Prairie View A&M University’s bowling team was feared this past weekend, but fell short in the final round of the SWAC Bowling Championship in Bossier City, La. The Lady Panthers were defeated by the Alabama A&M Bulldogs in four, 4-game Baker-style matches, losing 720-632.
Despite the Lady Panthers’ success thus far in the tournament, the ball stopped rolling when the Panthers made it to the final round of the SWAC Bowling Championship, losing four straight matches.
Alabama won the opening game 180-140 and the second match 193-164, after the Bulldogs knocked down six strikes. The Lady Panthers would fight back with five strikes of their own in the next match, but would still fall short, losing 176-160. The journey for the Lady Panthers ended with a 171-168 loss in the finale.
Coach Glen White said, “I knew coming into the match it was going to be tough to defeat A&M, a team that has been to the championship match for the last two years and falling short each time. They were used to the bright lights and cameras and this was a first for us. We needed some positive things to happen to build our confidence and we just couldn’t get on a roll. My hat’s off to Alabama A&M for they are very deserving of the championship but no team in SWAC has a bigger heart and competitive attitude than the Lady Panthers. We’ll be back next year.”
Junior and team captain Kristina Sadler said, “This season was some journey. In the beginning we had some hurdles and at the end all the hurdles and struggles that we faced paid off. We accomplished something great and next season we will accomplish even greater things.”
Senior management major Phebe Jackson said, “I think I was able to leave my legacy at Prairie View A&M because I finished the year off making it to the championship and a Prairie View bowling team has never made it there.”
The Lady Panthers’ championship game will air Friday on EspnU at 6:30 p.m.