SPORTS WRAP

The Owatonna High School girls bowling team took third place at the state tournament in early March.

“I feel great about it. Last year we finished fourth,” said coach Heather Blaha. “I’m proud of the girls and how we did.”

“We had two girls who were new to our team. They’re younger. They all fit together really well. It took a couple of weeks to get the nerves out. They were all able to come together and work as a team,” added coach Brianna Cooper.

Caitlyn Cortez works to stay positive. “Our attitudes definitely affect how we bowl. That’s a really big thing.” Tournament day was grueling, as they bowled 24 games.

The team had a great season, said Lillian Blaha. “We won a lot. We are good at filling our frames most of the time,” she said.

The freshman is the team’s anchor, throwing the fifth and 10th frames. “I like having the pressure. I think I do way better under pressure,” said Blaha.

Each bowler rolls two frames in the Baker System, making up a five-person team.

Owatonna’s squad includes girls from Dodge Center and Faribault, where Cortez is a senior. “We used to be extreme rivals, Owatonna and Faribault. But for bowling it’s become extremely different since last year.”

Other members are Ronan Floen, Jamie Fiedler, Sam Wilson and Trinity Price.

Lillian Blaha invites others to join. “You don’t even have to be that good. If you want to just come and have fun. The new girls we got, this is their first year bowling and they’ve improved a lot since the beginning of the season.”

Additionally, there is a co-ed season in the fall. Those interested can find info at SpareTime Entertainment. Watch the full interview on OwatonnaLive.com.

Hoops recap

A season of tight games including a playoff win at Lakeville South. That describes both OHS girls and boys basketball this winter.

The girls (22-6) won all six games that came down to five points or less, highlighted by a four-point victory at Lakeville South.

“We knew that we could go up there and win. We were pretty confident we could get it done, especially with the year we had. We were better than we were seeded,” said Head Coach Pat Webb. “I’m glad we could get that win over Lakeville South and that’s something we can build on for next year.”

“We were disappointed with the sixth seed. We felt that we had earned a home game…We had a lot of good wins, I thought…It gave us a little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” said Webb. The Huskies lost to Mayo in the semifinals.

He’s happy with how the defense progressed in his second season. “The effort and how to guard translated over to this year. Our defense was our staple this year.”

The Huskies allowed 44 points per game, third best in Class 4A, and went 13-2 on the road.

Boys season

The boys (14-14) went 5-5 in games decided by six points or less.

“Winning some of those close games toward the end of the season” felt good to coach Josh Williams – including the thriller at South. “Guys finding a way to get it done and making a March Madness play at the buzzer to win it. That was as exciting of a game that I’ve been a part of in a while,” he said.

The Huskies relied on a senior-heavy starting lineup again. “To me, it’s a good thing to have. When you have great senior leaders, guys who have put in their time to get that opportunity to step on the court their senior year. Fortunately, each year we’ve had a good junior class and sophomore class behind them. So, as they step in, they plug some of those holes from the previous graduating class.”

Williams is grateful for the chance to work with players in the summer to get a jump start on each season.