The Battle Ground Tigers dashed the Jaguars’ shot at becoming the first team to win four consecutive Class 4A state bowling titles, making a 115-pin lead entering the day stand up at Narrows Plaza Bowl on Saturday.
The Tigers led Emerald Ridge, 5,172- 5,057, entering the final day of the tournament, and never relinquished the lead throughout 14 Baker-format games (five bowlers take turns, one frame at a time), winning, 7,716-7,449.
“It was a great run,” Emerald Ridge coach Al McCormack said. “We couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s a coach’s dream to have the opportunity to hold that trophy for three straight years. We gave it our best battle this weekend. They were the better team this weekend. They earned it.”
The Shelton Highclimbers took third with 7,143. Evergreen (6,948) and Curtis (6,927) rounded out the top five.
“It’s very humbling,” senior Gabby Bostwick said. “(Battle Ground is the) first team to beat us in four years. They deserve it.”
Individual 4A state champion Wylicia Faley, who bowled four games of 200 or more and piled up 1,236 pins throughout six games on Friday, led the Tigers again Saturday. After the Jaguars opened the first Baker game with a 170 to Battle Ground’s 156, the Tigers responded with games of 188, 197, 180 and 199. Emerald Ridge cooled off, recording games of 164, 148, 188 and 152. The Jaguars would get no closer.
“We struggled a bit more with spare shooting than we did all season long, and when you’re on the state level, spare shooting is what makes or breaks it,” McCormack said. “We missed a lot of easy ones.”
The Jaguars admitted the pressure of winning another title got to them a bit on the opening day of the tournament, putting them behind.
“We were trying to get up our pin count, but we were putting a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Bostwick said.
Jaguars senior Courtney Couch, the defending 4A state individual champion, struggled Friday, finishing 13th with 1,044 pins. Her sister, Elisa, was third with 1,142 pins.
“(Courtney) put a little pressure on herself, especially yesterday,” McCormack said.
The team of the Couch sisters, Bostwick, Alisha Tham, Katie Alstead and Sammie Wallace was attempting to best Wilson’s run of three 4A titles in a row from 2006-08.
In Class 3A/2A, Mark Morris (5,488) built up a 394-pin lead on the first day and cruised to the title.
Wilson (5,094) staged a furious final game rally to claim second. Timberline (5,090) took third and Bremerton (5,036) was fourth.
“We were in third with one game to go,” Wilson coach Ken Richardson said. “When the pressure was on, (the girls) brought it. I’m so proud of them. They got it done.”
Kennewick’s Karissa Shiftlet won the individual title Friday by five pins over Mark Morris teammates Brittany Yoke and Brittany Schlauch.
