Bomber Bowlers Fall to the Lions - By John Corbin
The Bomber girls' bowling team celebrated Senior Night with their families and fans before a much-anticipated rematch against a competitive Kennewick Lions team at Atomic Bowl on Thursday, January 11th. The Kennewick girls came into the match undefeated in the Mid Columbia Conference, and the 9-3 Bombers had high hopes for revenge after falling to the Lions on November 28th. Richland's bowlers also hoped to bounce back from a tough loss against Kamiakin last week. Unfortunately, after a couple of hard-fought games, the Bombers lost in total pins to Kennewick, 2143 to 1981.
The Lions took the first game with an overall score of 1005 to 830. Senior anchor Malia Haynes was the top bowler for the Bombers with a score of 193, rolling four strikes and six spares. However, the Lions lineup dominated the lanes. Kennewick senior Kourtni Foss bowled nine total strikes and started the game with an incredible five strikes in a row to fuel the team's momentum. She finished with a score of 265. Lions senior anchor Calista Tippett managed four strikes and seven spares for a score of 202; junior Samantha McMaster bowled a 195, and sophomore Lexis McGarrity scored a 190. Richland junior Ali Lemieux bowled a 186 with five strikes, and sophomore Miley Lakey rolled a 166. Richland senior Peyton Gonzalez tied Kennewick senior Clida Bleichner-Ramos with a score of 153, and Bombers senior Sierra Ruelas finished with 132. The Bombers were challenged as they tried to compete with the high numbers put up by the Lions, and they were determined to give it their all, but the Lions celebrated a big win in game one.
The second game turned into a nail-biter, with both teams battling to come out on top. The entire Lions lineup saw a drop in their scores from game one, which allowed the Bombers an opportunity to tip the game in their favor. Both Lemieux and Gonzalez improved their scores in game two, which greatly helped the Bombers. Lemieux finished with the top score of 201 and a combination of six strikes and four spares. Gonzalez added to Richland's total, pushing herself to an impressive score of 185, including three strikes and six spares. Haynes added a score of 151, Lakey scored 146, and Ruelas scored 122. Tippett got the job done for the Lions with their top score of 200, and McMaster scored a 180. In the end, the Bombers came up short, and the Lions edged out the Bombers with a total score of 820 to 805.
When it came time for the Baker games, the Bombers lineup was not ready to admit defeat. The girls pulled together and demonstrated some amazing teamwork as they combined to beat the Lions 177 to 150 in the first Baker game. The second Baker game was as close as possible, but the Bombers came out on top with a score of 169-168. Even though the two Baker game wins were not enough to defeat Kennewick in overall points, Richland kept fighting until the end. Spectator Ukiah Jones shared his perspective on what the Bombers did well in the match, "They really kept their heads high and their minds right. Even though they lost the match, they performed really well."
Despite the overall loss, senior Malia Haynes was proud of how her team performed on Senior Night, "We did well just staying positive and having good sportsmanship." As for any improvement the team could make in future matches, Haynes said, "I think we could stay more consistent with scores." Looking toward the remaining matches this season, Haynes talked about the most important things the team can do to bounce back following the loss. She explained, "I think just starting a clean slate next match and realizing Kennewick has tough competition. We did the best we could and can still finish strong the rest of the season."
The Bombers are now 9-4 in the MCC and remain ranked third behind Kennewick and Kamiakin. With only three matches left in the regular season, our Bomber bowlers travel to Walla Walla on Tuesday, January 16th, for their second meeting with the Blue Devils. They will close out the season facing Pasco on January 18th for their final home match, then head to Chiawana on January 22nd. After beating all three of these teams in their first matches, the girls are hoping to finish strong and tally three more big wins. They definitely are not done showing what they can do!
