UNIVERSITY PLACE — Reagan Lorey’s tears represented frustration, and nothing else.
Frustration at herself for lost momentum. Frustration for mistakes she knows are fixable.
That’s what made accepting a consecutive runner-up finish even harder Friday at the Class 3A bowling state championships, watching Wilson’s Sierra Berry take the individual title with 1,250 pins.
“I really wanted it,” she said, “and I wanted another chance.”
For a time, it looked like it might be Lorey’s title to lose. And why not when you open with a tournament-best 268 in a game featuring eight consecutive strikes.
At the time, nothing seemed to stop Lorey. That immediately gave her a 40-pin cushion out of the gave she craved for a year ago finishing in the same runner-up position and losing by 14 pins to Evergreen’s Kerissa Andersen and playing catch-up mode from the start.
Friday, though, it was catch-up mode the final two games.
Lorey led Berry, 676-644, after three games, and Berry was in the midst of her best series of the day when she caught and surpassed Lorey in the fourth game rolling a 243. Meanwhile, Lorey’s struggles began after lunch. Her lowest score of the day came in the fourth game (163).
Yet Lorey was still in it entering the sixth and game; she trailed by 37 pins. Coincidentally enough, Hudson’s Bay and Wilson were paired together on the same lane.
She rolled a 210, but not before making her final frame count. She forced Berry to mark — needing a strike or a spare — to take the title. The senior knocked down all 10. Lorey finished 16 pins shy at 1234.
“I knew exactly what she needed to do to beat me,” Lorey said.”
Berry, an ex-club volleyball player, turned out for high school bowling as a sophomore. A top-8 finisher that year, she missed the medals a season ago.
Now, she’s a state champion after finding her groove in games 2-3-4: 236-244-243.
“And I said, ‘OK, I can do it,” Berry said. “I just had to focus.”
She has the Rams of Tacoma in second place in the team race entering Saturday’s Baker games.
Still, it was a memorable day for Clark County. Bowlers from Vancouver placed second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth.
Defending 3A team champion Evergreen sits in first place in the 3A team race entering Saturday’s Baker games after four bowlers finished 5-6-7-8 individually. The Plainsmen have a 228-pin lead on Wilson of Tacoma (5,199).
It nearly was the same script last year when Evergreen won its team title. Evergreen trailed Hudson’s Bay by 40 pins after three games Friday before rolling its best game of the day — and a tournament-high 1,024 — to get things going after lunch to take the team lead.
Dakota O’Neil, Jessica Dufrain, Andersen and Henderson all finished within 15 pins of each other Friday.
Evergreen might have the 2017 individual champion in Andersen and last week’s district champion in Henderson, but it was O’Neil who had the top finish for the Plainsmen Friday (1,106). After a slow start, O’Neil got rolling with a 225, 211 and 223.
Not only was O’Neil impressed with Lorey’s opening-day 268 game, which inspired her, but she also had inspiration from her father, also a longtime coach of hers who was unable to be at Narrows Plaza Bowl because of work commitments, she said.
That pushed O’Neil even harder Friday.
“I wanted to do it for him; he’s helped me through everything and always pushed me to do better,” O’Neil said.
“Even if he’s not here, he’s still giving me motivation.”
For Hudson’s Bay’s Halie Martin, she even surprised herself with her fourth-place finish (1,120), a drastic improvement from a 2017 state performance of 605 over fourth games rolled and last week’s eighth-place district placing.
After an opening 172 — her season average — it was time to step up her game, she thought.
“I can do better than that,” she said.
And it happened with a 208-213-182-194 in games 2 through 5.
Sandwiched between her and Lorey, her teammate, was Central Kitsap’s Jazmine Clewis (1,141).
The Bay duo led the way for the Eagles in the team race; they’re sitting in third (5,164).
Realistically, Martin said she wasn’t sure what to expect, just knowing “she had to pull my best to support my team.”
“All of a sudden, I got (fourth),” Martin said.
The Lorey and Martin duo has the Eagles in a good spot — third — in the team race at 5,164 pins. Bay led after three games with 2,700, and Martin hopes the momentum carries over — and more — into Saturday’s Baker games.
“I think we’re going to do amazing,” she said.
In the 2A/1A team race, Columbia River leads District 4 rival Mark Morris, 4,954-4,30, highlighted by Madison Mollahan’s fifth-place individual finish Friday (1,095 pins). Sophomore Brooklyn Boudreau set a new 2A/1A record in her individual title defense (1,298), breaking the old record by three pins.
Skyview placed sixth in the Class 4A team standings after Friday’s Baker games (6,627 pins). After a slow start, the Storm rolled a 221 in the seventh game. Eastmont of Wenatchee won the 4A title over Thomas Jefferson of Federal Way by 428 pins.
—
Girls bowling
Class 4A state tournament
At Narrows Plaza Bowl, Friday’s results
Team scores: 1. Eastmont, 7797; 2. Thomas Jefferson, 7369; 3. Rogers (Puyallup), 7267; 4. Walla Walla, 6902; 5. Cascade, 6887; 6. Skyview, 6627; 7. Puyallup, 6595; 8. Chiawana, 6414
Class 3A state tournament
At Narrows Plaza Bowl, Friday’s results
Team scores (Baker games Saturday): 1. Evergreen, 5427; 2. Wilson, 5199; 3. Hudson’s Bay, 5164; 4. Kelso, 5070; 5. Shelton, 4785; 6. Bethel, 4618; 7. Capital, 4570; 8. Seattle Prep, 4160
Individuals (top 8): 1. Sierra Berry (Wilson), 1250; 2. Reagan Lorey (Hudson’s Bay), 1234; 3. Jazmine Clewis (Central KItsap), 1141; 4. Halie Martin (Hudson’s Bay), 1120; 5. Dakota O’Neil (Evergreen), 1106; 6. Jessica Dufrain (Evergreen), 1105; 7. Kerissa Andersen (Evergreen), 1098; 8. Lexi Henderson (Evergreen), 1091.
Locals: HUDSON’S BAY — Lorey 1234 (268-225-183-163-185-210); Martin 1120 (172-206-213-182-194-151), Erica Morley 1008 (128-167-188-165-171-189), Jazzie Martin 782 (158-139-181-173-131), Rin Birchfield 535 (146-225-164).
EVERGREEN — O’Neil 1106 (132-225-211-223-168-147), Jessica Dufrain 1098 (139-198-184-185-192-207), Andersen 1098 (196-187-215-173-168-159), Henderson 1091 (167-145-226-201-179-173)
FORT VANCOUVER — McKenna Ellen 953 (148-135-155-167-170-178), Jessica Tofte 938 (172-158-152-135-171-151), Katie Campbell 878 (162-158-126-139-156-137).
PRAIRIE — Madi Bash 1068 (130-181-180-189-186-202).
Class 2A/1A state tournament
At Narrows Plaza Bowl, Friday’s results
Team scores (Baker games Saturday). 1. Columbia River, 4954; 2. Mark Morris, 4930; 3. Franklin Pierce, 4678; 4. Olympic, 4639; 5. Klahowya 4517; 6. Selah, 4422; 7. Burlington-Edison, 3641; 8, Anacortes 3569.
Individuals (top 8): 1. Brooklyn Boudreau (Mark Morris), 1298; 2. Grace Gibbs (Black Hills), 1136; 3. Hannah Sutton (Bremerton), 1135; 4. Mackenzie Theophilius (Black Hills), 1097; 5. Madison Mollahan (Columbia River), 1095; 6. Marissa Nemeth (Olympic), 1076; 7. Olivia Kolppa (Anacortes), 1065; 8. Courtney Olier (Franklin Pierce), 1013.
Locals: COLUMBIA RIVER — Mollahan 1095 (192-144-175-210-204-170); Becca Gunderson 1011 (180-187-177-147-152-168); Emma McLean 1004 (191-156-158-215-134-150); Maddy Getz 943 (141-174-174-162-155-137); Jenna Chinn (141-206-111-129-175-139).
