Bartlesville teams split in exciting home hoops games Tuesday
Bartlesville High School’s Kenzie Denny (12) drives the ball against Sand Springs in Bartlesville on Dec. 10, 2024. The Lady Bruins won, 64-55.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Bartlesville High School’s Kim Maire (15) gets past a Sand Springs player during action in Bartlesville on Dec. 10, 2024. The Bruins fell, 68-52.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Bartlesville Area Sports Report
A few moments after Kenzie Denny dialed in a sizzlin’ three-pointer to scorch the cords and end Bartlesville High School’s scoring in Tuesday’s (Dec. 10) 64-55 girls’ basketball win against Sand Springs.
The point total also pushed Bartlesville to another milestone.
This was the first time since January 2019 that the Lady Bruins (2-1) scored 64-or-more points in consecutive home games.
Back on Nov. 22, the new-look Bartlesville squad pounded Ponca City, 70-32, in the home opener. Following a road loss last week at Edmond North, the Lady Bruins won the shoot-out against Sand Springs, which left the nets smoking.
Meanwhile, the Bartlesville Bruin boys displayed plenty of savvy and quality skill despite battling a notable size disadvantage against the Sandites.
Late in the second quarter, Bartlesville stormed back from a 13-point deficit to pull within a point, 27-26, on a crowd-energizing deuce, set up on the other end by Michael Kent’s hustling defensive rebound.
But, the Sandites burst out on a 9-0 run to end the first half and push their lead back to 10, 36-26.
The second half tilted in Sand Springs’ favor and the Sandites walked off the Bruin Fieldhouse court with a 68-52 victory.
Bartlesville boys will travel Thursday (Dec. 12) to the Latta tournament, while the Lady Bruins will be home Friday (Dec. 13) for girls’ only home action against Muskogee. The varsity tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
Following are a few more details about Tuesday’s games.
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LADY BRUINS 64, LADY SANDITES 55
Three Bartlesville girls drained double-digit points — Alayah Lunn with 18, Adrianne Flick with 11 and Sami Sheaffer with 10. Denny added nine points.
But the pattern of the game followed a dramatic — and not altogether pleasing — storyline for Bartlesville, which is coached by Justyn Shaw.
Bartlesville dominated the first half with prodigious precision. The Lady Bruins breezed into the break with a 22-point lead, 39-17.
However, thoughts of Sand Springs’ imminent demise in the second half proved to be as premature as the prediction of future crops in an apple seed.
Slowly — but steadily — Sand Springs peeled away Bartlesville’s lead.
It was only a 14-point game at the end of the third quarter, 52-38, in favor of Bartlesville.
Shortly inside the fourth quarter, the Lady Sandites trailed by only six, 52-46, with plenty of time left.
Lunn then delivered a trey to make it a 55-46 lead and temporarily disrupt Sand Springs’ raucous rally.
However, Sand Springs would continue to shrink the margin, getting as close as five points, 57-52, with about two minutes remaining.
But Bartlesville parried off the Lady Sandites the rest of the way, including a back-door layup by Flick that energized the home team for the final minute.
Denny’s last minute trey — launched from the left corner — was set up by Emma Zimmerman’s seeing-eye inbounds pass from under the bucket.
Bartlesville High School’s Adrianne Flick (20) grabs a rebound during action against Sand Springs in Bartlesville on Dec. 10, 2024. The Lady Bruins won, 64-55
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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SANDITES 68, BARTLESVILLE 52
Bartlesville displayed waves of resilience through the first half, but didn’t elevate its game enough in the second half to keep pace with the determined energy of unbeaten Sand Springs (5-0).
In other words, the young Bruins (1-2) — who introduced another freshman (Kim Maire) to major minutes, joining several other oft-used ninth-graders — came out of the game with a mixed report card and a few lessons yet to master.
But their first-half rally rated A-plus after Sand Springs spurted out to a 13-point lead, 23-10, in the final two minutes of the opening period.
The sparking point for the Bruin surge was produced by the fingertips of freshman Jordan Turner with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first quarter and trim Sand Springs’ lead to a single digit, 26-18.
That net-burning shot ignited a 11-1 run by Bartlesville to cut Sand Springs’ lead to one point, 27-26.
Nash Zervas — the lone senior on the roster — added voltage to the comeback on a bounce pass to Kent as he drove in to catch the ball and score a back-door layup.
But once the Bruins forced the margin down to one point, Sand Springs rekindled its attack — and Bartlesville didn’t score the final three minutes of the second quarter.
Sand Springs blitzed to a 17-point lead, 48-31, in the first few minutes of the third quarter. Bartlesville made a spirited effort in the fourth quarter, getting as close as 13 points, 60-47, after Zervas sank a trey for his 14th point.
By then there was only about three minutes left and the Sandites went into cruise control.
Dennis Duncan scored Bartlesville’s final five points to reach 12 for the game.
Bartlesville High School’s Trae Collins (11) presses a Sand Springs player during action in Bartlesville on Dec. 10, 2024. The Bruins fell, 68-52.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports