Moses Lake bowls Wenatchee off lanes

WENATCHEE — Bowl, bowl, bowl your ball gently down the lane, may not have applied to the Moses Lake High School bowling team’s performance in its first two regular games against Wenatchee yesterday.

Fired up from a lackluster win against Eisenhower last week, the Chiefs came out firing on all cylinders and pounded the host Panthers by scores of 904-783, and 928-799 to take command in a pin count win, 2,134-1,918.

“The team was up to play after a mediocre last performance,” Moses Lake coach Billy Brice said. ” “Everyone was consistent and came to play.”

In the first regular game, senior Amanda Strelcyzk spearheaded the win for the Chiefs (3-1) with a 245 that included eight strikes with one streak of six in a row.

“She threw the ball very well as she never missed a pocket,” Brice said.  “It was one of those games where everything she threw struck.”

The team’s only junior, Shanice Brice, rolled a 191 while senior Mariah Palmen added a 174.

Then things got interesting.

Instead of a slight let up in the second regular game, the Chiefs took to the woodwork and bowled to a tune of 24 more pins, thus locking up a victory before the baker games.

“We had them on the ropes and so the girls put the ground and pound to them,” Billy Brice said.  “They were just on fire. Usually 900s are very rare and to shoot two of them is very solid bowling. They were picking up their spares or throwing strikes.

“It was very nice to watch as a coach,” he added. “I just sat back and let them loose . It was the best coaching job I ever did because all I had to see was sit back and not do anything.”

Palmen led the team with a 223, while Shanice Brice rolled a 213, and senior Kristin Beamish knocked down 208 pins.

With the win firmly in hand, Billy Brice experimented in the first baker game and brought up senior Brittany Simpson to bowl for the first time for the varsity squad.

The Chiefs fell 200-179, but Simpson, “bowled well and the girls were very excited for her,” Billy Brice said.

Still, the night didn’t end the way it started, as Moses Lake dropped the second baker, 136-123.

“The girls were getting lax with a loss of focus,” Billy Brice said. “”It was not the way you want to end since you would like to stay around 170 for Baker games. A 123? Maybe at the end the girls are getting tired so we’re going to have to bowl a lot more and work on our Baker games over the Thanksgiving break.”

With a three-match winning streak in hand and arguably their best regular games bowled to date, the Chiefs won’t bowl again until Thursday, Dec. 3 at Davis.

“The girls are excited and very confident,” Billy Brice said. “The seniors really came through and the key is they are really a team this year. Everyone seems to be getting along. For the first time ever I don’t need a captain because they are all doing what they need to be doing. They are a mature group.”