TOP AREA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES OF THE PAST 30 YEARS: JENA’ WILLIAMS

By Mike Tupa

July 28, 2025

BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

During his nearly 30 years of covering area high school sports for either the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise or the Bartlesville Area Sports Report, Mike Tupa has enjoyed the opportunity to observe some incredible athletes.

This is an ongoing series highlighting each few days one of those athletes from the 1996-97 school year through the present. The list is not in chronological order. The athletes are presented in random sequence.

Today's spotlight:

JENA’ WILLIAMS (Bartlesville)

Girls basketball (latter 2010s)

Even before she arrived on the high school campus for her freshman season, Jena’ Williams already had earned rave reviews.

Observers in-the-know sensed she might become one of the top hardwood warriors ever to dribble a ball for the Lady Bruins.

Those lofty expectations proved to be more than spot on.

As a freshman, Williams earned a starting spot on varsity — setting in motion a new and historic era in Bartlesville girls basketball.

For four years the fiery floor general with the flowing red hair ran the offense with a plucky perspicacity. Opposing defenses had no answer for her. To them, she was a 5-foot-7-tall conundrum that sliced through and around the defense like a knife.

Whether hitting the pull-up jumper, driving to the rack while finding the cracks in traffic or zipping the ball to a teammate for an open look, Williams was harder to handle than a greased cobra.

She will always be identified with the incredible 2017-18 season that Bartlesville burst through the regular season with a 23-0 record and then qualified for the state — the program’s first state appearance in 25 years. Guiding the team to its historic campaign was head coach Krista Binam, who coached Williams during her first three seasons.

Surrounding Williams for that 2017-18 awesome odyssey were several sparkling talents — Trinity Parker and Avery Allen joining her in the backcourt, Destiny Harris providing shot-blocking and rebounding at center and Erin Shoemaker at hustling as attacking forward to round out what would be the primary starting lineup. 

Williams, Parker, Allen and Shoemaker also possessed the offensive capacity to score double-digit points every outing. Harris also contributed valuable points — such as her layup that put the Lady Bruins up by 10 points, 41-31, in what would be an upset of No. 3 Owasso and add momentum to Bartlesville’s unbeaten run.

In another key 55-47 regular season win against Jenks, Williams nailed two clutch three-pointers.

Bartlesville opened up the 2017-18 season on Dec. 5, 2017, with a 23-point rout of Bishop Kelley (ranked No. 18 in the state), 53-30.

That began a tidal wave of success that would extend 25-straight victories in 83 days.

After polishing off the regular season at 23-0, Bartlesville opened the playoffs with two more wins — a 32-point demolition of Muskogee, 76-44, and a three-point gut-check decision against Edmond Deer Creek, 55-52. After a loss in the area championship game, Williams and her teammates won the area consolation championship to qualify for state.

Unfortunately, they fell in the state quarterfinals (to Edmond Santa Fe, 48-42) and finished up at 26-2.

Bartlesville made an amazing rally from 15 points down, 43-28, in the final four minutes of the state quarterfinal game against Edmond Santa Fe. The Lady Bruins went on a 14-0 run, capped by Williams’ layup — off an interception — to get within one point, 43-42, with 40 seconds left.

But Santa Fe closed out the game on a 5-0 run to win, 48-42, and end Bartlesville’s season.

Following that unforgettable 2017-18 season, Harris and Shoemaker both graduated, Allen transferred, and Binam resigned as head coach.

Williams and Parker were the only returning starting veterans for the 2018-19 campaign.

Even so, this Terrific Two still led the way — complemented by talented transfer Chloe Martin — to an 18-8 season in 2018-19 with head coach Donnie Martin pulling the strings.

That added up to a 44-10 record for Williams during her junior and senior seasons combined — a noteworthy mark for any player.

But her impact is even bigger when one considers the Lady Bruins surged to a 16-10 mark her sophomore season.

The cumulative win-loss total for her sophomore through senior years was 60-20. Bartlesville also advanced to the Class 6A area tournament each of those seasons.

Bartlesville’s overall record during Williams’ four years (2015-19) on varsity was 70-34.

If one wants another gauge for Williams’ impact on Bartlesville girls basketball, look at the team’s record in the six seasons (2019-2025) since she graduated — a 45-93 mark and only one winning campaign.

Following Williams’ high school years, she played one season for the University of Nevada (Reno) and transferred to the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley to finish out her college career.

Williams’ name ranks among the best ever to play Lady Bruin basketball. She created a brand of excitement in the Bruin Fieldhouse that those who felt it will remember for a long, long, long time.

Jena’ Williams