Bruins look to move past Bixby
Barring the unexpected, dawn will arrive Saturday morning, stores will open and cars will crowd city streets.
But, for either the Bartlesville or Bixby high schools' boys basketball teams, there will be no tomorrow, as far as the season is concerned, if they don't win tonight.
That's the stark scenario the stares both teams in the eye as they prepare to clash tonight, in Bixby, in the opening round of the Class 6A regional playoffs.
Only the winner will advance to play the next round.
In their only regular season meeting this season, the Bixby Spartans rallied in the second half to pull past the Bruins, 56-45, at Bartlesville's home tournament.
But, Bartlesville head coach Tim Bart said Thursday night he believes his Bruins are primed to forge a different result in tonight's rematch, with all the marbles up for grabs.
"We're playing our best basketball of the season right now," said Bart, who is nearing the end of his 14th season as Bruin head coach. "In last week's win (72-46) against Ponca City, I thought we brought a lot of energy and confidence."
Indeed, the Bruins (10-11) have been on the upswing since they began a six-game homestand to end the regular season.
Through Jan. 25, they were mired in a three-game losing streak and had fallen to 6-9 for the season.
But, beginning with a buzzer-beating win Jan. 31 against visiting Tulsa NOAH, the Bruins are 4-2 in their last six games, including a signature victory against Broken Arrow, 51-45.
After finishing 2-4 during the first semester, the Bruins are 8-7 since the beginning of January.
Bixby also struggled early in the season, stumbling to a 3-4 mark in its first seven games.
But, the Spartans went on a seven-game winning streak, from between Dec. 28-Jan. 17, to capture a gust of momentum coming into February.
However, Bixby is only 2-3 in its last five games, although two of those losses are to Top-10 ranked teams Owasso and Tulsa Union.
In the other half of the Bixby regional are Stillwater and Sand Springs, who play at 6 p.m. tonight.