In Bessemer, Ala., last weekend the Lady Panthers bowling team placed fourth in the conference tournament, according to a SWAC press release.
On the first day, the Lady Panthers were in a round robin competition with five other teams, where total pin count would determine their seeding.
A double elimination tournament began the second day. Of the five games played, the Lady Panthers placed fifth, and saw their first opponent to be Texas Southern. The style of the game was called a Bakers game, where it’s a best of seven games competition. Out of the gate, Texas Southern immediately went for the win, pinning the Ladies down three games to win. The Panthers got control of their nerves, and collected the come from behind victory, 4-3, sending Texas Southern to the loser’s bracket.
The next combatants were Jackson State who wasted no time, and swept the Panthers, 4-0. The Panthers were now sent to the loser’s bracket, and realized one more loss would send them home packing.
In their third game, Alabama A&M were the opponents. Though putting up more of a fight this time around the Lady Panthers were eventually eliminated as they lost, 4-2-1. Their season has officially come to a close, but the Lady Panthers have no reason to hang their heads low. Improvement and progress were made, all the while pushing the program into the light. Sophomore Melissa Reeves said, “We outperformed what people thought we were capable of, and for our first time, we did pretty decent.”