The top two seeds in the district 1 bowling tournament advanced to the finals and looked to take home the gold hardware as well as ride the momentum into the region tournament that will take place in January. Chuckey Doak’s boys took their undefeated record into the championship match after defeating Greeneville 22-5, while Dobyns Bennett was coming off a 19-8 win over Science Hill. On the ladies’ side, Dobyns Bennett advanced with a 23-4 win over Greeneville and Cherokee a 23-4 win over Chuckey Doak.
The boys’ match started off with both teams splitting the individual points. Peyton Murphy (218), Colton McGhee (193), and Gavin Murray (191) brought home wins for the Black Knights, while Ryan Barrett (188), Maddox Ashcough (181), and Nathan Harris (174) scored for the Tribe. The Knights gained the 5-3 upper hand by 2 pins (1036-1034).
Game two, once again, saw both teams split the individual points, but this time, the Indians would come out on top, tying the game up at 8-8 and leading by 54 pins after outscoring the Knights 1072-1016. Landon Dunlap’s 221, Ashcough’s 211, and Barrett’s 180 helped propel the Indians to the lead. McGhee’s 183, Evan Stills’ 182, and Eric White’s 180 kept the Knights within striking distance.
The Knight’s slipped to the 11-8 lead after taking the first Baker game 176-174. In the final game of the afternoon, both teams would swap punches, but it was the number two seeded Indians who would claim the 16-11 win by taking the final Baker game 180-167 and claim the district championship.
The girls’ matchup was equally competitive. The number two seeded Lady Chiefs jumped out to a 6-2 lead behind Cierra Laster’s 212 and Skylar Young’s 188. Rylie Grace Bridges rolled a 194 for the Lady Indians followed by Destiny Dishner’s 148.
165
Game two saw the Lady Indians flip the script and take the 9-7 advantage as Mackenzie Place rolled a 169 and Abby Jay Jardines a 165. Lillian Brown’s 147, Lauren Winegar’s 145, and Laster’s 143 kept the Lady Chiefs in sight if a potential championship.
The first Baker game came down to the 10th frame when Laster helped close out the game for a 181 finish. Bridges stepped up and followed suit in her final shots, but came up two pins short, finishing with a 179 and a 10-9 Lady Chief lead.
Both teams could not shake their opponents, and the match would once again come down to the final shots of the 10th frame. The Lady Chiefs finished with a 147 to a 143 for the Lady Indians to give them the 15-12 victory.
All four teams will advance to the Region 1 tournament and face off with teams from district 2. Knox Carter claimed the boys’ title with a 17-10 win over South Doyle, while the Hornets also claimed the girls’ championship with a 14-13 win over Gibbs.
Semi-Finals
Earlier in the day, Cherokee’s girls knocked off Chuckey Doak 23-4 behind Cierra Laster’s 206 and 176, followed by Maddie Taylor’s 163. Skylar Young’s 149 and Lillian Brown’s 147. Sadie Fortner paced the Lady Knights with a 137, followed by Hailey Williamson’s 144.
The Lady Indians advanced with a 23-4 win over Greeneville as Riley Grace Bridges rolled a 165, Destiny Dishner a 163, and Abby Jay Jardines a 160. The Lady Devils were paced by Bethanie Bryant’s 155, Ariana Powell’s 137 and Addison Phillips’ 134.
Eric While, rolling a 222, led Chuckey Doak’s boys past Greeneville 22-5, while Evan Stills came in with a 183 and Peyton Murphy two games of 180. Greeneville’s Jon Gilbert finished his day with a 178 and 169, while Evan Litchfield finished with a 177 and 152.
Dobyns Bennett slipped past Science Hill 18-9 behind Kyler Coger’s 215, Ryan Barrett’s 208 and Landon Dunlap’s 200. Peyton Abel, who lead the district in scoring average through the regular season, shot a 211 and 206.
