February 25, 2021 at 8:14 a.m.
Hodag bowlers solidify four state qualifying spots
Hodag bowlers solidify four state qualifying spots
The team solidified individual state qualifying spot for four of its members in a 5-4 loss to the Chargers at Nick's Hodag Lanes.
Cody Bednarz and Kody Litzen each locked up Wisconsin High School Bowling Club individual boys' tournament bids while Katrina McCarthy and Mackenzie Bourcier secured spots in the girls' tournament as two of the top bowlers in WiHSBC's District 9 based on season-long fill percentages.
Bednarz wound up second in the boys' standings with 88.74% fill rate while Litzen was fourth at 86.23%. McCarthy (82.51%) and Bourcier (82.05%) wound up second and third in the girls' standings. The top eight boys and four girls from District 9 advanced to next weekend's state tournament in Ashwaubenon.
"I think it's another checkmark that Rhinelander has accomplished that other centers haven't," Rhinelander coach Mike Bourcier said. "We've solidified four spots. That's pretty darn good."
By virtue of finishing in the top five in the league standings, all four bowlers also earned the right to represent District 9 in the Wisconsin All-Star Team Challenge March 13 in Milwaukee.
The Hodags did not play Litzen, a junior, on Sunday. He already bowled the minimum number of frames required to qualify for state. He had more to lose with a bad day than he stood to gain with a good day.
The same logic could have been applied for McCarthy, but she bowled the maximum 18 frames in her final home match and was nearly flawless. She was 17 of 18 on the day with eight strikes to inch past teammate Mackenzie Bourcier for second in the girls' standings. Bourcier, also a senior, bowled all 18 frames as well, going 15 of 18.
"I didn't need to play them, but I made the call as we were going," coach Bourcier said. "I thought they were doing just fine. Those two have been with me since fourth grade. It was good. They made a few clutch spares there at the end to keep their stats where they are. That was good."
Mackenzie Bourcier came into the day needing to bowl at least six frames to hit the 144-frame threshold to be eligible for state, while Bednarz needed seven frames to insure eligibility. Bednarz went 12 of 14 on the day, which dropped him from first to second in the league standings - missing two split conversions in his first seven frames.
One of those splits was a missed 3-10 pickup in the third frame of Game 6. It came moments after Wittenberg's Austin Rekow converted a tough 4-10 split in the third. The Chargers went on to bowl their best game of the day, defeating Rhinelander 237-193 to take a 4-2 lead in the match. Wittenberg followed up with a 220-218 win in Game 7 to clinch the match.
"They picked that split up there and it just took them from there," coach Bourcier said. "After that, they just started striking. That 237 game they shot there in the sixth, we shot a 193 which isn't bad. After that they have 220 and 213. They bowled really well."
Rhinelander's two other seniors - Jacob Wagler and Jeremiah Braun - both saw extended action on Sunday. Wagler went 11 of 15 with three strikes and Braun had one of his best days of the year, going 12 of 15. He had nine strikes, including strikes in each of his final five frames.
"Jeremiah's been working hard in practice to try to get to where we need to be," coach Bourcier said. "We're just making moves in a he finished up strong, five (strikes) in a row, only three opens on the day. He's improved with his spare shooting. He did well. Then Jacob, other than a couple single-pin misses there, he was on. It was good to see them two. I wanted to get them in as much as possible to get frames in to finish their career up. They've both been with meet since fifth grade, sixth grade. It was good for them."
Bella Walkowski was 8 of 10 with six strikes for Rhinelander.
The Hodags closed out the match strong, edging the Chargers 216-213 in Game 8. McCarthy got a couple of mixer strikes with her first two balls in the 10th as Rhinelander rallied to take the win. The Hodags finished with a 214-178 win in Game 9.
Overall, Rhinelander averaged 194.1 pins on the day and filled 83.3% of their frames.
"Obviously, we would have liked to win and, overall for the team, we finished the season out with three clean games, 15 opens on the day, which is another phenomenal day for them," coach Bourcier said.
On the season, Rhinelander had the third highest average in District 9 (188.1) and the second-best fill percentage (79.26%) but finished in a four-way tie for fourth in the standings with a 7-5 mark - with three of those losses being decided by a single game. Amherst (11-1), Merrill (10-2) and Antigo (9-3) earned the district's three D2 state team qualifying spots. The Hodags beat Merrill and Antigo during regular season play.
"We've come against some buzzsaws, teams that bowled well at their home houses or bowled some of their better matches during the year (against us)," coach Bourcier said. "I'm extremely happy with the kids."
The District 9 singles tournament will take place this coming weekend in Weston, with bowlers from around the league competing for themselves to earn college scholarship money.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.