By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Expectations have been high for the Great Bend Lady Panther bowling team all season. Even with a second-place finish to Salina South in last week's regional action, coach David Feldbauer felt like his team was the one to beat at Thursday's Class 5-1A State Bowling Championships at Wichita's Northrock Lanes. The Lady Panthers avenged last week's loss, beating Salina South by 83 pins to win the state title.
"It was amazing," Feldbauer said. "I am so proud. Just the excitement of this morning was great. I'm just overwhelmed we're finally able to make that leap and get first place. We've had the second, we've had the third, and now we finally get title."
Scores were down across the board with just three teams surpassing 3,000 pins. Topeka Seaman was competitive early before falling off to third place with 3,007 pins. Salina South's Rylee Lambeth won the individual title with a 641 series. Panther freshman Zoey Mayberry led the Lady Panthers in sixth overall with a 591 to miss the top-five by just two pins.
"She was great," Feldbauer said. "She started off doing really well, missed a couple little easy spares, but she came right back at it the second and third games with back-to-back 200s. I'm real proud of her. She got focused and was finally able to do a three-game set like she needs to."
Senior Sahara Rhiza put up the best state finish of her career to finish seventh overall with a 586. Just two pins behind her, reigning state champion and senior Kaylin Wahlmeier placed eighth at 584.
"She's disappointed in herself," said Feldbauer. "I think the expectations of her trying to bowl extremely well just got to her and got into her head too quick. We were finally able to break her of a few things by the third game to have her bowl that 237 game at the end and lead her team into Baker games, where she was comfortable bowling. She did really well in Baker, which is where it needs to come from."
Emilee Nelson finished 16th overall with a 565, a single pin outside the top 15. Aliyah Fryberger placed 19th with a 555, again losing a place by a single pin. Paige Heine rolled a 340 in the other varsity spot.
"I knew it was going to be competitive," Feldbauer said. "I knew they were going to have to come out and bowl. We weren't actually bowling next to Salina South, which sort of helped, so we didn't keep looking at their scores and looking at everybody else's scores. I was watching some of the Topeka Seaman scores. Those girls were bowling lights out until that last game so we were doing well."