A day after Daviess County’s C.J. Snyder delivered a top-10 finish at the KHSAA State Bowling Championships, Lady Panther teammate Maddie Phelps turned in a top-10 performance as well.
Phelps finished with a 555 in her first three rounds to put her in the top-10 by just a few pins.
The honor of competing at state as an individual meant a lot to the DC freshman.
“At first I was excited that I made it, then the reality set in and it became a little overwhelming,” she said. “Once my team advanced and I knew we had made it in team event, that also that helped me ease my fear and worry because I knew they would be with me.”
The Lady Panthers were seeded No. 7 in the team competition but fell to No. 10 Mercy 3-1 in the first round.
Phelps said having her entire team made a difference in her play.
“It absolutely helped me having my team there,” she said. “Seeing them standing there cheering me on, Supporting me, and encouraging me helped give me the confidence and strength I needed to keep my nerves calm.
“Our team isn’t just a team we are a family. I couldn’t and wouldn’t have done as well as I did without the love and support from my teammates and the coaches Byron Johnson, Jimmy and Casey Carroll. We are all a team and each of them are a blessing to me and I am beyond grateful for them.”
Bryson Johnson is the DC head coach and he said his team bowled well despite this being the current squads trip to state.
“I think they gained a lot of knowledge of what it takes to get there,” he said. “As a coach and my staff, we will look at who performed well under the pressure and what we can do to assist them in learning how to prepare mentally.”
Despite not advancing to the semifinals, Phelps said she’s still happy with how she performed as she may not have had as much experience as others in the field.
“Overall I am very pleased with my performance. I have only been bowling for three years. I was consistent with my games and bowled almost fifty pins over my average,” Phelps said. “I was bowling against the best female bowlers in the state of Kentucky. As a freshman, I think I did good by only missing the cut by twelve pins. I came in 10th out of all the high school girls in Kentucky. I honestly didn’t think I would do that well.”
Phelps has high hopes as she’s already looking forward to more trips to the state tournament.
She said she’ll definitely use what she learned this year.
“This year I have learned about controlling my nerves,” she said. “Taking things one frame at a time and sportsmanship. I was also able to meet new people and make new friends across Kentucky.”
