Chiefs miss team state berth, Brice advances

KENNEWICK  — A season with multiple lineup changes and minimal “drama” ended in a third-place finish at the 4A District 5/6 bowling meet Tuesday for the Moses Lake Chiefs, to wrap up the team’s season.

The Chiefs (10-3) finished behind Big 9 regular season champions Kennewick (4,113 pins), and Wenatchee (3,742), with 3,587 pins.

Kennewick was the only team to advance to state.

“That home field advantage paid off for Kennewick,” Moses Lake coach Billy Brice said. “Wenatchee bowled pretty well too, but Kennewick was impressive to watch.. They ran away with it.”

Each team bowled three regular games and seven baker games and were scored on the total performance.

The Chiefs bowled a 795 in their first regular game with Shanice Brice leading the way with a 199, while Crystal Balderas followed with a 197.

Their second game saw them up the ante with an 842 as Shanice Brice led with a 210 and Angela Bravo came in with a 209.

Moses Lake was six pins out of second place at that point and then bowled a 792 in the final regular game. Shanice Brice scored a 195, while Mariah Palmen added a 172 and Angela Bravo finished with a 164.

However, despite the solid outing they then were behind 250 pins with 2,429, going into the seven baker games.

Shanice Brice, the 2010 Big 9 Bowler of the Year — her second consecutive such recognition — finished with a 604 series, good enough to qualify her for the state tournament on Feb. 5-6.

Her season average was 210 and she would finish with an average of 201.33 last night.

The Chiefs came out with a 189 in the first baker game but then dropped to a 160, 156, and 127 over the next three.

“I think the girls got a little tired and didn’t give it their best,” Billy Brice said. “Kennewick was running away with it and there is supposed to be pride with being a Chief. I told them to bear down and that we were not out of it. Their nerves just settled in and they loosened up. Our average still ended up a 166 and that’s pretty good bowling.”

Moses Lake finished the baker games strong with a 177, 175, and 174.

Besides Shanice Brice’s individual accolade, Palmen was named second team Big 9 with an average of 165 and Ashlann Starkweather received honorable mention with a 149 average.

“As a team I feel good,” Billy Brice said. “I had a real un-dramatic team. The girls got along well and I think they just needed to be a bit more competitive but as a team the coach is very pleased. We are looking forward to next year with some juniors to step up and with some freshmen we have on board.”