ABERDEEN — Entering the sixth meet of the season Thursday tied for the Sandhills Athletic Conference lead, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ bowling team made its case to stay there.
The Lady Raiders, who bowled in their lone three-match regular season meet of the winter, swept their competition and added 11 points to their season total.
Prior to taking down Union Pines, Hoke County and Scotland high schools, Richmond participated in senior night. Hanna Smith and Ava Thompson were celebrated for their four-year careers.
The wins over Union Pines and Hoke County improved Richmond to 3-0 against both teams this season, and the victory against Scotland made it the Lady Raiders’ first win in three matches this winter.
“Hanna and Ava have been staples of this program for four years,” head coach Ashleigh Larsen said. “They’ve been a part of really building up this sport at Richmond and have been key players on some really successful teams. It’s been my pleasure to be their coach the last two seasons.
“I’m proud of the way the girls handled business in these three matches,” she continued. “We were tied with Hoke County for the conference lead to start the day, and getting that win over them, along with all three wins, really puts us in a good spot heading into the end of the season.”
Lady Raiders defeat Union Pines by large margin
Like they have all season, the Lady Raiders took advantage of Union Pines’ limited roster to roll to a 5-0 win. Game scores were 159-74, 124-39, 117-54 and 102-63, resulting in a 502-230 pin count.
Rolling 10 strikes and seven spares as a team, Richmond closed 17-of-43 frames (39.5%) and averaged 125.5 pins per game.
Freshman Kaylon Wynn and Thompson both led the way with three strikes apiece, which tied a season-high for Wynn. They added two spares and one spare, respectively, and combined to close nearly half of their frames.
Junior Skyler Collins bowled four frames and had one strike and two spares (75%), while junior Jentry Denson matched her season-high two strikes in a match. Smith chipped in one strike and one spare, while freshman Sydney Barnes had a spare in her four frames.
Pin count decides close victory over Hoke County
Large margins of victory in the first and second games proved helpful for Richmond in its 3-2 win over Hoke County.
Game scores were 137-115, 155-100, 114-168, 122-138, which ended in a 528-521 final pin count in Richmond’s favor for the extra point. The Lady Raiders had nine strikes, 12 spares and closed 21-of-42 frames (50%).
Several season-highs were either tied or set for four Lady Raiders against the Bucks. That included Collins’ three strikes and two spares for a closing percentage of .630.
Smith matched her season-high of five spares and closed 63% of her frames, also matching her season-best effort. Wynn tied her season-high with three strikes and added a helper.
Thompson closed 70% of her 10 frames from the anchor spot, finishing with three strikes and tying her season-high mark of four spares. In the victory, Denson contributed one spare.
First win of season over Scotland helps Lady Raiders
Ending the meet with a 3-2 win over Scotland, the Lady Raiders relied on the final pin count once again. This time scores were 149-120, 123-117, 135-135 and 109-122, leading to a final count of 515-494.
Thompson’s hand stayed true with three strikes and three spares to close out 55% of her 11 frames. Denson bowled two strikes (tying a single-match season-high) and added two spares to close out half of her eight frames.
Barnes and Collins split the eight frames in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, with Barnes going 50% with one strike and one spare. Collins added a spare in the win.
Wynn (two strikes, one spare) and Smith (two spares) helped complete a .419 closing percentage effort by the team. Richmond bowled eight strikes and 10 spares to average a score of 128.8 pins per game.
Hoping to stay atop the conference standings, the Lady Raiders (10-3, 43 points) are set to close out the regular season Thursday. The matches will be held in Aberdeen and start at 4 p.m.
