BARTLESVILLE LADY BRUINS READY FOR STATE ON WEDNESDAY: A CLOSER LOOK AT MUSTANG
The Bartlesville Lady Bruins basketball team after their win over Broken Arrow, which punched their ticket to the Class 6A state championship tournament. They take on Mustang at noon on Wednesday at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. (L-R) Assistant coach Jason Flick, Shaylyn Ishem, Addison Jones, Sami Sheaffer, Kenzie Denny, Emma Zimmerman, Cadence Gray, and head coach Justyn Shaw.
Courtesy photo
By Becky Burch
March 11, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
The Bartlesville Lady Bruins (16-10) face Mustang (20-6) at noon Wednesday in the first round of the Class 6A girls state basketball championship at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
A send-off ceremony was held Tuesday evening outside the Bartlesville High School Fine Arts Center.
The Lady Bruins appeared in the state tournament in the 1991-92 and 2017-18 seasons. They secured this year’s spot by defeating Broken Arrow 54-48 last Saturday in area play. Bartlesville’s final regular-season game was at Rejoice Christian on Feb. 17, where the Lady Bruins won 54-35.
“I told the girls in the locker room that there’s three seasons,” said head coach Justyn Shaw following the game. “There is pre-season, regular season, and post-season. We can go into postseason with some confidence.”
On their road to the state tournament, Mustang hosted two regional games, defeating Southmoore 77-24 and Piedmont 62-24. In area bracket play at Blanchard, the team defeated Edmond North 39-25. The Lady Broncos average 59 points a game. They are coached by Katie Bass, who is in her seventh season.
State tournaments are not new for Mustang, which reached the championship game in the 2024-25 season, losing to Putnam City North 65-48. In 2023-24, Mustang reached the quarterfinals, falling to Edmond Memorial. In 2005-06, Mustang won the Class 6A championship and finished the season with a 26-3 record.
The state tournament is single elimination. If the Lady Bruins win, they will face the winner of the Muskogee-Westmoore game at Carl Albert in Midwest City at 1 p.m. Thursday. The championship final is set for 1 p.m. Friday at the OG&E Coliseum in Oklahoma City.
Other teams in the tournament include Choctaw, Bixby, Putnam City North and Edmond North.