ABERDEEN — For the first time in Richmond Senior High School Lady Raider bowling program history, it will send a bowler to the state playoffs.
The eight Sandhills Athletic Conference teams met at the Sandhills Bowling Center Thursday to determine the conference’s top eight bowlers. The Lady Raiders brought their entire seven-player squad, and it was senior Savannah Lampley who was the lone team member to punch her ticket to the state tournament.
Unlike the regular season meets that followed the Baker format (each bowler tossing two frames per match), the regional tournament was an individual outing. Each bowler bowled three games, using her total pin count as the qualifying number for states.
Out of the 53 total bowlers participating, Lampley posted a total pin count of 489, locking up the No. 5 spot. She missed out on fourth place by just three pins, as Pinecrest’s Madi Pry edged her with a final score of 492.
In her three games, Lampley bowled a 167, followed by a 143 and closed the afternoon with a strong 179.
Jack Britt’s Denise Brown finished the day as the top bowler, impressing with a final score of 550. Rounding out the top three were Lumberton High School’s Chloe Newberry (515) and Alex Zambrano (506).
“It’s awesome for her and the program,” first-year head coach Ralph Butler said of Lampley’s state tournament bid. “It shows what experience can do for a bowler. She was on the team last year in its first season, and she brought that experience with her. The hope is that as a program we can continue to build off that.”
Fellow Lady Raider senior Jessi Graham came in second on the team, and 21st overall, with a 364. Her best game of the afternoon came in the final round, as she rolled a 140. Freshman Kimberly Goodwin rounded out the top three Richmond bowlers with a 337 (36).
Other Lady Raiders to participate in the tournament were Jessilyn Hubbard (327, 38), Autumn Hoffman (309, T-42), Kayla Howell (309, T-42) and Josie Standridge (293, T-44).
Out of her 30 total frames bowled, Lampley closed 73.3 percent of them (22/30). She picked up five strikes and collected 17 spares on the afternoon. During her third game, her best performance, she had three strikes and five spares, closing out all but two frames.
Lampley’s other two strikes came in the first game, where she also tallied six spares. Her second game, which was her lowest score, had six spares and no strikes. In the first six frames of that game, Lampley knocked nine pins down on her first ball, finishing with four spares.
“This was a new experience for a lot of the girls,” Butler said. “We’re a young team and it was good for everyone to see what this is like because it’s so different than the Baker format we use during the season.
“I was really pleased with how everyone got better as the day went on,” Butler concluded.
The Raider bowling team will see if it will send anyone to the state tournament, as the boys’ regional is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 7. A date and location for the state playoffs has yet to be determined.
