ROCKINGHAM — Freshman bowler Ava Thompson has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by HWY 55.
The Lady Raiders picked up a pair of wins in last week’s meet, including an upset over first-place Scotland High School. The team also defeated Southern Lee to pick up eight points in the standings.
Thompson has proven to be a vital part of the Lady Raiders’ success this season, consistently leading the team in several categories, earning her the first recognition of her career.
Athletic Profile
Age: 14
Birthday: March 3, 2007
Year: Freshman
Winter Sport: Bowling
Years on Varsity: 1 year
Experience: 1 year
KNOCKING DOWN PINS WITH AVA THOMPSON
The Lady Raiders, who are currently in fourth place in the SAC standings, started last Thursday’s meet with a 3-2 win over Scotland. Richmond not only secured the victory, but also set several season-highs in the win.
Thompson, who bowled in the anchor position for the Lady Raiders, collected a team-high three strikes in four games against the Lady Fighting Scots. She also added a spare to close out 40 percent of her frames.
The Lady Raiders won the second, third and fourth games by scores of 110-109, 145-118 and 114-97. Despite losing the overall pin total, those three wins helped the Lady Raiders earn the upset victory.
Against Scotland, the Lady Raiders posted team season-highs in strikes (7), individual game score (145), pin total (456) and game average (114).
In their second match, the Lady Raiders faced a Southern Lee program that didn’t field a team this season. But for end-of-season pin total purposes, Richmond bowled its four games and collected a 5-0 win and a final score of 416 pins.
Thompson added one strike and a team-best three spares in the four games. She served as the team’s anchor in three of the four games, starting with a pair of spares in the first game.
Her strike and final spare came in the last game, and she closed 44 percent of her frames.
Richmond improved to 7-3 on the season and will return to action Thursday against Lee County and Union Pines high schools. Play will begin at 4 p.m.
Freshman Ava Thompson prepares to bowl a frame during the Lady Raiders’ upset win over Scotland last Thursday. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
RAPID RESPONSES WITH AVA THOMPSON
ROSports: The team upset rival Scotland and picked up 8 more points in the standings. What was that win like and how has this team continued to get better this season?
Thompson: “It was a really good win over Scotland, and there were a lot of close games. I think that’s what got us so excited to beat them. I know where the ball needs to go to get the most pins so I was just trying to stay on my line.
“We’ve gotten a whole lot better this season. When we first started, we had a lot of left open frames. But we’ve continued to practice and we’ve gotten closer to one another, which has made us better as a team.”
ROSports: How have you seen your bowling skills develop over the season, especially as a freshman? How would you describe your style and technique?
Thompson: “My skills have gotten better, especially my consistency. I would practice just for fun before I started high school and it has progressed from there. I’ve gotten a lot of help from family and friends.
“I’m a straight bowler, I don’t do anything special. I find my mark on the floor and try to knock down as many pins as I can.”
ROSports: What has been the best part of your bowling experience so far? What are some of the team’s expectations for the final part of the season?
Thompson: “The best part has been getting closer to my teammates and then getting better as a team when we bowl.
“I think we’ll do really well if we keep bowling the way that we are. We just want to get as many wins as possible.”
The Richmond Observer will publish its Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week soon.
