Talented, experienced BHS girls basketball could be on verge of first winning season in the 2020s
Bartlesville High School’s Emma Zimmerman (5) will be one of the Lady Bruins returning starters this year. The Lady Bruins open their season 6:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 22) when they host the Ponca City Wildcats.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Bartlesville Area Sports Report
Are we talking a winning season for the Bartlesville High School girls basketball team?
It would be no small feat — five full seasons have passed since the Lady Bruins last finished above .500 (18-8, 2018-19).
Last year’s squad came close (12-13), guided by third-year head coach Justyn Shaw.
Shaw is back for a fourth season to navigate a program that appears to be gathering momentum for a winning trajectory in the season’s flight.
The return of several veterans — plus the addition of a talented newcomer — could provide the necessary firepower.
The countdown hits zero at 6:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 22) when the Lady Bruins play host to the Ponca City High Lady Wildcats.
Friday’s opener will give Lady Bruin fans their first opportunity to see Sami Sheaffer in varsity action.
The six-foot guard/wing is a well-rounded skillster that could upgrade the Lady Bruins quality of play in multiple areas.
“She can handle the ball, she can do everything,” said Shaw. “She can pass it and she can score the ball. … She’s very, very polished. I’m impressed by her natural feel for the game.”
Two aspects of Sheaffer’s game Shaw hopes to see her adjust are being more pro-active in scoring points and toning down her energy level at times.
Sheaffer has been on the area scene for a few years. She played as a freshman at Oklahoma Union High and her sophomore year added fuel to the Oklahoma Flame home school girls team.
She decided just prior to the end of summer break to enroll at Bartlesville, Shaw said.
Familiar names and proven warriors penciled in as starters are Alayah Lunn (5-6), Emma Zimmerman (5-7), Kennedy Nubel (6-0) and Adrianne Flick (5-10).
Rounding out the main seven going into the campaign are Cadence Gray (5-8) and freshman Addison Jones (5-6).
Another ninth-grader that might have a promising upside this season could be softball standout Erin Bridendolph (5-8), Shaw said.
The roster features several other girls who will be trying to take advantage of their opportunities and make their marks.
Lunn, Flick and Nubel are each seniors.
Lunn is the top returning scorer from last season, averaging eight points, two assists and two rebounds per game.
“If you watched her play she has great mechanics and a really good release,” Shaw said. “I’m really counting on her to be more of a scorer this year. I want to see her become a double-digit scorer, which she is capable of doing.”
Zimmerman has proven herself since her freshman season, when she started about half the varsity games. She is now a junior, after having served as a sophomore captain last year and averaging about eight points per game, along with pulling down around four boards per outing.
“I’m also looking for her to carry more of the scoring load,” Shaw said. “I’m looking for her to improve in each of those areas (scoring, rebounding, assists).”
Bartlesville High School’s Kennedy Nubel (25) will be one of the Lady Bruins returning starters this year. The Lady Bruins open their season 6:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 22) when they host the Ponca City Wildcats.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Nubel transferred earlier in her high school career from Nowata High and has provided a major boost to Bartlesville’s fortunes.
“She was about seven points and four rebounds a game and led us in charges taken,” Shaw said about last season.
Nubel didn’t launch many three-pointers, but when she did they had about a 43-percent shot of falling through the net.
“She’ll play on the outside a little bit for us,” Shaw said. “She’s improved in her passing. … I think she’s made a good transition from playing 2A ball to 6A.”
Flick — who pulled down nearly four boards per game last season — will be counted on to clean the glass hard again this year, Shaw said.
Gray didn’t play much varsity time last year, but is likely to be one of the key players in the upcoming hardcourt wars, Shaw said.
“She can slash to the basket and she can pass the ball,” he said. “She makes a lot of hustle plays and plays hard.”
Jones distinguished herself in scrimmage play.
“She can knock down open shots, she can handle the ball and she can pass it,” Shaw said. “She’s really aggressive, especially on defense. She’s got an opportunity to contribute.”
Due to her size and athleticism Bridendolph also could have a chance to show what she can do this season, he added.
Shaw already has seen his time in scrimmage action several times, including a grueling home test Tuesday (Nov. 19) against Pryor — which is led by former Lady Bruin head coach Donnie Martin.
Bartlesville won the first quarter, 13-7, “but it was pretty even after that,” Shaw said. “I played a lot of different girls. I really wasn’t focused on beating them. Donnie Martin has a solid team.”
Shaw said he felt his team could have rebounded the ball better in the scrimmage.
During the past couple of weeks, Bartlesville also sharpened its skills in scrimmage battles against Claremore and at the Broken Arrow Super Scrimmage.
At the latter event, Bartlesville went up against state powers Westmoore and Norman North.
Westmoore features the No. 1-ranked girls player in the state and Norman North has two girls that have signed to play NCAA Division I basketball.
“We hung around a 10-point deficit with them,” Shaw said. “I thought our energy was great.”
He also expressed satisfaction at how the Lady Bruins performed in their scrimmage against a very strong Locust Grove team out of Class 5A.
Bartlesville’s district opponents this season will be Broken Arrow, Edmond North, Enid, Jenks, Northwest Classen, Sand Springs and Sapulpa.
Lady Bruin fans could witness a different style of play this season.
“All of our issues are correctable,” Shaw said. “We want to make good decisions with the ball and be strong on rebounding. We’ll be playing a little faster this year, trying to get the ball out in transition. We’ll be running the fast break more looking for opportunities to score the basketball. Hopefully that will bode well for us.”
The countdown is on.
Bartlesville High School’s Alayah Lunn (4) will be one of the Lady Bruins returning starters this year. The Lady Bruins open their season 6:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 22) when they host the Ponca City Wildcats.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports