The Wayland girls’ varsity bowling team managed to hold off a hard-charging Byron Center squad in a 16-14 league victory Tuesday afternoon.
“Tonight was all about an opponent who had their best night of the their season, having to be resilient and competing for every point and a career night by a senior captain!” explained coach Bill Holbrook.
Byron Center came out strong in the first Baker game, surprising the Lady Wildcats and themselves while defeating Wayland 229-160. They came down to reality in Baker game two but the Lady Wildcats still came up short ,losing 139-138 and spotting the Bulldogs 10-0.
But senior captain Lizzy Cobb took charge and led the way for the Lady Wildcats in the first team individual game, firing a 222 and sparking a 842-779 win. However, they were only able to capture 6 of the 9 available points.
Down 13-6, the Lady Wildcats had backed themselves into a corner and couldn’t lose more than one individual point if they were going to complete the comeback. Led once again by the captain, who shot an impressive 236 in game two, the ladies rallied and completed the comeback taking 10 of the last 11 points in a 908-709 win.
“Lizzy shot a new personal high game in game two and a personal best 458 series,” Holbrook said. “Several of the girls tonight were dealing with injuries but managed to fight through.”
Other top scores for Wayland included sophomore Sydney Urben 160-222=382, sophomore Marissa Bruinsslot 165-145=310 and senior Aubree Hodges 162-139=301.
“Tonight just goes to show you can not take any opponent lightly,” the coach commented. “You have to go out and take care of your own game and not get caught up in what the other team is doing.”
Holbrook said after Byron Center’s big first Baker game, the Lady Wildcats began to press a bit and made several bad shots in game two that insured their early deficit.
“This team does not quit though,” he said. “They fight for every pin, every point, to the last frame. Tonight was more nerve wracking than I’d prefer but it is the type of match that can springboard us to the finish we want for this season!”
Wayland now is 13-1 in dual matches for the season.
PHOTO: Lady Wildcats bowling team captain, senior Lizzy Cobb, picked a good night to have her best individual performance on the lanes.