LAURINBURG — After rolling its way to a pair of wins on Thursday, the Richmond Senior High School boys’ bowling team is tied for second place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference.
The Raiders and head coach Ralph Butler returned to the hardwood for their second meet of the season, collecting 10 points in the process with wins over Hoke County and Union Pines high schools.
Earning the sweep of both teams, the Raiders now have 16 points, tied with rival Scotland High School. Pinecrest High School holds a two-point lead.
Butler noted the Raiders “bowled two solid matches” to improve to 3-1 on the season.
“After week one, Union Pines was in first place, and we went into the match thinking it was going to be really tough,” Butler said. “We were able to bowl really well using the mindset that they were a good team and that we wanted to bowl our best game.
“Hoke is always good and they have a bowler who was in the top four of the bowl off last year,” he added. “They are in a rebuilding year, but when you face a bowler like their top guy, you don’t want to be behind when it’s his time to roll. And the guys kept the pressure on.”
In their first match against the Bucks, the Raiders won all four games and added the fifth point by winning the pin total by a score of 631-461 (157.8 pins per game average). Game scores were 192-127, 139-65, 150-141 and 180-128.
As a team, Richmond knocked down 14 strikes and picked up 14 spares. Seniors Cameron Way and Colin Wheeler, along with junior William White, all had 4 strikes. Senior Alston Johnson added 2 strikes in the win.
White’s 4 strikes and 3 spares against the Bucks were individual season-highs for him, and senior Dexter Mabe contributed to the win with a season-high 4 spares. Johnson, senior Cody Eason and freshman Sam Thompson all rolled 2 spares, and Way added one.
Junior William White rolls a ball down the lane in Richmond’s win over Hoke County. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
The Raiders used season-high performances from Way and Wheeler to cruise past Union Pines 656-511 in their second match. Way, who served as the team’s anchor in the fifth and 10th frames, bowled 7 strikes and 4 spares.
Wheeler, who has emerged as a dominant bowler this winter, added 5 strikes and 2 spares against the Vikings. Scores in the sweep were 182-117, 172-135, 143-122 and 159-137 (164 pins per game average).
Richmond tallied a season-high 17 spares as a team, using three each from Eason, Johnson and White. Mabe rounded things out with the final two of his 6 spares on the day.
Helping knock down the remaining 16 strikes for the Raiders were White (2), and Johnson and Mabe (each with one).
“Colin was hot again and he’s picking up a lot of strikes,” Butler said. “I thought about moving him to the anchor, but I didn’t want to mess with how well he was doing.
“Cameron had another good night, as always,” he continued. “In the last game against Union Pines, it was neck-and-neck heading into the 10th frame, and he picked up a tough spare and a strike. William has continued to be a solid guy for us picking up a lot of strikes and spares.”
Richmond will bowl one match next Wednesday against Lee County in Aberdeen, starting at 4 p.m.
