BHS Bruins fall in another thrillers; Jenks outlasts Lady Bruins
Bartlesville High School’s Nash Zervas (3) grapples for a loose ball in home action against Jenks on February 18, 2025. The Bruins just short, 51-50. Zervas, the lone BHS senior, was honored during senior night.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Bartlesville High School’s Cadence Gray (11) and Adrianne Flick (20) battle in home action against Jenks on February 18, 2025. The Lady Bruins fell, 74-62. Flick, along with teammates Alayah Lunn and Kennedy Nubel, were honored during senior night.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sport
By Mike Tupa
February 20, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
Chances are Bartlesville High School’s basketball team will be standing on much higher ground 12 months from now.
If that is to be the case, prudent appraisers could look back on this season’s grueling growing pains as the precursor of prodigious progress.
In Monday’s battle — also Senior Night at the Bruin Fieldhouse — Jenks High School needed a desperate fourth-quarter spurt to nip the Bruins, 51-50 — compared to a 24-point loss about a month ago to Jenks.
There’s no doubt the Bruins — who are coached by Tommy DeSalme — ended the regular season headed in the right direction.
Some skeptics might be obsessed with the Bruins 3-19 record, including 10 defeats by more than 25 points.
But there’s strong evidence the Bruins have been on a steady climb of improvement in the final stretch of the season.
Meanwhile, the Bartlesville Lady Bruins (12-11, 6-8) ended their home campaign with a tough two-game stretch, including Monday’s 74-62 loss to the visiting Jenks Lady Trojans.
Bartlesville recorded a 1-4 game in its final five games — including last Friday’s lopsided loss to Broken Arrow in their next-to-last regular season game.
But the Lady Bruins — who are coached by Justyn Shaw — still head into the playoffs with a winning record and the potential to claw out a victory against most, if not all, Class 6A competition.
Next up, both Bartlesville teams are scheduled to travel Friday to Ponca City to finish off the regular season. The Class 6A regional playoffs are scheduled for next week.
Following are more details on Monday’s games.
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Bartlesville High School's Kennedy Nubel (22) takes a shot during home action against Jenks on February 18, 2025. The Lady Bruins fell, 74-62. Nubel, along with teammates Alayah Lunn and Adrianne Flick, were honored during senior night.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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GIRLS: Jenks 74, Bartlesville 62
The Lady Bruins surpassed 60 points for the seventh time this season — but gave up their second-highest opposing point total.
Alayah Lunn poured in 19 points, followed by Emma Zimmerman with16 points, followed by Sami Sheaffer with 13 to top the Lady Bruins’ scoring sheet. Some other top scorers included Kennedy Nubel, six points and Kenzie Denny, five, according to unofficial stats.
Lunn tallied Bartlesville’s first eight points to lead the Lady Bruins to an 8-3 lead out of the gate.
Jenks nosed ahead by the end of the first quarter, 19-15.
Bartlesville snapped back in the second quarter to knot the score, 34-34, with Zimmerman hitting the tying bucket.
A fierce fight ensued in the third period, which saw Jenks wrest out a 52-50 advantage, despite back-to-back treys by Denny and Zimmerman to finish off the period.
Bartlesville edged into the lead for a good chunk of the fourth period — only to see Jenks finish it out with a 14-0 run.
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Bartlesville High School’s Hunter Holmes (24) goes up for a basket during home action against Jenks on February 18, 2025. The Bruins fell, 51-50.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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BOYS: Jenks 51, Bartlesville 50
For the third time in five games the Bruins lost by four points-or-less — an Elysian upgrade compared to earlier in the season.
During January, Bartlesville (3-19, 0-14) allowed an average of 63.1 points per game while scoring only 35.6 ppg — an average differential margin of negative 27.5 points.
But in their five games in February, Bartlesville has averaged 42.8 points and allowed 60.8 — an average differential margin of negative 18.0 points.
More than that, Bartlesville scored 50-or-more points in four of their final seven games — compared to just one 50-point output in their first 15 games.
The Bruins’ close losses in the final phase of the regular season were: Sapulpa, 52-50; Northwest Classen, 55-51; and Monday’s 51-50 setback against Jenks.
Considering there is only one senior on the Bruin roster — Nash Zervas — DeSalme has the possibility of returning virtually his entire lineup, including 11 or 12 players who have garnered major varsity experience.
Every reasonable, knowledgeable Bruin fan knew this would be an arduous year due to the severe varsity inexperience accompanied by the height, lack of bulk and athletic challenges that usually accompany a nest of neophytes.
But in addition to whatever the Bruins do in this weekend’s playoffs, they will have an entire year with DeSalme to get better, bigger, faster, taller and stronger.
The “Bru Cru” cheers on the Bruins during home action against Jenks. The Bruins fell, 51-50.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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As far as Monday’s game, the Bruins sputtered through the first quarter, scoring only one point.
Hudson Eads and E.J. Belisle scored early buckets in the second quarter to spruce up the Bruin offensive attack. Ken Maire also scored a bucket. But Jenks still increased its lead to 15 points, 27-12, at halftime.
It appeared as if it would be another long night for the home team.
But displaying that maturity alluded to above, Bartlesville stormed back in the second half, led by Zervas, who scored 16 points in the final two quarters.
Bartlesville made a strong surge in the fourth quarter, thanks largely to two three-pointers by Jordan Turner. Bartlesville finally got within three points, 50-47, on a three-point play by Luke Massey.
Jenks hit a free throw to make it a two-possession game with just a few seconds left, 51-47. Zervas nailed a three-pointer — the last shot he would ever take in the Bruin Fieldhouse — near the buzzer.
Zervas finished with 17 points, including five triples.
In terms of Friday’s regular season ender, the Bruins already have beaten Ponca City twice.
Win or not, Bartlesville is heading out of the regular campaign on the momentum of ascendancy.