ABERDEEN — The Richmond Senior High School boys and girls bowling teams were the final teams to compete ahead of the winter break last Thursday at Sand Hills Bowling Center in Aberdeen.
Facing off against Jack Britt and Scotland high schools for the second time during the regular season, the Lady Raiders fell to both of their opponents, while the Raiders went 1-1 on the day. According to head coach Ralph Butler, some unique circumstances for both teams gave the afternoon a different feel, but he noted he was proud of his teams’ efforts in the lane.
“I was impressed with a lot of kids today,” Butler said. “A lot of their averages are getting higher as the season has goes along. Dnautica Everett had a strong day today, and he’s worked really hard to get better. A lot of our games (both boys and girls) were achievable — we just need to work on closing out frames.”
The Lady Raiders lost 3-1 in the four games it bowled against the Lady Fighting Scots, but fell short by only six total pins, 450-456. One of the unusual aspects on the day of holiday break was the Scotland girls’ team not being present. Butler explained that the Scotland team had pre-bowled earlier in the week at its home alley in Laurinburg, and sent in the official scores.
Bowling by themselves, the Lady Raiders saw several bowlers pick up strikes and close out frames despite losing. No. 1 bowler Savannah Lampley racked up four strikes and two spares against Scotland, while Jessi Graham, Autumn Hoffman and Jessilyn Hubbard each tallied a strike.
Next were the Lady Buccaneers, who proved to be another tough matchup for the Lady Raiders. Richmond fell by a final score of 3-1 in the second contest. The best game for the Lady Raiders was the fourth game, as they tallied a match-best 149 pins. In that game, Lampley had two strikes, Graham had a strike and a spare, and Hoffman also closed out her second frame with a spare.
In the boys’ competition, Richmond lost to Scotland 3-1 by a final pin total of 466-588. The Raiders were within a couple of frames in each game, and managed to defeat the Fighting Scots 138-136 in the final game. Butler explained that the boys were short two of their top bowlers in senior Cameron Carraway and junior Luke Hawks, both of whom were absent due to the holiday.
Against the Fighting Scots, senior No. 1 bowler Evan Hudson had seven total strikes, including four straight in the final game. Garrett Goodwin also had a good stretch, as he bowled strikes in both of his frames in the first game before adding another in the third game. Also getting in on the action and having his best match of the season was Everett, who had a strike and a spare in the second game.
Richmond emerged victorious in the boys’ second match of the afternoon. The Raiders defeated Jack Britt 3-1, while also winning the total pin count 546-500. Richmond managed to close out 22 total frames in the four games, something Butler has expressed as a top priority in order for his team to be successful.
After dropping the first game 128-175 to the Buccaneers, the Raiders outscored Jack Britt 418-325 the rest of the way. Senior Tyler Bass collected five spares and a strike in the match, as Everett, Goodwin, Hunter Hancock and Brett Young all chipped in with crucial spares of their own.
“Early on we left too many frames open,” Butler explained for both teams. “The key for us is to pick up more spares. We’re hovering at the 45 or 50 percent mark, but I’d like to see that be closer to 70 percent. Using the Baker format we have bowled some really good games this season, but we’re still too inconsistent.”
Richmond will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 10, at Lumberton. Both teams have two more regular season meets before the individual championships start.
