ROCKINGHAM — Two days after she thought she’d missed the state bowling tournament by less than three strikes, Hailey Miller found out on Friday morning that her ticket had been punched.
Richmond Senior High School head coach Ralph Butler explained that Miller, who finished the event 10th overall in a field of over 60 bowlers, will be going to the singles state championship after the entry field was expanded to the top 10 bowlers from the regional round.
The past two seasons the Richmond bowling program has been in action (not including this year), only the top eight bowlers were taken. In 2019, former senior bowler Savannah Lampley became the first Lady Raider to qualify for the event when she finished fifth overall in last winter’s regionals.
Miller, who is a senior and participating in her first season of competitive bowling, rolled a total of 453 pins in Wednesday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference girls’ singles tournament. She had an impressive first two games, putting down 163 and 161 pins, both nearly 30 pins more than her season average.
She slipped off her line a little in her final game, dropping down to 129 pins. When the names of the top eight were read out, Miller was short just 28 total pins, and said she was disappointed that she didn’t make the cut after making such a strong run at it.
But now that the field has been opened up two more sports, she’s ready to see what kind of damage she can do in the big dance.
“I’m really surprised that I got the call and was told the field had been expanded to 10 bowlers who qualified,” Miller said. “I knew that I was in a rhythm early in my games the other day, and it feels good to see that pay off, especially since it’s my first season bowling.
“It’s a big deal, not just for me, but the team,” she added. “To have anyone represent Richmond in the state tournament means a lot to everyone. I’m really excited for this chance to keep bowling on such a big stage.”
She added that she plans to keep practicing picking up spares, which is something she did well in during her first two games this week.
Butler called Miller a “competitor” and said her experience as a two-sport athlete for three years ahead of adding bowling to the mix helped her make a surge in the standings at regionals. He added that he “expects big things” from her at states.
Miller will get one more opportunity to competitively bowl against other conference opponents, including the nine girls going to states, in the SAC championship tournament. That will be held on Thursday, Jan. 30, at Lafayette Lanes in Fayetteville.
This season’s state championship with be held at Sandhills Bowling Center in Aberdeen on Friday, Feb. 7.
