Dutchtown girls get top-5 finish at high school bowling national championship

The state champion Dutchtown girls bowling team finished fifth of 37 teams at the U.S. High School Bowling National Championship Saturday at Beaver-Vu Bowl just outside Dayton, Ohio.

The Lady Griffins got off to a fast start in qualifying with a 1,051 traditional team game and eventually sat eighth after the qualifying round of three traditional games and three Baker games, moving on to the knockout elimination rounds with an 18-game score of 3,390.

In the three-game Baker knockout rounds, Dutchtown moved up to fifth after the first round with a 575 series and fourth after the second round with a 599 that included a 243 final game.

The Lady Griffs couldn’t maintain their momentum in the third round and slipped back a spot to miss the cut to the final four teams.

The East Ascension boys team, which reached the semifinals of the state tournament after an undefeated regular season, placed 38th of 54 boys teams with an 18-game score of 3,235 and missed the qualifying cut to the top 24 teams.

The singles portion of the event is Sunday and Monday. Reigning Louisiana singles state champions Sydney Lee of Dutchtown and Jonathan Arena of Archbishop Shaw lead the contingent of in-state bowlers competing.