BEAVERCREEK — The Wilmington High School girls bowling team today earned a trip to Columbus and the OHSAA Division II Girls Bowling Championship.
At Beaver-Vu Lanes in the Division II Southwest District Girls Bowling Championship, Wilmington finished third. The top five teams advance from the district to the state tournament. This is the first time a WHS girls bowling team has advanced to state.
“All the girls were ecstatic,” WHS coach Joe Gigandet said. “All day we felt we were above the cut line (to make state) but it was super close the whole time.”
After the three team games, Wilmington was second only to Troy, 2,799 to 2,707, with freshman Mackenzie Pyle earning first team All-Southwest District honors with a career-best 638 series, which included games of 207, 204 and 227. She finished fifth overall and would have qualified to the state tournament as an individual had the team not advanced.
“Mackenzie Pyle has been really strong lately,” Gigandet said. “She made her presence known (today).”
The lead over third place Beavercreek was just 12 pins. Northmont was 18 back of the Hurricane and Bellefontaine was 25 pins behind, so it was a tight leaderboard for sure with little margin for error.
The top five teams after three team games and six baker games advance to the state. Butler (48 pins) and Fairmont (54 pins) were just outside the top five but within striking distance.
In the six baker games, Wilmington started on fire, bowling games of 172, 210 and 202. However, three scores higher than Wilmington in the baker trio were teams directly behind the Hurricane.
So the WHS lead was down to five over Butler, 13 over Northmont, 22 over Bellefontaine and 51 over the first team outside the state qualifying group.
“We were super tight with those top seven teams,” Gigandet said. “I knew at any point in time we could be in second place or seventh place.”
It remained a jumbled grouping at the top as WHS was just six pins out of first place when bowling was completed. And third place was good enough to continue the season.
Kylie Fisher, who was fifth in the state tournament last season and ninth in the state as a freshman, did not qualify for state as an individual with her 566 series. She will, though, get her chance to compete in Columbus with her teammates, something she has wanted but never been able to realize in her WHS bowling career.
“I don’t think it was so much she did bad but the field was so good,” Gigandet said. “She was hitting the pocket.”
And things were close enough that Fisher was needed to help the team get to Columbus.
“She kept her composure,” said Gigandet. “She never talked about (not making state). It was all about us getting there and sometimes that’s what you have to do. She led the group. She made everybody better, cheering the team on. She’s a big reason why we’re here.”
SUMMARY
Feb 29, 2024
Div II Southwest District
Girls Bowling Championship
@Beaver-Vu Lanes
TEAMS
Troy 3827, Butler 3824, Wilmington 3821, Bellefontaine 3802, Beavercreek 3779, Northmont 3745, Fairmont 3722, Lakota West 3481, Batavia 3433, Centerville 3419
WILMINGTON
Emily Gerard 159, 127, 156 (442) Mackenzie Pyle 207, 204, 227 (638) Izzy Rhoads 186, 174, 170 (530) Kiley Comberger 174, 173, 184 (531) Kylie Fisher 190, 202, 174 (566)
Games 916, 880, 911 (2707) bakers 172, 210, 202, 167, 204, 159 (1114)
