SAND SPRINGS — Clint Gamble scored 18 points as Enid won its Centennial Conference basketball opener 51-39 over Sand Springs Tuesday.
The Plainsmen were without leading scorer Chris Fitzpatrick, who didn’t play for undisclosed reasons.
Gibson Rose had 15 points for the Plainsmen while Alex Patterson had 11.
Sand Springs dropped to 0-3 overall with the loss.
“I was really proud of them,’’ said Enid coach T.J. Scholz. “I thought we played hard with a lot of intensity on the road.’’
Gamble was dominant inside in scoring his career high with the Plainsmen.
“They didn’t have anybody who could guard him,’’ Scholz said.
Rose had four 3-pointers on the night.
The Plainsmen led 28-18 at halftime and were able to keep a double-digit lead most of the second half.
Nick Tate led the Sandites with 14 points. He was the only Sand Springs player in double figures.
Enid will be back in action against Shawnee 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the Bartlesville Arvest Bank Invitational Tournament.
The Enid girls basketball team lost to Sand Springs 45-29. Turnovers and missed free throws plagued the Pacers all night, said head coach Layne Jones.
“We didn’t play very good,” Jones said. “We were 4-of-18 from the free throw line.”
The Pacers also had more than 25 turnovers and eight missed layups, Jones said.
Courtney Chelf and Haley Rasp led Enid with six points each.
Sand Springs outscored Enid 15-3 in the first quarter and tied or outscored the Pacers in the remaining three quarters to keep its substantial lead.
A bright spot in the Pacers’ play was their defense, Jones said.
