Knights tame Dragons to win district showdown, take huge step toward regionals

The McCallum bowling team took a huge step toward advancing to the regional bowling tournament Friday night by slaying the Round Rock Dragons, 20-9, at Mel’s Lone Star Lanes in Georgetown. The Knights and Dragons entered the match in a three-way tie for third along with East View at 3-2.  By winning the Knights (4-2) now have the inside track to regions.

“Last year we were looking for some help from other teams, but this year, we control our own destiny,” Coach Randy Cannon said. “Along with the team having a chance to continue on, Max Cioci also has a great chance to advance in the singles competition.”

The Knights got off to a great start by sweeping the first round of singles matches to take a 7-0 lead. Noah Powell led the way with a season-high 203. The second round of singles matches was much closer, but the Knights scratched out a 4-3 win.  Gordon Bolton converted a spare on his last shot to win his match by a single pin, and Cioci rolled a season-high 229.

After the teams split the first two Baker games, the Knights fell behind in the third game. Just when it looked like that the match was slipping away, the Knights rallied behind consecutive strikes in the third, fourth and fifth frames by Anthony Bourda, Bolton and Cioci. The Knights never looked back from there and cruised to a decisive win.  With two matches left in the regular season, the Knights are well positioned to claim the regional berth that eluded them last year.

“I could not be happier for this group of young men,” Coach Cannon said. “They had a chance in the third game to pack it up and quit, but they collectively came together and overcame an early deficit.”

The night at Lone Star Lanes was noteworthy for another reason. Just a few lanes down from where the Knights were bowling, Stony Point High School bowled a perfect 300 Baker game. It was the first perfect game scored in the Chisholm Trail district.

The Knights return to Lone Star Lanes next Friday for a 5:30 p.m. match against the second-place CO-OP team. Photo courtesy of Noah Powell.