Sequim’s bowlers are beginning to sound like a broken record – in a good way.

Despite a 6-1 loss to Olympic Jan. 22, the Wolves broke a team record they’d set a week before with 1,770 total pins and saw the team rack up a season-high 169 pins in a Baker game.

The Baker game helped

Sequim take a point against the Trojans, who placed fourth at last year’s state tourney.

Sophomore Kim Duce knocked down 191 pins in the second game, setting a team high for the season and pushing her average to 139, also tops on the team. She finished with a 315-pin series.

Alex Whiteside had

Sequim’s best two-game series with 325 pins.

Led by Alma Levarios (425-pin series), Olympic still dominated the match, winning 941-712 and 860-765 in the regular games and 142-124 in one Baker game. Sequim managed to top Olympic 169-137 in their best Baker game of 2008-2009.

Sequim coach Randy Perry said he was pleased with the Wolves’ efforts.

"The girls (are) getting the confidence that they can roll 700s as a team," Perry said. "A couple had one bad game and one good game. They need to block that (bad game) out."

All five Sequim bowlers now boast an average of at least 130 pins per game, a good sign for Perry and the Wolves (5-10) as they prepared for the Jan. 27 Olympic league tournament in Silverdale.

A top-four finish at the tourney gives Sequim bowlers a berth in the West Central District 2A/3A tourney, slated for a 9 a.m. start on Jan. 31 at Bowlero Bowling Lanes in Lakewood.

"To be able to compete when we go down into the league tournament we need to be in the 150s (each game)," Perry said. "If the lane conditions are decent, I’ve got a feeling we’ll be breaking some more records."

Knights remain tough foe

For two of four games, Sequim bowlers went bowling shoe-to-bowling shoe with the best in the state – and nearly won.

But the defending state champ Bremerton Knights once again proved too tough to knock down, sweeping Sequim 7-0 on Jan. 20.

The Wolves got strong efforts from Johanna Ewing (172 pins), Sam Whiteside (168) and Kim Duce (145) but narrowly dropped the first game, 733-714. The Knights rebounded with a resounding 767-648 win in game two and a 167-108 win in the first Baker-format game.

In the second Baker game, Sequim nearly earned the team’s second point off Bremerton this season but lost by five points (125-120).

Overall, Duce led the Wolves with a 30-5-pin series while Ewing racked up 296 pins. Sam Whiteside had a 262-pin series and her sister Alex wound up with 261 pins.

Reach Michael Dashiell at miked@sequimgazette.com.

Sequim’s 2008-2009 bests

_ Individual

Game

Kim Duce, 191 (vs. Olympic, 1.22.09)

Johanna Ewing, 190 (vs. Peninsula, 12.4.08)

Kim Duce, 188 (vs. Olympic, 1.14.09)

Sara Hogoboom, 187 (vs. Bremerton, 12.16.08)

Sam Whiteside, 185 (vs. Peninsula, 11.13.08)

Series

S. Whiteside, 339 (vs. North Mason, 12.11.08)

Duce, 334 (vs. Olympic, 1.14.09)

Ewing, 327 (vs. Peninsula, 12.4.08)

Alex Whiteside, 325 (vs. Olympic, 1.22.09)

Ewing, 322 (vs. North Mason, 11.20.08)

Breanna Krumpe, 322 (vs. Olympic, 1.14.09)

_ Team

Game

812* (vs. Olympic, 1.14.09)

765 (vs. Olympic, 1.22.09)

749 (vs. North Mason, 1.15.09)

720 (vs. North Mason, 12.11.08)

714 (vs. Bremerton, 1.20.09)

Baker

169 (vs. Olympic, 1.22.09)

168 (vs. Bremerton, 11.25.08)

163 (vs. Olympic, 12.2.08)

158 (vs. Peninsula, 1.8.09)

155 (vs. Peninsula, 1.8.09)

Total

1,770* (vs. Olympic, 1.22.09)

1,748 (vs. Olympic, 1.14.09)

1,664 (vs. Olympic, 12.2.08)

1,643 (vs. North Mason, 1.15.09)

1,607 (vs. North Mason, 12.11.09)

* – school record