ABERDEEN — It was smooth rolling for the Lady Raider bowling team on Thursday as it remained undefeated on the season.
For the first time this season, the Lady Raiders collected all 10 possible points in the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings with a pair of 5-0 wins.
Richmond was scheduled to bowl against Lee County High School and was awarded a forfeit win since the Lady Yellow Jackets don’t have a team this season.
The other five points came in an open contest, which all teams bowl twice a season to collect scores for the final pin count in the conference standings.
“It’s difficult sometimes not bowling with another team present, especially when some of our bowlers are so competitive,” head coach Ralph Butler said. “It’s easier sometimes to have someone to go against, but I was pleased to see that it didn’t really impact our scores. We were really focused.
“The biggest asset the girls have is pulling for one another,” he added. “The chemistry between them is great and they’re competitive. They can improve a little bit with their numbers, but as we get more dialed in their numbers are going to get better, especially with their experience.”
Lady Raiders notch five points against Lee County
Although the Lady Raiders were without two of their bowlers on Thursday, they put up scores of 117-0, 120-0, 126-0 and 128-0 in their Lee County match. Richmond finished with a final score of 491-0.
Averaging 122.8 pins per game, the team bowled six strikes and added nine spares. A trio of bowlers each knocked down two strikes apiece — seniors Ashlyn Bouldin and Savannah Jordan, along with sophomore Ava Thompson.
Bouldin and Jordan each added a spare in the win, while Thompson recorded three spares. Also finishing with three spares was senior Cadence Thompson.
Fellow senior Addison Massey rounded out the closed frames by collecting one spare.
Team takes advantage of open match to add to conference standings
In their open match, the Lady Raiders relied on a team season-high 13 spares to remain competitive. Richmond also bowled six strikes.
Scores in the open competition were 117, 167, 122 and 122 for an average of 132 pins per game. Knocking down a total of 528 pins, it was the Lady Raiders’ second-highest match score of the season.
Moving to the anchor spot, Cadence Thompson provided a depth of scoring with three strikes and three spares. Bouldin, Massey and Ava Thompson each rolled one strike.
Bouldin’s efforts paved the way to a team-high four spares, followed two each from Massey, Ava Thompson and senior Rylie Bohman.
“The girls kept pushing along and picked up another 10 points tonight. They should be near or at the top of the standings,” Butler said. “We’re right where we’d like to be going into Christmas break.”
The Lady Raiders (5-0, 22 points) will enjoy an extended break over the holidays and return to action on Jan. 5 at Laurinburg Lanes.
Richmond will face rival Scotland and start its second round of conference play against Southern Lee. The first match will start at 4 p.m.
