HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING: Dothan beats HA; both teams gear up for region matches
For Dothan and Houston Academy bowling coaches, Monday's city battle at Patricia Lanes was more about building depth in preparation for the upcoming region contests than the actual result.
For the record, Dothan swept Houston Academy with the boys rolling to a solid win, 1410 to 962, while the girls pulled away to a 969-824 win, breaking off a 50-pin lead following the traditional format to a 145 difference after the Baker sets.
The margin of victories for the Dothan teams were similar to last week's wins over the Raiders when the Wolves won by 380 pins in the boys match-up and by 114 in the girls contest.
Both teams begin region play in their next match. Dothan travels to Baldwin County on Thursday, while HA faces Slocomb at Patricia Lanes next Tuesday.
"We stayed consistent with the same lineup as last week, but we subbed in some of our newer guys to see if we can have a completely solid team," Dothan boys head coach Jason Odom said.
Odom utilized Kane Shellhouse and Mason Vines during the final two Baker sets. Shellhouse earned two spares out of his four frames and Vines had one strike among his four attempts.
"This is their first year," Odom said. "They did decent, but we are still working to try and get the numbers up and get more consistent."
Gavin Hendershott, a veteran, led the Wolves' charge, recording a 205 during the traditional round. He earned six strikes and three spares. Ayush Patel followed with a 200 total, also earning six strikes and one spare. Landon Conrad was next with a 193 that included six strikes and two spares.
Tanner Ormes, who flirted with a perfect game in last week's match, had a 160 on Monday, though he had some bright moments with five strikes and two spares. He knocked down nine of the 10 pins on all but one frame (a seven on the ninth frame).
Paden Wood rounded out the Dothan scoring with a 148 behind a strike and six spares.
Dothan dominated the traditional round, outscoring Houston Academy 906-600. The Wolves also won comfortably in the first two Baker sets, winning 157-102 and 170-80. HA won the last Baker set 180-177.
Houston Academy was led by Ganesh Avula, who bowled a 147 round, but none of the rest of the Raiders fired above 123 in the traditional segment. Logan Harrell had a good day, especially in the Baker sets, said head coach Jody Ryan.
The Raiders feature five freshmen, an eighth grader and a seventh grader among its eight-man roster. Trey Bradley, a senior, is the oldest member of the squad.
Like Dothan's Odom, HA's Ryan was looking at filling roles at the bottom of the lineup.
"We know a few of the guys who are going to be OK (for us)," Ryan said. "It is case of 'Hey, I need to see this guy more or see this guy more.' I have to see how we shake out when we get started (for region). It could still change as we go along.
"I compare it to Major League Baseball spring training when you see guys you don't know and they are wearing No. 89 because they are AA, AAA guys and they are playing to see what they can do and they (coaches/administration) have to decide whether to put them on the 40-man roster. They know who the stars are but are trying to find out about the others. It is kind of the same concept for us, trying to find that No. 5 bowler really.
"We also have to find out if somebody is not doing well, who is the next guy or if somebody gets sick or hurt, who is the No. 6 guy. That five or six could flip flop unless somebody separates."
In the girls contest, Houston Academy stayed in striking range after the traditional segment, winning two of the five head-to-head matchups in the No. 1 and No. 5 slots.
Dothan had a little more consistency and led by 50 pins, 585 to 535.
The Wolves, though, quickly separated in the first Baker set, outscoring the Raiders 164 to 82 to build a commanding advantage before the final two sets. A strike each from Emma Sanders, Bhavi Shah, Sophie Donner and Megan Hodges along with two spares from Kelsey Peaden and one each from Shah and Hodges sparked Dothan in the 10-frame set.
The final two Baker sets were closer, though Dothan won both, 125-114 and 95-93.
During the traditional round, Hodges and Donner led Dothan. Hodges had a 129 score, earning one strike and three spares. Donner was close behind with a 128 score behind two strikes and three spares. Shah followed with a 121, earning two strikes and two spares.
For Houston Academy, Ava Johnson was the top bowler of the match with a 141 score. Her round was highlighted by one strike and five spares. Amelia Eldridge followed with a 110.
During the Baker sets, Margaret Pompa had two strikes and Johnson had one strike and two spares to spark Houston Academy.
