Sami puts whammy on visiting Ponca City as BHS Lady Bruins rolL to 38-point victory
Bartlesville High School's Sami Sheaffer (15) scored 18 points against Ponca City on Nov. 22, 2024 in Bartlesville. The Lady Bruins won, 70-32. This is the fourth year for coach Justyn Shaw.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Bartlesville Area Sports Report
For the first time in seven seasons — and only the third time in the last 10 seasons — the Bartlesville High School girls’ basketball team has opened with a win.
And what a win!
The Lady Bruins dismantled, dissected, dismissed, disarmed and otherwise made it a dismal night for the visiting Ponca City Wildcats at the mostly-crowded Bruin Fieldhouse on Friday (Nov. 22).
Bartlesville won 70-32 — ending a 34-game drought of not scoring at least 70 points.
It was pretty much impossible to find anything not to like for the debut of head coach Justyn Shaw’s fourth-year in charge of the program.
“It was a good night,” said Shaw. “(We) played great pressure defense, we did well in transition, which I think we have the personnel to do this year. We had a really, really good outing.”
Approximately 1,000-or-more happy fans agreed.
The game also introduced incoming transfer Sami Sheaffer to the Bruin faithful. It didn’t require much time for her to win them over.
By the final buzzer, Sheaffer had amassed 18 points (while hoisting just 11 shots and hitting 5-for-5 from the free throw stripe), made six steals, blocked two shots and contributed rebounds and assists.
“Sami was Sami,” Shaw said about his 6-foot guard and former home schooler who didn’t enroll until late July with Bartlesville High. “Sami is a competitor. She leads by example.”
Alayah Lunn unleashed a devastating offensive performance — 17 points.
“This is the Alayah I’ve been waiting for everyone to see,” Shaw said. “She hit 50 percent from the field. She had a lot of good drives to the basket.”
Returnee Kennedy Nubel accumulated 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.
Some other main rotation battlers included Emma Zimmerman (seven points, four assists, only one turnover and a stellar plus-minus rating of 40); Adrianne Flick (six points, three rebounds and other good things in just 16 foul trouble-shortened minutes) and Cadence Gray (two points, six rebounds, multiple assists).
Gray also made a big impact on defense, he added.
“I’m really proud of the way Emma stepped up, how Sami stepped in and how Adrianne stepped up as a leader,” Shaw continued. “Alayah also stepped up.”
Bartlesville High School's Alayah Lunn (4) scores two of her 17 points during action against Ponca City on Nov. 22, 2024 in Bartlesville. The Lady Bruins won, 70-32. This is the fourth year for coach Justyn Shaw.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Keys to Bartlesville’s winning attitude going into the season is the bonding between the girls and the leadership provided by several of them, Shaw said.
Bartlesville pushed Ponca City into a deep hole early.
Nubel’s three-pointer elevated the Lady Bruins to a five-point lead in the early minutes, 8-3. Flick scored two early buckets, including one that re-established a five-point bulge, 10-5.
Sheaffer buried a three-pointer for her first Bartlesville bucket, stretching the lead to 13-7.
Moments later she drew a foul and flicked in both free throws to increase the lead, 15-7.
Zimmerman scored five of Bartlesville’s first 17 points, including a bucket that expanded the advantage to double-digits, 17-7.
Flick finished with six points in the opening quarter and Lunn scored a late deuce to help provide Bartlesville an 11-point lead, 23-12.
Gray’s offensive rebound and Lunn’s trey in the opening spurt of the second quarter made it a 16-point difference, 28-12.
From there, Bartlesville steadily pulled away.
Sheaffer buried two three pointers late in the second quarter and Bartlesville carried a 28-point advantage into halftime, 43-15.
And so it went.
Shaw inserted multiple subs into the game, leading to points by Erin Bridendolph, Addison Jones and Jaylin Manley.
In summing up the differences between the teams Shaw concluded that: “I’d say it was our ability to playing transition and our ability to defend and guard and stay in front of the ball.”
However, as the celebration faded, Shaw started thinking about the next challenge — district foe Edmond North High School, which will host Bartlesville on December 3.
“I look forward to preparing for Edmond North,” Shaw said. “This will be a huge, huge test for us. I think the girls are excited about getting ready for the challenge. … We’ve got to get a lot better for Edmond North if we want to compete and stay in the game.”
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LADY BRUINS LAST 10 SEASON OPENERS
2015: L (at Muskogee, 50-58)
2016: L (host Sand Springs, 34-51)
2017: W (at Bishop Kelley, 53-30)
2018: W (host Owasso, 46-32)
2019: L (at Tulsa Union, 32-49)
2020: L (at Jenks, 31-46)
2021: L (at Jenks, 42-55)
2022: L (host Sapulpa, 49-93)
2023: L (host Tulsa Union, 30-50)
2024: W (host Ponca City, 70-32)