The Wildcat bowling teams competed in the MSHAA Bowling State Finals March 3, which resulted in a second place finish for the girls team and a fifth place finish for the boys.

Only 18 teams of the 100 division 1 teams had qualified for the state finals.

The Lady Wildcats bowled consistently throughout baker games 1-6 that day.

In games 7 and 8, the Cats rallied with games of 195 and 209.

Bowling games of 831 and 858 earned the team the third seed, with Davison and Lake Orion holding the first and second spots respectively.

In round 1, Oxford bowled the number 6 seed. The Lady Cats won both baker games and the head up game with a total pin fall of 1177 to 1053.

In the semi-final round, the girls team beat Macomb Dakota in the two baker games, 173 to 143 and 180 to 169. They then beat the Cougars 877 to 853 in the head up game, moving them into the finals.

In the finals, the Lady Wildcats faced the Davison Cardinals, ultimately falling to the team with a 1368-1189 score.

“We have been waiting to put it all together at the state tournament. Today, the girls did just that,” said Head Coach JR Lafnear. “The girls just made clutch shot after clutch shot. They battled all day long. Davison was just too tough in the finals. These ladies have worked hard all year and have been a very close group. It shows how teamwork can help you prevail. This is the best finish by a bowling team from Oxford and it couldn’t have been a better group to do it.”

In the singles round, during which 60 girls competed for the title of State Champion, Megan Kessler took a sixth place finish, Claire Sandstrom finished 18th, and Megan Armbruster finished 25th.

The Oxford Boys Bowling Team also competed in the state finals that day, for the fourth-straight year.

Qualifying consisted of eight Baker style games and two team games. The top eight pin totals would advance to the Championship round of two baker games and one regular game.

During the qualifying match, Oxford bowled a new school record 278 baker game. The Wildcats bowled well enough to hold the number 2 seed coming out of qualifying, putting them up against the number 7 seed Grand Haven team in the first round.

The team never found its footing during the Championship round and ultimately lost to Grand Haven.

“This team made me very proud today. They bowled very well before the break and just showed get heart. We had everything working in qualifying. Every member of this team has reason to be proud. They all chipped in to get us into the Championship round. This is a lot to be proud of. We had a great season. We won the OAA title, The Oakland County title and now we finished fifth in the state,” said Lafnear.