Andersen won the title with 1,190 pins in her six games. Lorey took second at 1,176.
There were Trappers and Plainsmen close behind them, too. Bailey Peters of Fort Vancouver finished fourth, Shannon Bliquez of Evergreen took fifth, Maddison Durr of Fort Vancouver was sixth, and Jessica Dufrain of Evergreen finished eighth.
Andersen won from start to finish, as well, opening the championship with games of 224 and 231. She finished her first set with a 636 series.
“I had this feeling. I was just going with the flow,” Andersen said. “I wasn’t stressed or pressured, and I really like that feeling.”
Lorey, though, would not back down. After the break between the third and fourth games, she rolled a 236 while Andersen struggled with a 170. Lorey had gained 66 pins in one game to get to within 13.
“I thought of my first set, of my first three games, and I knew I needed to have that same spirit again,” Andersen said. “I had that spirit (in the next game), and it was amazing.”
Both bowlers shined in the fifth game, Andersen recording a 207 to Lorey’s 201. That made it a 19-pin difference going into the final game.
Andersen got a turkey — three strikes in a row — early to take a bigger advantage. But she struggled with splits and open frames later in the game, opening the possibility for a Lorey rally.
Playing just two lanes apart, it was Andersen who rolled her 10th frame first. She got a strike, even though she never saw the final pin fall, turning around in frustration when she thought the pin was going to stand tall. When she realized she did get a strike, she smiled and put her hands over her mouth.
That did it.
Lorey could beat Andersen in that game, but not overcome the 19-pin deficit for the day.
“Overall I’m happy,” Lorey said, “but I’m upset because I missed a spare to lose.”
Lorey failed to convert earlier in the match, at a point when she could have made a major dent into the overall deficit.
“But a friend won,” she said of Andersen. “Good job to her.”
Lorey knew exactly where she stood, watching Andersen that final game as she waited for her turns.
“I was trying so hard to catch up,” Lorey said.
Still, she left Narrows Plaza Bowl proud of her comeback after her first series, with back-to-back 200 games to get within striking distance.
Andersen just refused to be caught.
“I’ve wanted this since I started bowling,” Andersen said. “I worked so hard for this.”
She celebrated with her teammates, she celebrated with her family, and then the entire Clark County bowling community celebrated along with her, with the six county medalists posing for photos.
“They’re all people I’m friends with, people I’m close with,” Andersen said. “It’s good we’re all from Clark County because we are amazing.”
Clark County is in position to see another state championship Saturday when the top team is crowned.
Evergreen is in first place with 5,178 pins, with Hudson’s Bay in second place at 4,997. It is a quality lead for the Plainsmen, but there are 14 Baker games remaining. It sure does seem like it is a two-team race for the title. The third-place team is more than 300 pins behind Hudson’s Bay.
Sarah Stolle of South Kitsap won the Class 4A championship.
Clark County bowlers struggled in the early going Friday, but Camas’ Shelby Chartrand rallied with a 234 in the fourth game to get into medal contention. She would earn a medal, finishing eighth.
Battle Ground is in seventh place in the team standings going into the Baker games.
The 2A/1A state championship concluded Friday morning. Selah won the team title by 39 pins over second-place Mark Morris.
Columbia River earned a trophy, finishing fourth.
“We wish we could have done a little bit better, but at least we placed,” junior Becca Gunderson said. “We’re good with that.”
