East Knox bowlers sweep Ridgedale
The East Knox Bulldogs bowling team traveled to Coopers Bowling alley on Jan. 9 to take on fellow KMAC team the Ridgedale Rockets. The East Knox boys team went into this match undefeated, with a KMAC-leading record of 7-0. The Rockets, on the other hand, have had a year full of rebuilding and went into the match with an all-loss record of 0-7. The East Knox boys team improved to 8-0 on the season after sweeping the rockets in the two normal games and the two bakers. The Rocket boys dropped to 0-8 in KMAC play.
The Bulldogs and Rockets both got off to hot starts and had first frames full of strikes. The Bulldogs kept up their striking pace and eventually the Rockets faltered, with EK taking the first game 931-696. The second game proved to be a much closer contest, with both teams struggling to adjust to the ever-changing oil pattern on the lanes. East Knox was able to squeak out the win over the Rockets 860-763.
Next, the bowlers moved on to the baker games, a format in which all five bowlers work together to bowl one game. East Knox got off to a tough start with splits and missed spares. A strike in the fifth frame by the Bulldogs' leading bowler, junior Will Jensen, got the team back in stride and they were able to finish out the game strong, closing their last four frames to finish with a one-pin win, 163-162.
The teams switched lanes but the momentum stayed with the Bulldogs. East Knox started off their second baker with a couple of spares but once again finished strong. EK started rolling with a strike in the third frame by junior Jordan Hull, and they finished the last four frames with strikes from Hull in the eighth, junior Dylan Reed in the ninth, and two strikes and six pins in the 10th by Jensen, for a 199-119 win over the Rockets. This gave East Knox a 2153-1740 victory to keep their winning streak alive.
The Bulldogs were led by senior Wyatt Ary, who threw a 421 series with a match-high 213 game, Reed rolled a 366 series and 193 game and Jensen had a 200 game for a 363 series.
On the girls side, it was a close battle all day, coming down to the final frame of the final baker. The East Knox Lady Bulldogs went into this match with a 5-2 record for second place in the KMAC. Ridgedale's girls, like their boys, have had a year full of rebuilding. The Lady Rockets came into the match with a 1-6 KMAC record.
The first game started with Ridgedale dominantly taking the lead. By the fifth frame, however, the Lady Bulldogs kept their heads high and slowly reeled the Rockets back in. By the final ball of the 10th frame, the Lady Bulldogs completed the comeback and narrowly took the first game 756-751. The comeback was in large part thanks to senior Hailey Baker, who rolled a 173, sophomore Chloe Stevens with a 181 and junior Olivia Nastasi, who scored a 163. The Lady Dogs continued to expand their lead by taking command of the second game from the first frame. East Knox won the second game 780-722.
The pin count only got closer with the baker games. The Lady Rockets came out on fire in the bakers with a string of spares that ended with a 149 game. East Knox struggled to find its mark in the first baker, and after a couple of splits and open frames they finished with a 107. This brought Ridgedale within 21 pins of East Knox and gave the Rockets the chance to steal the game with one more solid baker.
The Lady Bulldogs got together before their final baker and focused on the performance. They started their second baker neck-and-neck with Ridgedale, but after a split in the seventh frame by the Bulldogs it seemed like Ridgedale might have secured the win. Then, senior Riley Cree threw a nine that left the corner right pin, the hardest pin to get for right-handed bowlers. Cree was able to nudge the final pin just enough to get the spare in the eighth.
Stevens got up in the ninth frame and threw a massive strike that set up her anchor bowler, Nastasi, who walked up to the lane with all the pressure resting on her shoulders. She knew an open frame could open the door for the Rockets. Nastasi was up to the challenge, threw a strike on her first shot of the 10th frame and then followed it up with an eight, which secured the win with a match total of 1798-1754.
The Lady Bulldogs were led by Nastasi’s 341 series, senior Hailey Baker’s 340 series, Stevens’ 337 series and Cree’s 332 series.
Highland boys and girls finish 4th at MVNU
The Highland boys and girls bowling teams competed in the MVNU Cougar Classic on Jan. 14 and both squads finished in fourth place in a format that was set at four regular games, five baker games and a step-ladder baker finals.
Highland bowling coach Ty Hicks said this was a new setup for the Fighting Scots.
“In a tough collegiate shot, this was something totally different from anything the team had participated in before,” Hicks said. “They handled it very well.”
Highland’s Trevor Stewart, coming off a 211-game against Harding, ended the day with a seventh-place spot for all individuals, and Ben Harris finished in 12th.
The Lady Scots also finished in fourth in the format, which was unlike a typical house shot or high school tournament shot the team was used to. Hicks said the team played hard throughout the competition.
“They did not get frustrated and never gave up,” Hicks said. “And two of our girls ended the day in the top 10 for individuals, with Shelby Michels finishing ninth and Elyssa Reigles finishing in 10th, just ahead of Jo Burson in 11th.
