the lead to just two points. Keener would score ten of his team-high 19 points in the fourth, the last of which gave the Sandites a 54-50 advantage. Bixby would hold Sand Springs off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game though, as Waggnor made back-to-back trifectas to seal the win for the Spartans. 

The Sandites will return to action next Friday at 6:30 p.m. when they play No. 9 Yukon (14-6) in the first round of the Norman North Regional playoff.

Lady Sandite Basketball wins Frontier Valley Conference Championship

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter led all scorers with 17 points Friday night at Bixby. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

CPHS 59 BHS 46

1Q Sand Springs 12-5
2Q Sand Springs 17-9
3Q Sand Springs 17-13
4Q Bixby 19-13

Scoring: (CPHS) Kersgieter 17, Johnson 14, McGee 13, Regalado 9, Pennington 6. (BHS) Tyree 16, Bittle 15, Myles 9, Fuhr 3, King 1, Stout 1, Brown 1.

(CPHS only)
Offensive Rebounds: McGee 3, Kersgieter 2, Pennington 1, Grant 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Kersgieter 3, Pennington 3, Taber 3, Johnson 2, Collins 2, Grant 2, McGee 1.
Steals: Pennington 3, Kersgieter 2, Johnson 2.
Assists: Johnson 3, McGee 3, Pennington 2, Collins 1, Kersgieter 1.
Blocks: Kersgieter 2, Regalado 2, Pennington 1, Johnson 1.
Fouls: Regalado 5, Kersgieter 3, Taber 3, Pennington 2, Johnson 2, Grant 1, Boaz 1.

The No. 3 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (20-1) pulled off a nearly perfect regular season to wrap up their first Frontier Valley Conference Championship in recent memory. Three Lady Sandites doubled in a 59-46 victory at Bixby to clench the title with a 13-1 record. The lone blemish on the girls' season was a 61-57 loss at No. 9 Owasso when starting center Gloria Mutiri was out with an ankle injury. Mutiri was absent from this game as well, playing club volleyball out of town, but it didn't affect the girls this time.

The girls took first place at both the Bishop Kelley Invitational and the Coffeyville Interstate Classic, and earned the right to host a Regional Tournament. Unfortunately the Ed Dubie Field House sustained water damage and the Regional was moved to Broken Arrow. The first game will be played this upcoming Thursday at 8:00 p.m. against Stillwater (5-18).

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter led all scorers Friday night at Bixby with 17 points, followed by Destiny Johnson with 14 and Kierra McGee with 13 for the Sandites. Sarah Tyree was top-dog for the Lady Spartans with 16, closely followed by Maddie Bittle with 15. This was Kersgieter's seventh time leading her team this season.

The visitors got off to a fast start as Johnson scored the opening points with a layup and free throw. Tyree retaliated in similar form to tied it at 3-3, but the Sandites took the lead from there and never looked back. McGee hit a three-pointer, Johnson added back-to-back twos, then Kersgieter scored her first points of the night to make it 12-3. Tyree had the final say of the first quarter with a layup and was the only Lady Spartan to score in the stanza.

Sand Springs doubled down on their host in the second quarter as Kersgieter posted eight points, aided by Johnson with five, McGee with two, and Sydney Pennington with two. Bittle and Dariann Myles both got in on the action for Bixby, but they trailed 29-14 going into halftime.

The third quarter was less of a blowout, though the Sandites did increase their lead to 46-27. The Spartans finally caught a break in the final stretch as Coach Dustin Morrow ran the bench on the Spartans. The home team scored the final eleven points of the game and won the period 19-13.

Union boys win Frontier Valley Conference, Sand Springs girls can clinch at Bixby

CPHS junior Colt Savage leads the conference with 22.4 points-per-game. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Another great season for the Frontier Valley Conference is coming to an end, but it's not quite over yet. While the Union Redskins have the boys' conference title all wrapped up, Owasso still has the potential to snipe it from the Sand Springs girls if the Lady Sandites fail to win at Bixby this Friday. The Sandites previously defeated the Lady Spartans 67-51 in January.

Girls' FVC Standings

No. 3 Sand Springs (19-1, 12-1) defeated Broken Arrow 54-32 and Bartlesville 42-32 last week, then hammered Muskogee 73-40 Tuesday for Senior Night. They will travel to Bixby Friday before hosting a Regional playoff against Stillwater, Broken Arrow, and Union. 

No. 6 Owasso (16-6, 11-2) fell out of first place with a 56-51 loss to Bartlesville, but defeated Bishop Kelley 58-40 and Jenks 49-47. They'll need Sand Springs to lose at Bixby if they want to claim the FVC title now. They will host Union Friday for Senior Night and they will host Jenks, Midwest City, and Ponca City for their Regional.

No. 14 Bartlesville (13-8, 9-3) is still in the running for second place after topping Owasso 56-51 and Bixby 48-30, but no longer have a shot at the title since they fell 42-32 to Sand Springs. The Lady Bruins will play two games against Sapulpa before their Regional at Putnam City West against Sapulpa and Enid.

No. 15 Broken Arrow (12-10, 7-6) split wins last week topping Union 59-54 in overtime, but falling 54-32 to Sand Springs. They were then defeated 35-31 by Sapulpa on Tuesday. They will host Bishop Kelley Friday and will play their Regional at Sand Springs with Stillwater and Union.

No. 17 Union (12-10, 7-6) split wins last week, topping Jenks 68-55, but falling 59-54 to Broken Arrow. This week they defeated Bishop Kelley 73-33 and they'll travel to Owasso Friday before the Sand Springs Regional with Stillwater and Broken Arrow.

No. 19 Sapulpa (10-11, 6-6) split wins last week, topping Bishop Kelley 52-49, but falling 63-50 to Muskogee. They upset Broken Arrow 35-31 Tuesday and have two games left against Bartlesville. Their Regional will be at Putnam City West with Bartlesville and Enid.

Muskogee (9-12, 4-9) split games last week, falling 59-51 to Bixby, but topping Sapulpa 63-50. They fell 73-40 to Sand Springs Tuesday and will host Jenks on Friday. Their Regional will be at Booker T. Washington with Norman North and Bixby.

5A No. 17 Bishop Kelley (6-14, 2-11) fell 52-49 to Sapulpa and 58-40 to Owasso last week and 73-33 to Union on Tuesday. They will travel to Broken Arrow Friday. Their Regional will be at Collinsville with Nathan Hale and Del City.

Bixby (7-15, 2-11) split wins last week, topping Muskogee 59-51, but falling 42-39 to Jenks. They were then defeated 48-30 by Bartlesville on Tuesday and will host Sand Springs on Friday. Their Regional will be at Booker T. Washington with Norman North and Muskogee.

Top Scorers (Points-per-game)

  1. Trena Mims (Muskogee) 19.7
  2. Terryn Milton (Owasso) 16.4
  3. Taylor Malham (Union) 15.7
  4. Jalise Smallwood (Broken Arrow) 15.6
  5. Maddie Bittle (Bixby) 14.2
  6. Jena Williams (Bartlesville) 12.3
  7. Haley Meely (Jenks) 11.9
  8. Sydney Pennington (Sand Springs) 11.2
  9. Gloria Mutiri (Sand Springs) 10.5
  10. Kiarra Brooks (Sapulpa) 10.4

Frontier Valley Conference Schedule

2/17 Union at Owasso
2/17 Bishop Kelley at Broken Arrow
2/17 Jenks at Muskogee
2/17 Bartlesville at Sapulpa
2/17 Sand Springs at Bixby
2/20 Sapulpa at Bartlesville

Boys' FVC Standings

No. 1 Union Redskins (22-0, 13-0) officially have the Frontier Valley Conference Championship on lock with only one game left. Last week they hammered Jenks 73-49 and topped Broken Arrow 57-50 in the Tigers' last shot at stealing the title. They destroyed Bishop Kelley 83-49 Tuesday and they will finish the regular season on the road at Owasso. Then will host Ponca City, Muskogee and Owasso for the Regional playoff.

No. 8 Broken Arrow (16-6, 10-3) will have to settle for second place in the conference after defeating Sand Springs 63-57 last week, but falling 57-50 to Union. They beat Sapulpa 64-53 Tuesday and will finish the regular season with Bishop Kelley. They will travel to Booker T. Washington for their Regional playoff against Stillwater, Booker T., and Bixby.

No. 12 Sapulpa (14-6, 8-4) still has a shot at third place in the conference after defeating Bishop Kelley 67-60 last week, but they'll need to beat Bartlesville twice after falling 80-73 to Muskogee and 64-53 to Broken Arrow. They will play back-to-back games against Bartlesville and have to win both to guarantee third place. The Chieftains will travel all the way to Midwest City for their Regional against Bartlesville, Midwest City, and Enid.

No. 10 Muskogee (15-6, 8-5) is still in the running for third place after topping Bixby 68-65 and Sapulpa 80-73 last week, but after a 70-60 loss at Sand Springs, they'll need to beat Jenks on Friday. The Roughers' Regional playoff will be at Union against the Redskins, Ponca City, and Owasso.

No. 15 Owasso (14-8, 7-6) can only hope for fourth at best and they'll have to beat undefeated Union to do so. They topped Jenks 64-48 Tuesday and will host the Redskins on Senior Night. Their Regional will be at Union with Muskogee and Ponca City.

Sand Springs (11-11, 5-8) split wins last week, falling 63-57 to Broken Arrow, but topping Bartlesville 52-51. They then hosted Muskogee for senior night and prevailed 7-60. They will wrap up the regular season at Bixby on Friday. Their Regional will be played at Norman North with Jenks and Yukon.

Bixby (10-12, 5-8) split wins last week, falling 68-65 to Muskogee, but beating Jenks 61-48 and topped Bartlesville 58-54 Tuesday. They will host Sand Springs Friday for Senior Night. Their Regional will be at Booker T. Washington with Broken Arrow and Stillwater.

No. 18 Bartlesville (9-12, 4-8) fell 59-51 to Owasso and 52-51 to Sand Springs last week, then dropped a close 58-54 battle against Bixby this week. They will play Sapulpa twice before traveling to Midwest City for their Regional with Sapulpa and Enid.

5A No. 18 Bishop Kelley (7-14, 3-10) fell 67-60 to Sapulpa and 54-41 to Owasso last week, and were hammered 83-49 by Union on Tuesday. They will travel to Broken Arrow Friday in their regular season finale. Their Regional will be at Del City with Northwest Classen and Durant.

Jenks (3-16, 1-12) fell 73-49 to Union and 61-48 to Bixby last week, and 64-48 to Owasso on Tuesday. They will travel to Muskogee Friday for their regular season finale. Their Regional will be at Norman North with Yukon and Sand Springs.

Top Scorers (Points-per-game)

  1. Colt Savage (Sand Springs) 22.4
  2. Keenan Balance (Sapulpa) 22.0
  3. Brooks Haddock (Muskogee) 20.0
  4. Ethan Chargois (Union) 18.4
  5. Julian Smith (Sapulpa) 17.5
  6. Caleb Huffman (Broken Arrow) 17.4
  7. Josh Proctor (Owasso) 16.4
  8. Kyle Keener (Sand Springs) 16.2
  9. Barron Tanner (Bartlesville) 16.0
  10. TyReece Berry (Muskogee) 14.8

 

 

Sandites upset No. 10 Muskogee 70-60; Savage scores 26, Keener and Garbey post 15

CPHS senior Kyle Keener posted his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

CPHS 70 MHS 60

1Q Sand Springs 15-11
2Q All 10-10
3Q Sand Springs 19-18
4Q Sand Springs 26-21

Free Throws: CPHS 21-of-32. MHS 7-of-11.
Field Goals: CPHS 22-of-41. MHS 24-of-52.
Fouls: CPHS 14, MHS 22.

Scoring: (CPHS) Colt Savage 26, Keener 15, Garbey 15, Taber 8, Price 5, Wash 1. (MHS) Haddock 30, Davis 9, Mims 8, Parks 5, Berry 4, Cherry 4.

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Keener 3, Colt Savage 1, Garbey 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Keener 8, Colt Savage 8, Taber 3, Price 2, Garbey 1, Cale Savage 1, Wash 1, Krehbiel 1. 
Steals: Colt Savage 3.
Assists: Taber 5, Keener 2, Colt Savage 1.
Blocks: Keener 3.
Fouls: Keener 4, Taber 4, Colt Savage 3, Cale Savage 1, Price 1, Wash 1.
 

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Muskogee isn't typically a rival for Sand Springs, but after junior standout Brooks Haddock transferred there right before the season began, the No. 10 ranked Roughers (15-6 overall, 8-5 conference) became public enemy number one. The Roughers defeated the Sandites (11-11, 5-8) 47-42 earlier this season, but the Charles Page boys got payback on senior night at the Ed Dubie Field House with a controlling 70-60 performance. The Sandites took the lead midway through the first quarter and never gave it up. 

Haddock led all scorers with thirty points, but junior Colt Savage was right behind him with 26. No other Roughers broke double digits, but Kyle Keener and Jacob Garbey scored fifteen apiece for the Sandites. Keener, a senior signed to the University of Central Oklahoma, pulled in eleven rebounds for his third double-double of the season. 

Haddock entered the court to much bedlam from the student section and dropped a three on the Roughers' second possession, but Josh Taber followed up with a two for the Sandites, then Garbey hit a free throw and Savage sank a three for the 6-3 lead. Haddock and TyReece Berry hit a pair of twos to reclaim the advantage, but it would be the last time the visitors would lead. Matthew Price hit a three for the lead and the Sandites never looked back. By the end of the first quarter the home team had a 15-11 advantage.

The two teams were perfectly matched in the second quarter. Sand Springs led by as much as 25-17 towards the end of the period thanks to baskets from Savage and Taber, but Haddock and Keondre' Davis cut it to 25-21 at halftime.

The third period started out as a three-way shootout between Haddock, Savage, and Keener, who pushed the score to 32-28. Keener scored nine in the third period and the Sandites finished 44-39.

Davis scored the first point of the final stanza on a free throw, but Garbey hit a three pointer, then Keener rebounded and scored two on the next possession to complete his double-double. Haddock scored fourteen points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to save his team. The Roughers entered the double with 3:21 left and the Sandites scored ten points from the charity stripe after that point, with Savage hitting two to end the game with a double-digit victory.

The Sandites will conclude the regular season Friday at Bixby (10-12, 5-8), who they already defeated 76-71 earlier this season. The Roughers will host Jenks (3-16, 1-12) Friday for senior night. Muskogee already handled the Trojans 85-59 earlier this season. 

No. 3 CPHS girls defeat Muskogee 73-40, five Sandites score double digits

CPHS junior Gloria Mutiri led all scorers with 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Muskogee Lady Roughers. (Photo: Morgan Miller).

CPHS 73 MHS 40

1Q Sand Springs 18-8
2Q Sand Springs 24-14
3Q Sand Springs 20-8
4Q Sand Springs 11-10

Free Throws: CPHS 13-of-19. MHS 7-of-20.
Field Goals: CPHS 27-of-52. MHS 16-of-52.
Fouls: CPHS 14, MHS 11.

Scoring: (CPHS) Mutiri 17, Pennington 11, Regalado 11, Kersgieter 10, McGee 10, Johnson 7, Bunch 3, Boaz 2, Taber 2. (MHS) Mims 15, Nash 9, Patterson 7, Brown 5, Wilkerson 4.

(Sand Springs only)
Offensive Rebounds: Mutiri 7, Boaz 2, Kersgieter 1, Taber 1, Grant 1, Wilson 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Regalado 5, Mutiri 4, Pennington 4, Kersgieter 3, Taber 3, Johnson 2, Collins 2, Boaz 2, McGee 1.
Steals: Pennington 3, Mutiri 2, Kersgieter 1, Johnson 1, Bunch 1.
Assists: Pennington 4, Johnson 2, Taber 2, McGee 1, Collins 1, Boaz 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 1, Johnson 1.
Fouls: Taber 3, Wilson 2, Collins 2, Regalado 2, Pennington 1, Mutiri 1, Kersgieter 1, McGee 1, Boaz 1.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Tuesday night was senior night at the Ed Dubie Field House and the No. 3 Charles Page High School girls basketball team (19-1 overall, 12-1 conference) steamrolled the unranked Muskogee Lady Roughers (9-12, 4-9) 73-40. Five different Lady Sandites posted double digits and Ohio State University volleyball-commit Gloria Mutiri led all scorers with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Holly Kersgieter, Sydney Pennington, Mutiri, and Destiny Johnson worked up a 13-0 lead before Camrynn Wilkerson got the visitors on the board with a two-point layup. The home team eased up from there, but led 18-8 after the first quarter. 

The Lady Sandites had their biggest output in the second quarter, starting with six-straight points and taking a 42-22 halftime lead behind eight points from Mutiri. 

The third quarter was the most devastating. Trena Mims hit a layup to start the half, Mutiri scored back-to-back, Mims hit another, then the Sandites went on a twelve-point run capped by back-to-back baskets from sophomore Isabella Regalado: one from three point range and one from two. Dia-Nitta Brown broke the streak, but Kersgieter and Jacie Taber scored four more before Mims ended the quarter at 62-30.

Mutiri started off the final stanza with a two, Kierra McGee sank a deep three, then Gloria hit a free throw before leaving the game. Brown and Mims combined on a five-point run from there before senior Bailey Boaz got on the board. Chris'alee Patterson shot a two for the Roughers, then Ashlee Bunch hit the first three of her career. Patterson sank a long three at the buzzer to finish the game 73-40.

The Lady Sandites will return to action this Friday at Bixby (7-15, 2-11) in their regular season finale. They previously defeated the Lady Spartans 67-51 in January. The Lady Roughers will host Jenks (6-15, 4-9) for senior night this Friday. They previously fell 60-54 to the Lady Trojans in January.