The Bellefontaine High School girls bowling team capped off an outstanding season by competing against some of the nation’s best at the National High School Bowling Tournament in Columbus over the weekend, highlighted by an incredible runner-up finish from senior Gracie Hood in the singles competition.
The Lady Chiefs arrived Friday and participated in a two-hour practice session before competition began Saturday morning with the team event. Teams bowled two traditional games followed by six Baker games, rotating lanes after each game.
Bellefontaine was led by Hood, who rolled games of 225 and 245 for a team-best 470 series. Chloe Heminger added a 378 series behind games of 230 and 158, while Addison Prosser totaled 309, Kodi Palmer finished with 304, and Rylee Anderson added 276.
The Lady Chiefs then posted Baker games of 224, 181, 145, 120, 219, and 170 for a Baker total of 1,059. Their overall score of 2,796 placed them 12th in the standings and advanced them to the evening Survivor Round, where the top teams battled for spots inside the tournament’s top 10.
Bellefontaine added Baker scores of 168, 137, and 211 in the Survivor Round for an additional 506 pins. The Lady Chiefs finished the tournament with a final score of 3,302, earning an impressive 13th-place finish nationally.
On Sunday, attention turned to the singles competition, where each bowler rolled four qualifying games.
Hood paced Bellefontaine with games of 192, 222, 213, and 238 for an outstanding 865 series. Heminger also turned in a strong performance with games of 177, 257, 191, and 139 for a 764 series.
Anderson finished with a 587 series, Prosser totaled 594, and Palmer added 570.
Hood and Heminger both qualified for the Survivor Round. Hood continued her remarkable run by firing games of 170, 236, and 245 for a 651 series, while Heminger rolled 217, 191, and 176 for a 584 series. Heminger narrowly missed advancing to the next round by just seven pins.
Hood, however, kept climbing the leaderboard and eventually worked her way into the tournament’s final four. In the stepladder-style format, the top seed received a bye while the second-, third-, and fourth-seeded bowlers competed in a one-game match to determine who would bowl for the national championship.
Hood delivered once again, posting a 214 game to defeat opponents who rolled 206 and 196, earning her spot in the championship match against Ashlyn Teves of Illinois.
The title match remained close throughout. Teves finished with a blistering strike-filled 10th frame to post a 258, while Hood answered with an excellent 227 effort. Despite coming up short in the final game, Hood’s performance secured her place as the National High School Singles Runner-Up.
The weekend showcased the talent and determination of the Bellefontaine girls bowling program, as the Lady Chiefs earned a top-15 team finish in the nation and saw Hood battle her way to the championship match against the best high school bowlers in the country.
