Lawrence High's Jessica Wyatt bowls against Shawnee Mission East. Wyatt bowled a 519 series and helped the Lions defeat Olathe South and SM East on Thursday at Royal Crest Lanes.

A cohesive Lawrence High girls bowling team won Thursday afternoon’s triangular at Royal Crest Lanes, featuring Olathe South and Shawnee Mission East.

“It means a lot every time we win together,” Tiffany Demaline said. “I love my teammates. We all get along really well.”

The girls’ scores were appropriately bunched together for a score of 2,052, the cumulative total of the top four scorers during the three games. For the series, Demaline scored 598, Jessica Wyatt 519, Malory Hughes-Pfeifer 476, Becca Stack 459, Sam Hays 449 and Alexah Gudenkauf 432.

Although LHS coach Greg Farley cited a goal of having four girls surpass 500, he lauded the team’s balance and ability to pick up

single-pin spares during the win.

“What was nice to see was the consistency from all six girls,” Farley said. “It’s probably the best we’ve done.”

Demaline finished second among all female bowlers. The junior credited her cool composure for her high scores. During her freshman year, she said, she became too anxious before her shots.

“I can’t get upset if I miss a pin,” she said. “(I) just have to move past that.”

The boys finished second overall – 130 points behind Olathe South – with 2,263 points. Ben Wyatt rolled 626, Tanner Kilmer 556, Tyler Bailey 542, Ryan Miller 539, Olson Kilmer 508 and Mark Mercer 465.

“They had one of their better scores of the year,” Farley said.

Freshman Ben Wyatt’s goal for the day was to post a series score in the 600s. He did that, surpassing 200 in each of his games to finish second among all varsity bowlers. He excelled at avoiding splits, allowing him to rack up spares.

“Ben Wyatt did a great job,” Farley said. “That’s the consistency we really want.”

LAWRENCE HIGH SOPHOMORE TYLER BAILEY winds up during the Lions' three-team match against Shawnee Mission East and Olathe South. Bailey rolled a 542 series Thursday at Royal Crest Lanes.

With another freshman, Tanner Kilmer, posting the team’s second-best score, the LHS boys are a young but talented team.

The Lions also enjoyed a home-court advantage as they practice at Royal Crest. The local bowlers have become accustomed to the lanes, which have a lot of oil, causing the ball to hook less sharply.

“Different lanes have different reactions for bowls,” Ben Wyatt said. “You have to adjust.”

The boys’ games still needed some tweaking, Farley said, particularly in their consistency and focusing on marks on the floor, rather than the pins at the other end of the lane.

“They’re peak and valley on their scores,” Farley said. “The boys were trying to be 60-foot bowlers instead of 15-foot bowlers.”

Neither team, however, requires better camaraderie. The girls celebrated each strike by “buckling up,” making a gesture as if they were fastening a safety device, and Farley praised the leadership of three seniors: Olson Kilmer, Mark Mercer and Jacob Pool.

“They’re are doing a really good job,” he said. “They’re trying to help those young kids, and it’s paying off.