MUSTANG – The day after losing to Class 6A power Edmond North in the Bank 7 Mustang Holiday Classic, Bethany girls coach Eric Sailer walked into the Lady Bronchos’ gym Saturday afternoon and knew his team was going to be okay.

“They’re already putting up shots. They’ve got some Christian music playing. And I knew after some adversity, how were they going to respond?” Sailer said. “Well, they set the stage by playing the right type of music. You know, their focus was good. . .  We were going to be able to bounce back.”

Sailer was proven right after Bethany pounded Class A defending state champion Seiling, 85-59, Saturday (Dec. 30) to win the third-place trophy.

The Lady Cats (7-2) scored first, but Bethany (6-2) scored often the rest of the game behind double-digit performances from their trio of forwards, senior Zya Vann and juniors Keziah Lofton and Kayten Donley.

Vann was named to the All-Tournament team after scoring 23 or 25 points in the win. Officially, Vann is credited with 23 points. However, the scoreboard showed her with 25 when she scored then exited the game with 1:32 and the Lady Bronchos in control.

The discrepancy matters because Vann’s point total for the tournament is either 71 or 73 points. Broken Arrow junior guard McKenzie Mathurin also scored 71 points, breaking a record of 65 points set by Edmond North’s Laci Steele in 2020.

Late Saturday night, the team Twitter/X account told West Metro Sports the discrepancy “was being reviewed.”

Vann grabbed nine rebounds on 10-of-19 shooting. Donley scored 18 points and grabbed 11 boards. Lofton added 17 points and had six rebounds.

Lofton, who set the tournament’s single game rebounding record with 16 boards in the opening game against Putnam City North, also set the tournament record with 32 rebounds total for the tournament.

After playing in a prestigious tournament, things don’t let up for Bethany. Conference matchups with Blanchard Tuesday (Jan. 2) and Tuttle soon thereafter loom large. The rival Tigers were the only team to Bethany last season.

In mid-January, the Lady Bronchos go to Washington, D.C. to face nationally ranked teams.

“It’s just like a whirlwind for us. We play Thursday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, you know, traveling all the way to Washington D. C. and back,” Sailer said. “They’re excited about the opportunity.”

Sailer had high praise for Seiling.

“You talk about program, elite programs in the state of Oklahoma and Seiling is in that mix, year after year, state titles, championships.” Sailer said. “They’ll probably be in that (Class A) final game again this year. 

Sailer highlighted guard Maddison McNutt. The sophomore played five minutes in the fourth quarter, draining two treys.

“We see her as someone who is a big part of our future. We were able to get her out there tonight and she really responded really well for us offensively and defensively.”

UP NEXT: Bethany returns home to meet Western Conference opponent Blanchard Tuesday (Jan. 2) at 6:30 p.m. The Lady Lions are 3-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play. 

TEAM	1	2	3	4	T
Seiling	9	11	17	22	59
Bethany	19	22	19	25	85