Oskaloosa Girls Battle at District Meet, Thompson Advances to State
The Oskaloosa girls bowling team competed Monday at the district state qualifying meet at Plaza Bowl in Clinton, bowling both the team event in the morning and the individual event in the afternoon. The Indians stayed competitive all day and had one bowler advance to the state tournament.
In the team competition, Oskaloosa finished in fifth place after staying in the hunt for most of the morning. The girls were in second place after the first five baker games and dropped to third after the next five baker games, still within reach of the second-place spot that would qualify them for team state. In the final set of baker games, the Indians threw the ball well but could not get the breaks needed to pass the teams ahead of them.
The tough lane carry made it difficult to score even on strong shots, which led to frustration for the team. The girls were disappointed to miss a return trip to the state finals after qualifying the past two seasons, but the coaches praised the effort and improvement shown throughout the year. The steady progress of the team during the season gives the program confidence heading into next year.
The afternoon individual competition brought a highlight for Oskaloosa. Senior Sidney Thompson tied for second place and qualified for state for the fourth straight year. Thompson rolled games of 228, 191, and 213 for a three-game series of 632, averaging 211 for the tournament.
Regan Abrahamson finished 11th with a 530 series and a 177 average. She bowled games of 182, 177, and 171. Like the team event earlier in the day, Abrahamson struggled to get pins to fall despite throwing the ball well throughout her set.
Faith Carmer averaged 159 and posted a 478 series with consistent games of 157, 162, and 159. Aubrey Bowen added a 422 series with games of 124, 163, and 135. Paige Vandermeiden finished with a 418 series after games of 136, 112, and 170. Emma Ross recorded a 328 series with games of 119, 102, and 107.
The Indians close the season proud of their effort and growth. Thompson will now represent Oskaloosa at the state tournament, while the rest of the team looks to build on a season that showed steady improvement and strong potential for the future.
