The Blaine girls bowling team is wrapping up its season with one match left in their season before the District 1 Tournament begins next week. The Borderites won their match against Bellingham Combined 1350-1320 at 20th Century Bowl in Bellingham on January 21.
Ainslee Ellis led the Borderites with a 267 (146, 121) while senior co-captain Shaylie Daniels trailed her with a 256 (106, 150). Head coach Matt McAuley said these games are their last chances to iron out some details before heading into districts.
“The first game was rough but during the second game Matt was helping me with my throws a lot,” Daniels said.
With the win, Blaine will play its final regular season game against Burlington-Edison Wednesday, January 22 (after press time) at Riverside Lanes in Mount Vernon.
“I’m hoping that we put forth a good effort and we can make it to state,” McAuley said.
The Borderites took down the 4A Bellingham Combined team that unites bowlers from three Bellingham high schools – Bellingham, Squalicum and Sehome.
Bellingham Combined features one of the best bowlers in the county, Diva Marsh, who last season went to the 4A state tournament and finished 28th out of 68 bowlers.
The Borderites played without one of their co-captains, Madi Miller, so Della Cochran stepped up from JV and bowled a third-best score of 220 (113, 107).
“They’re a great group to have,” McAuley said. “They’re always having fun.”
The team heads into its final match of the season with one last chance to adapt to the synthetic lanes they will be using at districts, which differ from their usual wood lanes at Mt. Baker Lanes. On wood lanes the ball will hook right away, whereas on synthetic lanes the ball doesn’t hook as dramatically.
“It’s definitely hard having most of our games at Mount Baker Lanes,” McAuley said. “It makes it tough making that switch at districts. But they’re doing a really great job picking it up.”
At districts, Blaine will compete in four games featuring both 1A and 2A schools. One team out of the four will move on to state, while the top three individual bowlers from the field of eliminated teams will advance to state.
McAuley said the Borderites’ top bowler – Daniels – is trying to improve the consistency in her throws before heading into the district tournament.
“Shaylie [Daniels] has really come forward this year as a leader as our co-captain, but also as a really great bowler,” McAuley said. “Her averages keep going up as we go.”
Daniels and Miller are the team’s only seniors and co-captains of the team. As Daniels approached her final frames in a Borderite polo, she reflected on the past few seasons with the team.
“It’s a community that brings everyone together,” Daniels said. “It’s really energetic and loud and fun.”
Daniels got into bowling last year because her friends were doing it, but she has stuck to the sport because of the team’s supportive environment.
“The nice thing with all my players is all my players want to get better,” McAuley said.
The Borderites hope to send the whole team, or at least one bowler, to state, with the tournament held Friday, February 7 and Saturday, February 8 at Bowlero South Seattle in Tukwila.
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