SOUTHERN PINES, NC – It is a banner day in Cavalier Country as the Southern Lee Men’s Bowling Team rolled through the State Finals, knocking off the two-time defending champions from Scotland County and then Pinecrest to win the program’s first State Championship. The team’s top bowler, Merkel Brown, also won the individual men’s championship rolling a 221 in the Championship to defeat Landon Weindel from Saint Pauls.
“I’m just so proud of what these young men have accomplished this year,” said Ms. Vicki Wilkins, the team’s head coach. “They’ve been extremely dedicated and have pushed each other to get better every single practice and match.”
The team format is a rotation of five players per team roll two frames each. Mark Lovick was the leadoff bowler for the Cavaliers and he was followed by Tucker Maria, who bowled frames two and six, followed by Landon Lovick, Blane Downing, and Merkel Brown, who anchored the Cavaliers rolling the fifth and tenth frames each game.
The Cavalier men drew Scotland in the semifinals and defeated the Scots 216-183 in the first set of the best two out of three round. The Cavs were bolstered in the set by a four-bagger – four consecutive strikes – in frames two through five. The hot streak was the major difference in the match and thrust the Cavs into the State Finals against Pinecrest.
Round 2 against Scotland was a little closer with the Cavaliers dropping the Scots 187-167 to reach the State Finals. The Cavs stayed hot, rolling six strikes in their ten frames in the second set.
Pinecrest beat Lumberton two out of their three sets in the semifinals in to set up a conference rematch for the State Championship. Southern struggled in the first game, leaving three open frames and fell to Pinecrest 205-162 in the first set. “This team missed the state tournament by just 8 pins and Merkel missed the State Tournament individually by just 1 pin. When I took the job, I told them that was not going to be accepted,” explained Wilkins. “After we lost that first set of the finals, I told the guys we came to this dance to dance the whole dance, and we are taking this second set. And they did.” said Wilkins.
Their coach’s confidence paid off because the guys rallied to edge the Patriots 204-203 in the second set and force a decisive third game. The Cavaliers had five strikes and picked up their spares in an extremely tight match that saw the two teams match each other frame for frame. Brown stepped up with the match on the line in the 10th frame knocking over nine pins before picking up the spare. He knew he needed a strike with his final ball to get the win, and Brown delivered.
The Cavaliers completed their third game with eight strikes and a score of 223. Pinecrest sent their final team member up with a 188 count through nine frames. The Patriot bowler left a split, and each Cavalier player knew that the match was theirs. With no mathematical path to victory, the Patriots did not complete their frame and Southern won 223-202.
The Cavaliers also saw some success individually at the State Tournament. Peyton Johnson finished 19th in the state in the individual girl’s tournament with a total three game pin fall of 425. Tucker Maria took third place in the men’s individual tournament, bowing out to Weindel in the semifinals by a 187-172 count.