Topeka ? Scores might have been lower than normal for the Free State and Lawrence High bowling squads at the Kansas Class 6A regional tournament on Saturday at Gage North Bowl.

But both city schools brought back team trophies.

Free State’s boys, as well as the Lawrence girls, finished third to earn a trip to the state competition next Saturday at Thunderbird Lanes in Wichita.

“We’re happy to make it, but we wish we would have bowled a little bit better,” Free State’s Alex Hardman said. “We made it, and that’s all that really counts today. All that really matters is next week. As long as we can bowl better there, that’s the important thing.”

Hardman led the Firebirds with a series of 623, which was good enough for sixth place individually.

Josh Hershell finished with a series of 593 for 12th. Tyler Kring took 17th at 573, and Robert Wagner came in two places behind with a 570 series to bring the team total to 2,359.

“At the end of the day, it’s whoever gets the most pins,” FSHS coach Anita Carlson said. “So even though we weren’t shooting 600s across the board, we still plugged away at it and did what we needed to do to maintain a top-three position.”

The LHS girls got a big boost from No. 4 bowler Danielle Husted in the final game to strengthen their hold on third place. LHS finished just 70 pins ahead of fourth-place Washburn Rural.

With seniors Tiffany Demaline and Jessica Wyatt hitting a wall in Game 3, Husted tallied 51 pins more than her average from Games 1 and 2 to finish with a 451 series.

“In the third game they struggled, but Danielle came back with a nice game to help the team,” LHS coach Brandi Perry said. “Becca (Stack) stayed very consistent throughout the day, and that helped, too. They were excited.”

Stack was the Lions’ other top finisher with a 19th-place series of 474. Demaline (578) and Wyatt (545) finished sixth and ninth, respectively, in the individual standings.

“That was my biggest concern – making it as a team. I didn’t want to make it individually,” said Demaline, a 2005 state champion. “It’s not fun by yourself.”

Lawrence’s Ben Wyatt, younger brother of Jessica Wyatt, qualified for one of the six qualifying spots for bowlers not on one of the top three teams. The LHS sophomore finished ninth overall with a three-game total of 614.