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The Bethany Lady Bronchos qualified for the State Tournament for the first time in school history, but they didn't stop there. They made it all the way to the State Championship game and defeated Lincoln Christian 48-36 to win the school's first State Championship in girls basketball! The Lady Bronchos got to the class 4A championship game after beating Kingfisher (4A-#4) in the Quarter-Finals and Tuttle (4A-#3) in the Semi-Finals.
The Lady Bronchos controlled the State Championship game against Lincoln Christian (4A-#1) from the start, leading 18-3 at the end of the first quarter of play. Keziah Lofton led the way for Bethany with hot shooting and stifling defense. She scored 21 points and had seven rebounds for the game. Kayten Donley was also spectacular for Bethany all three days, and in the championship game was as 7 for 8 from the floor, finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Bethany's players and coaches were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the Bethany community. Lofton said of the crowd support, "“It was amazing, I don’t think we would have done it without everybody coming out tonight. We played Tuttle yesterday and the crowd was crazy at Yukon. It was so packed. And it was the same tonight.” Coach Eric Sailer added, "That's something special. Just gives you that extra energy, that extra motivation to get up even though you're tired, to get up when you're knocked down and to go compete for these families."
Congratulations to the Lady Bronchos.
In January the Tuttle Lady Tigers (4A-#2) handed Bethany (4A-#3), their first and only loss of the season. Today, in the Class 4A Semi-Finals the Lady Bronchos avenged that loss with a massive 57-41 win, to send Bethany to their first state championship game in school history. Bethany's one-two punch of Keziah Lofton and Zya Vann led Bethany on the offensive end. Lofton finished with a game high 20 points, while Vann added 19. The real story though for Bethany was the defensive effort and their ability to stop Tuttle's Landry Allen, a signee with the University of Oklahoma. Kayten Donley, who scored 10 points on the offensive end, turned in a superb defensive performance against Allen, which no doubt gave the Lady Bronchos the edge in this one.
Bethany heads to the Class 4A State Championship on Saturday at 1:30 PM, back at "The Big House", Jim Norick State Fair Arena on the campus of the OKC Fairgrounds. Once again, we will post a section below with all of the information you will need for the game including parking, online tickets, and seating.
State Tournament Championship Round Spectator Information
The Bethany Lady Bronchos (4A-#3) pulled away from Kingfisher (4A-#4) in the 4th quarter to get a huge, 55-39 win over the Yellowjackets to advance to the State Semi-Finals on Friday. Bethany led by over 10 points for a majority of the game before Kingfisher mounted a surge in the later 3rd and early 4th quarter, cutting the lead to just two points. But the Lady Bronchos showed tremendous resolve and had a six point lead again quickly after two huge buckets from Kayten Donley in the 4th. Donley had 14 points on the night, but Zya Vann was on fire for Bethany in this one. Vann finished the game with 22 points, six rebounds, and four assists to lead the Bronchos to victory. The Bronchos also got seven points from Keziah Lofton and six points each from Talia Vann and Avery Marchino.
The Lady Bronchos will now take on Tuttle (4A-#2) in the Semi-Finals on Friday, March 10 at Yukon High School. This game will have a 12:00 PM, Noon starting time. Come support the Bronchos and make sure to read below about important information regarding this semi-final game.
State Tournament Semi-Final Round Spectator Information
Hennessey, OK - The Bronchos basketball team headed to Hennessey High School yesterday to take on McLoud (4A-#14) in the first round of the Area Tournament Consolation Bracket, and Bethany (4A-#16) came away with a thrilling, 49-46 win over the Redskins. The Bronchos were in control for a majority of the game, and built the lead to as much as 10 points in the 3rd quarter, but McLoud roared back in the final quarter, even taking the lead 46-45 with just over three minutes left to play. The Bronchos responded though with excellent defense down the stretch, critical rebounding, and two clutch free throws from Senior Woods Harrell with just over 30 seconds remaining. Those two free throws gave Bethany the three point lead that they protected in the final seconds.
Bethany advances in the consolation bracket and will now take on Classen SAS (4A-Unranked) at 3:00 PM today, back at Hennessey High School. Should the Bronchos advance they will head back to Hennessey one final time on Saturday, March 4 for a 7:30 PM matchup in the Area Consolation Finals. The consolation finals would be against the loser of tonight's Area Championship game between Weatherford (4A-#3) and Oklahoma Christian School (4A-#5). Both the Area Championship game tonight and the Area Consolation Final on Saturday night send the winning team to the State Tournament. The 4A State Tournament begins on Wednesday, March 8 inside the Big House at the OKC Fairgrounds.
Bethany, OK - The Bethany Lady Bronchos (4A-#3) won their first regional championship since 2008 this past Saturday night with a big, 63-34 victory over Bristow (4A-#19). The win moved Bethany to 25-1 on the season and sends them straight into the Area Championship Game on Friday, March 3, at Hennessey High School. The Lady Bronchos take on Weatherford (4A-#5) at 6:00 PM. Weatherford advanced to the Area Championship with a 57-47 win over Classen SAS (4A-#12) in the finals of their regional tournament. Bethany and Weatherford met earlier in the season and the Lady Bronchos got the best of Weatherford and came away with a 83-41 win. Weatherford will still be a tough test for the Lady Bronchos though, they've gotten healthier towards the end of the season and are a very experienced team. They've been in the state tournament the last three seasons, two of those years making the state semi-finals.
The winner of the Area Championship will automatically advance to the 4A State Tournament, which will start next Wednesday, March 8 at the Big House. The loser of the Area Championship will have to play in the Area Consolation Finals on Saturday evening, March 4 back at Hennessey High School with a berth in the State Tournament on the line.