Lakewood bowlers charge to top of Licking County League
THORNVILLE — Becca Price remains animated on the lanes, but the senior is channeling her energy in a positive way.
Price’s enthusiasm has put her in the right frame of mind and has helped her Lakewood girls bowling team to the top.
"My freshman, sophomore year, I would get super angry and frustrated," Price said. "If I have fun, I bowl a lot better. That's for sure."
Price has had nothing to be angry about this season. She helped the Lancers remain unbeaten with a victory against New Lexington, 1,875-1,774, at Village Lanes.
Lakewood leads the Licking County League, a game ahead of Heath. Price leads the LCL with a high series of 481 and ranks second in high game at 257 and average at 176.
"I love all of it. It's very exciting to be involved in all of it," Price said. "The biggest thing is having the most positive attitude because our team is all about having fun. If you don't have fun, you are not going to bowl well. That's basically what we've learned."
The Lancers, competing for the first time in three weeks because of a Covid-19 pause and weather postponements were tested by the Panthers. Price, rolling a 195, and Vica Pletcher a 193 in their second games, each shook off frustrating starts to lead the way.
The boost Lakewood received from freshman Peyton Mellring is the mark of a championship team. After sitting out the first game, Mellring rolled a personal-best 190, recording six strikes and just missed finishing with four consecutive.
"I definitely look up (at the scoreboard) a lot," Mellring said. "When I kept getting strikes in a row and picking up spares, I was like, 'Whoa, I might actually get a higher score.'"
Pletcher’s 365 series and Price’s 355 were just behind New Lex’s Courtney Jones’ 372 for high honors Thursday. Nevaeh Wall added a high game of 152 and Elizabeth Leffman 150 for the Lancers.
Mellring knew what she had to do when she received her opportunity.
"I thought the whole time the first game when I was sitting out was very stressful going back and forth for who had the highest pins," Mellring said.
Lakewood boys regrouping
Lakewood’s boys team is clinging to a lead at the top of the LCL, and the Lancers are relying on their depth without senior Hunter Weber, a returning Division II state qualifier.
Koda Warren led the Lancers with a high score of 214 and series of 374 in a loss to New Lexington, 2,021-1,638. Stewart Poulnott led the Lancers in the second game with a 191 to finish at 350 for his series.
"We obviously didn't perform very well, but most teams don't have to restart building their team at the end of the season," Poulnott said. "We lost our staple, so we just need to grind through it."
Briar Clawson recorded consistent games of 164 and 151. Jacob Sampson added a high game of 179 and Jeremiah Loudermilk a 168.
The Lancers have Granville a game behind and Heath and Northridge two behind nipping at their heels in LCL play. New Lexington and Sheridan also are high-caliber area foes, raising the level of intensity in the house.
"It does spark up something inside of us to do a lot better," Warren said. "We have (Sampson), who if he hits his first shot, everyone gets loud. It's amazing. You can definitely rely on these guys."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Lakewood bowlers charge to top of Licking County League
