LAURINBURG — The Richmond Senior High School boys’ bowling team wasn’t able to replicate its season-opening performance Thursday.
Returning to action for the first time since before winter break, the Raiders faced Scotland and Hoke County high schools at Laurinburg Lanes.
Despite putting up some of its best numbers of the season, Richmond didn’t add to its win column.
The Raiders opened with a 4-1 loss to the Fighting Scots and followed with a 3-2 loss to the Bucks.
Season-best score not enough against Scotland
Against the Fighting Scots, the Raiders bowled their highest score of the season but still came up short.
Game scores were 143-161, 115-180, 133-226, 179-134, with Scotland taking the final point with a pin total of 570-701. Richmond averaged 142.5 pins per game, a season-high, to go along with its season-high pin total and single-game score (179).
As a team, the Raiders combined for nine strikes and eight spares. They closed out 17-of-41 frames (41.5%).
Three of the five bowlers closed out at least 50% of their frames — seniors Tate Craven (63%), Azariah Daniel (56%) and Carter Visingard (50%).
Craven rolled two strikes and three spares in his eight frames, and Visingard had two strikes and two spares. Daniels, who bowled in the anchor spot, had three strikes and two spares in his nine frames.
Senior Owen Hancock contributed a pair of strikes and freshman Trenton Woody had one spare.
Third game shifts momentum away from Raiders against Hoke County
A close match through the first two games against Hoke County came undone for Richmond in the third game.
After splitting the first two games 149-161 and 138-132, the Raiders lost the third game 104-221. Even with a 157-152 win in the fourth, Richmond lost the extra point to the Bucks, who won the overall pin total 666-548.
Eight strikes and a single-match season-high 11 spares led to an average score of 137 pins per game for Richmond. The team closed 19-of-43 frames (44.2%).
Daniel (7-for-11) and Hancock (5-for-8) finished by closing 64% and 63% of their frames, respectively.
Again from the anchor spot, Daniel bowled four strikes and three spares, including three straight strikes in the 10th frame of the first game. Hancock got into a grove and rolled five spares.
Visingard matched his 4-for-8 performance (50%) from the first match, and improved by bowling three strikes and one spare. Senior Robert Monroe, who made his season debut, closed one of his two frames with a strike (50%).
Adding two spares in his eight tries was Craven, as Woody and freshman Nate Lampley helped knock down pins in the process.
The team’s combined overall closing percentage between the two matches was .429 (36-for-84).
The Raiders (2-2) are off next week but will bowl twice the following week, starting with a meet against Lee County and West Johnston high school on Jan. 20. Those matches will be held at the Sandhills Bowling Center and start at 4 p.m.
PHOTOS: Click here to view a photo gallery of Thursday’s matches.
