For Derby bowling, matches with Maize have been an accurate measuring stick for the program.
The Eagles typically rest among the upper echelon of league teams. Derby often finds its home at the top of the league, as well, making for a small rivalry among the bowlers.
This past Friday, Derby came away with two victories, sending a statement that the Panthers are in the hunt for a league title.
Derby’s boys’ squad scored 2,644 pins, well surpassing Maize’s 2,542.
“I think coming away with a win against Maize is important to them, because they are such a good team,” said Melissa Hurst, Derby head coach. “There were a couple people that struggled, but overall as a team we bounced back from those. I thought we shot really well.”
Brayden Frazier, Trevor Broz and Tuon Kreizel paced the Panther scores, all shooting a 635 series or better. Broz warmed up after his first two games, tossing a 249 in his third try for the top Derby game.
The Derby girls also wiped out the Eagles. The Panthers collected 2,276 pins, outpacing Maize’s 2,165.
Senior Ashley Hare topped all competitors with a 634 series for the Panthers. Teammate Anna Aspinwall bowled a 611 series, boosted by a 241 opening game that bested all other girls’ scores at the meet.
“They also wanted to beat Maize very badly,” Hurst said. “They were very, very excited. They knew this was an important win for them. They’ve been kind of struggling the past few meets, but I think this one, a lot of them bowled really well.”
Spare shooting had been an early trouble spot for Derby, but Hurst said it has improved in recent competitions. Next up on the slate of improvements will be becoming mentally confident.
“We go through these waves of emotion,” Hurst said. “We get really up and then we get really down. We need to work on being level pretty much the whole time – not getting too high or too low.”
A pleasant dilemma has been the dominant performance of Derby’s junior varsity boys’ squad. On any given day, multiple JV bowlers can outdo members of the varsity roster, opening the possibility of pushing on to varsity as Hurst tries to settle in on the top six.
“It’s very hard. Anybody can bowl really well, but when people are bowling well all the time, it’s hard to find the lineups,” she said. “Everybody has been bowling well so far.”
Derby will face Wichita Trinity and Newton in Newton today at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Panthers will compete in the Great Plains Invitational Tournament at Northrock Lanes in Wichita.
Derby vs. Maize, Wichita Northwest
Jan. 20 at Derby Bowl
Boys
Team results: Derby 2644, Maize 2542, Wichita Northwest 2435
Individual results:
Derby: Brayden Frazier 224-224-194-642; Trevor Broz 189-203-249-641; Tuon Kreizel 212-223-200-635; Bryce Morgan 194-225-207-626; Devin Boswell 204-247-169-620; Matthew Hurst 164-197-235-596
Maize: Hufner 215-206-259-680; Brewer 187-236-183-606; Light 168-246-188-602; Allan 160-189-247-596; Prouty 202-191-156-549; Cook 175-169-190-534
Northwest: Myers 180-215-202-597; Miller 212-185-190-587; Fraizer 226-169-184-579; Hubbard 247-201-129-577; Awtrey 158-197-191-546; Crafton 185-146-148-479
Girls
Team results: Derby 2276, Maize 2165, Wichita Northwest 1960
Individual results:
Derby: Ashley Hare 234-177-223-634; Anna Aspinwall 241-199-171-611; Brooke Webb 201-170-205-576; Mary Masters 141-162-143-446; Rachel Bannon 149-163-113-425; Hayley Hume 141-142-121-404
Maize: Yahya 204-170-216-590; Cruz 151-192-199-542; Walker 158-152-205-515; Perez 188-155-122-465; Ayres 155-155-151-461; Winegarner 172-125-150-447
Northwest: Hawkins 139-214-234-587; Grace 155-151-179-485; Dilliehunt 115-151-156-422; Henning 137-139-135-411; Whitmer 138-101-167-406; Mitchell 136-127-108-371