Bowling: SHS edges Eagles for first league title

Twenty-three seasons and more than 240 matches after their inception, Sequim’s Wolves are for the first time the Olympic League champions.

After winning four of 14 league matches during the regular season, SHS’s bowlers turned it on at the right time and rode strong regular games and a hot streak in the Baker format games to edge out five teams at the Olympic League tournament in Silverdale on Jan. 18.

“I knew what the girls could do,” said Randy Perry, the team’s head coach since 2008.

“I told them at the start of the season, ‘We are a good enough team; we can make it (to districts). For whatever reason, they showed up.

“We just stayed consistent. We had our best day, as far as our scores go.”

Led by league individual champ Nikoline Updike — who posted a tourney best three game, 488-pin series — the Wolves racked up 2,573 points to edge out perennial league champ Klahowya by 28 pins.

Bremerton took third and also advances by just nine pins over fourth place Olympic (2495 to 2486).

The league tourney saw six teams separated by just 133 pins after three regular games and four Bakers.

Sequim was in fourth place after the first game at 665 pins, but a 720-pin second game put them third and a 668-pin put them in first place.

“We were just freaking out,” Perry said. “It kind if just clicked after the second game for them.”

That led to the quartet of Baker games.

”I just walked away and let them go,” Perry said. “There was nothing I could tell them. [It was] fall apart or figure it out. They already know what I’m going to say 90 percent of the time.”

The Wolves started slow in the Bakers with a 97-pin opener, but got stronger with scores 125 and 146. Still, their lead over Klahowya was less than 10 pins before posting a 152-pin final Baker.

Perry led the Wolves to a third place finish at league in his first season as coach in 2008-09 and Sequim went on to place fourth at districts, missing state by one place.

Sequim has struggled since then, particularly after losing a home venue to practice when Sequim’s bowling alley closed.

But Perry said he had a feeling before the season that on the right day, these Wolves could put it together and make a run at both districts and state.

That’s exactly what happened, he said, with Updike leading the way and particularly strong finishes from Skylar Kryzworz and Victoria Nava.

“I told them, ‘You guys, you are this good’,” Perry said.

Sequim moves on to districts on Jan. 27 in Tacoma, where Perry’s best friend Dean and the Bremerton Knights will be competing, along with Klahowya and top teams from the south I-5 corridor regions.

“It’s going to be tough; we’re going to have to bowl a lot better,” Perry said.

“I don’t see Klahowya rolling over like that.”

It’s also a quick turnaround for state qualifiers, who will be back in Tacoma on Feb. 2.

Wolves edged in league slate final

Two pins. In final Baker-format game and needing eight pins to tie, Port Angeles’ Abby Robinson did event better, throwing a strike to lead Port Angeles to a 4-3 win over rival Sequim on Jan. 15 at Laurel Lanes in Port Angeles, home to both North Olympic Peninsula squads.

Led by Paige Pangara’s 211 pins, Port Angeles took game one 720-623, with Updike bowling Sequim’s top individual score with 137 pins.

SHS rebounded in game two behind Morgan Kayser’s 150 pins and Kryzworz’s 149, winning 630-595.

Sequim took the first Baker game 134-130, but with Port Angeles ahead on total pins the Wolves needed to win the second Baker — setting up Robinson’s match-clinching strike.

Sequim finished 4-10 on the regular season.