By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Washburn Rural's girls bowling team fell a big short of its ultimate goal of winning a Class 6A state championship Thursday at Northrock Lanes.
But the Junior Blues took home some nice consolation prizes that a lot of bowlers and teams would have loved to have.
After building a 112-pin lead through the first two games of the day Washburn Rural slipped in the final game of American TenPin and the four Baker Format games, but the Junior Blues still captured the third-place state trophy with a score of 2,925, finishing behind Centennial League rival Junction City (3,014) and Campus (2,965).
Washburn Rural's girls bowling team poses with its third-place Class 6A state bowling trophy Thursday at Northrock Lanes in Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
After finishing third to earn the final team berth out of the Washburn Rural regional, Junior Blues coach Jo Ricard was happy overall with Rural's state showing.
"We kind of said, not to the girls but Steve (Peoples, assistant coach) just talking between the two of us that we were really coming in kind of in an eighth-place position based on how we came out of regionals and the score we had in regionals,'' Rural coach Jo Ricard said. "But we also knew that we had a ton of potential and we do have that between our girls to do some diffferent things that we didn't do last week at our regional.''
Adding to Washburn Rural's state haul were top-six finishes by senior Kaitlyn Doyal and sophomore Gabriella Martinez.
Doyal posted a fourth-place finish with a three-game series of 616 while Martinez finished sixth with a 583 series.
Washburn Rural got its day off to a fast start with a 848 four-person score as Doyal rolled a 235 game, Amaya Buchanan a 215 and Martinez and Taylin Sakers adding 199s.
The Junior Blues added to its lead 753 series behind 205s from Doyal and Martinez, but Rural fell to a 661 in Game 3 as Junction City bowled an 804 third game to take the team lead by 31 pins (2,293-2,262) heading into Baker play.
"Struggling in that third one, that's always kind of a scary piece struggling in that third one going into Baker because you want to build that momentum going into Baker,'' Ricard said.
Campus and Junction City continued to bowl well in Baker, riding a 217 game to a 727 total to move past Washburn Rural into second while Junction City finished Baker with a 219 to finished Baker with a 721 series to clinch its victory.
Washburn finished Baker with a 663 total, with a high game of 173.
Buchanan added a 524 series (21st individually) while Claire Ireland had a 473 series to round out Rural's top four.
Doyal's opening 235 and second-game 205 put Doyal in a position to challenge for the individual title, but Madison Walker of Campus took top honors wiht a 653 series.
"After my first game I knew I was aiming for higher than what it was,'' said Doyal, who posted a second straight top-10 state finish. "But even though I didn't finish as well as I wanted to, I still tried to move off of shots, switch a ball if I had to and try to make the adjustments as much as I could.''
Martinez, who was making her first state appearance, turned in one of her top finishes of the year.
"I was really just trying to come and do what I could for the team and not even thinking about individual,'' said Martinez, a state alternate for Rural last season. "And then I just really had some of my best games ever.
"It all just came together and I'm really happy with it. It's pretty awesome.''
Junction City placed three bowlers in the top 20, led by third-place Olivia Oliver (625).
CLASS 6A STATE BOWLING
GIRLS
Team scores
Junction City 3,014, Campus 2,965, Washburn Rural 2,925, Garden City 2,837, Olathe East 2,796, Wichita Northwest 2,783, Olathe Northwest 2,636, Olathe North 2,563, Olathe South 2,508.
Individual results
1. Madison Walker, Campus, 653; 2. Audrey Valdez, Olathe North, 637; 3. Olivia Oliver, Junction City, 625; 4. Kaitlyn Doyal, Washburn Rural, 616; 5. Camryn Lenz, Dodge City, 602; 6. Gabriella Martinez, Washburn Rural, 583; 7. Avery Schippers, Wichita Northwest, 577; 8. Yumi Yoshikai, Wichita Northwest, 571; 9. Lily-Ann Leeper, Garden City, 567; 10. Jordan Hunt, Junction City, 562; 11. Kellie Kritzler, Olathe East, 561; 12. Holly Bridges, Garden City, 561; 13. Myranda Rogers, Gardner-Edgerton, 554; 14. Dylan Holmes, Olathe Northwest, 554; 15. Nicki Culp, Wichita South, 548; 16. Breanna Warren, Campus, 545; 17. Skyler Holmes, Olathe Northwest, 544; 18. Josephine Richards, Olathe East, 542; 19. Cassidy Eschlimann, Junction City, 536; 20. Savannah Hsu, Campus, 533.
Other Washburn Rural -- Amaya Buchanan 524, Claire Ireland 473, Callie Hart 458, Taylin Sakers 419.
