The Wayland girls’ varsity bowling tea
m Saturday captured a share of the O-K Gold/Green Conference championship by winning the league tournament in style.
The Lady Wildcats were down one point to Hudsonville Unity Christian heading into the tourney, so the task at hand was simple — Win the post-season league tournament and you win a share of the OK Green/Gold Conference title.
Wayland finished with more than 200 pins better than runner-up Unity Saturday.
The ladies came out with a solid first team game shooting 845 and staking themselves out to an early 150-pin lead over the field. They followed that up with an 837 in game two and a nice 900 in game three to extend their early lead to 162 pins. With only the three Baker games to bowl, the lead was more than enough. The girls finished with Baker games of 191, 140 and 153 to win the tournament by 207 pins and claim their first conference title in the three years since coach Bill Holbrook took over the team.
“Today was truly a team effort,” Holbrook said. “If one bowler was down one game, the other girls picked up the slack and the next game that same bowler would pick up the slack for another teammate. It was great to see them compete as a team and rally behind one another.”
The Lady Wildcats placed four on the all-tournament team. Senior Lizzy Cobb was second (144-210-205=559); junior Alicia Sweeney was third (186-133-218=537); sophomore Sydney Urben was fourth (174-147-204) and senior Aubree Hodges was fifth (212-158-149=525).
Besides accomplishing the goal of winning the league, there were also plenty of individual goals met. Wayland placed four on the nine-girl OK Green/Gold All-Conference team and two more as honorable mention.
Urben finished first overall for the season with a 189.86 per-game average. Cobb’s amazing last week of the season vaulted her up to fourth (171.29). Sweeney wrapped up a solid season in fifth (169.82) and junior Erin Porteous surprised many people (including herself) finishing sixth (161.79).
Senior Aubree Hodges (156.83) and sophomore Marissa Bruinsslot (156.57) finished with the 10th and 11th highest averages and earning honorable mention accolades.
“That means the Lady Wildcats had six of the top 11 averages in their conference this year,” Holbrook pointed out. “That is quite a feat when only five girls bowl at a time!
“Watching these young ladies grow over the past couple of years has been amazing. Then to watch their confidence in themselves and one another grow this season makes me so incredibly proud!”
A couple more goals remain as the team prepares for its Division 2 regional tournament in Kalamazoo in two weeks. It is ranked fifth in the latest Division 2 state-wide poll.
“This group can accomplish anything they put their mind to,” the coach added.
PHOTO: O-K Gold/Green Conference co-champion Wayland team members (from left) Jessica Henderson; Sydney Urben; Aubree Hodges; Erin Porteous; coach Bill Holbrook; Lizzy Cobb; Marissa Bruinsslot and Alicia Sweeney.
