Lawrence bowling teams split

Jimboy leads LHS boys; Demaline paces girls

Starting at age 8, Shawn Jimboy would call up his friends and bowl in a Saturday morning league just to “have some fun.”

Nine years later, Jimboy still goes to the bowling alley, but now he has a different goal: to win.

Jimboy bowled games of 228, 207 and 186 for a 621 series Thursday, leading Lawrence High to a 1-1 record on the day. The Lions had a pinfall total of 2,214, beating Topeka West (2,177), but losing to Olathe South (2,438).

“The boys were more consistent today, which is what we’re trying to get them to do,” LHS coach Greg Farley said.

The LHS girls also went 1-1, suffering their first defeat of the season by just 18 pins. Tiffany Demaline led the girls with a 582 series with games of 210, 179 and 193.

The girls, who dropped to 8-1, had a score of 2,045. Topeka West beat the Lions with 2,063 pins. LHS beat Olathe South, which had 1,918.

Lawrence High's Jessica Wyatt prepares to release during the Lions' three-team match with Olathe South and Topeka West. The LHS girls beat Topeka West, but fell to O-South on Thursday at Royal Crest Lanes.

Jimboy had a disappointing performance Tuesday, in which his score wasn’t one of top four scores used by LHS. He rebounded Thursday and was in much better spirits.

“Way better,” Jimboy said of his performance. “I can feel like I actually contributed to the team.”

Jimboy’s parents were bowlers, fueling his start in the sport. His dad taught him the basic fundamentals, and the first finger-tip ball that he used was his mother’s. As he got older, he became more serious about bowling, and, thanks to the continued teaching of his parents and coaches, Jimboy is now one of the top two bowlers on the LHS team.

Had he ever pictured himself bowling games over 220 and leading the Lions?

“Not at all,” Jimboy said. “Back then, I just bowled for fun. Now it’s serious. I never even thought I’d be bowling on a high school bowling team.”

Jimboy had some help Thursday from fellow junior Olson Kilmer. Kilmer rolled games of 178, 200 and 225 for a 603 series.

Lawrence High bowler Tyler Bailey follows through during a frame against Topeka West and Olathe South.

The other Lions have been struggling so much that Farley has begun to contemplate making changes to the lineup that could come as early as Tuesday’s anticipated match-up with Free State.

“Besides Shawn and Olson, nobody broke 500,” Farley said. “We need the rest of the guys to do a better job.”