ABERDEEN — Returning to the lanes as the state’s runner-up, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ bowling team had a perfect start to its new season Thursday.
Joining the Raider bowling team, the Lady Raiders started their Sandhills Athletic Conference slate at the Sandhills Bowling Center.
Under the direction of second-year head coach Ashleigh Larsen, the Lady Raiders swept its competitions against Southern Lee and Pinecrest high schools, the latter of which edged Richmond in the state tournament last winter.
Richmond bowled its way to a 4-1 win over Southern Lee and followed that with a 3-2 victory against the Lady Patriots.
“I don’t think we could have asked for a better start,” Larsen said. “I’m proud of the girls and the way they bowled together as a team and picked one another up when they needed to. We haven’t forgotten about our loss last year to Pinecrest, so it was nice to start the season off with a win against them.
“Our clientele hasn’t changed too much and we relied heavily on our returners today,” she added. “Hanna Smith, Jentry Denson and Ava Thompson all set the tone for us and we got some good rolls from Sydney Barnes, Kaylon Wynn and Skyler Collins today.”
Team effort clinches first victory of season
In their opening match, the Lady Raiders used all of their bowlers to defeat Southern Lee by game scores of 118-100, 139-126, 105-103 and 109-119. Those totaled up to a final score of 471-448, giving Richmond another point.
Closing out 17-of-42 frames as a team (40%), the Lady Raiders rolled eight strikes and added nine spares across the four games.
Like she has the last couple of seasons, Thompson proved to be a game changer in the anchor spot in the fifth and 10th frames. She closed seven of her 10 frames in the first match, a team-high, with four strikes and three spares.
Denson, Smith and Wynn all went 3-for-8 in their attempts from the line. Wynn, in her high school debut, bowled two strikes and added a spare. Denson and Smith each rolled a strike with two spares.
Collins and Barnes split the fifth spot in the lineup and bowled four frames apiece. Both knocked down some pins and Barnes, also making her debut, picked up a spare.
Pin count decides win over reigning state champs
With their first win already in the books, the Lady Raiders battled Pinecrest and split the four games. Scores were 96-126, 146-109, 137-107 and 99-122.
Even though they didn’t close it out in the fourth game, Richmond secured the match victory by winning the total pin count 478-464.
Richmond’s numbers improved as a team, starting with a game score average of 119.5 pins. The Lady Raiders rolled nine strikes and seven spares.
Again, it was Thompson who kept Richmond in the match, this time closing out 67% of her frames (8-for-12). Against the Lady Patriots she had four strikes and four spares.
Denson upped her closing percentage to 50% by rolling a pair of strikes and two spares in her eight rolls. Smith contributed to the victory with a pair of perfect rolls.
A strike from Wynn and a spare by Collins accounted for the other two closed frames. Against Pinecrest, Richmond had a .350 closing percentage (16-of-46).
The Lady Raiders will travel to Laurinburg Lanes Thursday, Dec. 5, for their next meet. They’ll compete against Hoke County and Union Pines high schools and start at 4 p.m.
