Originally published February 5, 2010 at 8:40 PM | Page modified February 5, 2010 at 9:31 PM

Emerald Ridge's Shannon Dexter takes state title | Prep Girls Bowling

Shannon Dexter, a junior at Emerald Ridge, finished with a 193 game to overtake a Wenatchee bowler and win the Class 4A state championship.

By Matt Rybaltowski

Special to The Seattle Times

UNIVERSITY PLACE — Two weekends ago, Shannon Dexter screamed at her television in delight when Kelly Kulick defeated Chris Barnes to become the first female bowler to win a title on the PBA Tour.

The Emerald Ridge bowler has emulated Kulick for her ability to block out her surroundings in pressurized situations.

Friday, Dexter used such focus to erase a final-round deficit and capture the Class 4A girls bowling state championship at Narrows Plaza Bowl.

"I was pretty frustrated with the game before it, and wasn't happy with the number of strikes I opened," said Dexter, a junior at the South Hill high school. "Going into the last game, I told myself, 'No open frames. You have to get at least a 190.' "

The Jaguars' bowler trailed Brooke Tate of Wenatchee by 41 pins heading into the final round, but finished with a 193 game to win the six-game series by two pins, 1,088 to 1,086.

Dexter closed with a spare and had a strike or spare in every frame of the final round. Tate, meanwhile, picked up spares in three consecutive frames before the 10th, but could not get one on her final throw of the day.

In team competition, Emerald Ridge trailed Kennewick by 37 pins after three rounds, and teammate Gabbie Bostwick said Dexter was just as driven by team pursuits.

"When she saw that we fell behind, she challenged herself to pick up the team," Bostwick said.

The undefeated, defending state champion Jaguars lead Kennewick by 41 pins (4,813 to 4,772) going into Saturday's final round.

Carys Bailey from Klahowya of Silverdale bowled a 257 in the fourth round and finished with a pin total of 1,143 to win the 3A/2A individual title. Olympic leads Mark Morris by 15 pins (4,827 to 4,812) in its pursuit of the team title.

Saturday, teams will compete in a 14-round Baker tournament to decide the championship. The teams with the highest combined totals from Friday's results and Saturday's Baker competition will be declared champions.

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