LUMBERTON — Hunter Edkins and Ethan Lowery qualified for the state meet by logging runner-up and eighth-place finishes, respectively, at the Sandhills Athletic Conference boys individual bowling championships on Thursday.

Edkins, the defending conference champion, lost 191-147 against Lumberton’s Reece Taylor in the title matchup. Edkins was on top of the leaderboard with 656 points (247-227-182) after the qualifying series.

“Coming in, I knew there would be some pressure on me to repeat,” said Edkins, a senior who plans to attend North Carolina in the fall. “I knew I had to bowl well and just take my time with every shot, which I did during qualification. I just got a little ahead of myself that third game. I struggled a bit.”

Edkins defeated Lumberton’s Jared Pittman 226-211 to begin match play. Pittman finished the qualifying round in fourth place, and he was one of three Pirates to earn a spot in the final four.

Taylor, who defeated teammate Jacob Britt to advance to the championship, won the conference title after entering match play in third place.

“I knew match play was going to be tough,” Edkins said. “I bowl with these guys from Lumberton on a weekly basis. I know all of them pretty well. I knew it was going to be tough going in, that there was going to be that pressure.

“I’m happy with how I performed,” he added. “It sucks to come up short like that in the championship, but I gave it my best, and that’s all I can ask for.”

With his eighth-place finish in the qualifying round, Lowery didn’t land a spot in match play, but he did earn the conference’s final state meet spot. Lowery finished with a final score of 543 (203-148-192).

The conference’s state meet qualifiers are Edkins, Britt, Taylor, Pittman, Lumberton’s Travis Mauney, Jack Britt’s Chandler Inman, Hoke’s Samuel Locklear and Lowery. The meet will be held next Friday at Lumberton Bowling Center.

“I’m hoping I can make all-state like I did last year,” Edkins said.

Edkins finished in seventh place after bowling a 618 at last year’s state meet.

Other Scotland bowlers who competed in the conference meet included Chandler Miller (517), Dawson McQueen (396), Cooper Sutherland (381), Montgomery Roberts (348), Aubrey Graham (341), Micah Oxendine (338), Colton Locklear (308), Andrew Barbour (307) and Jordan Lugo (286).

Edkins
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Edkins-Hunter-bowling-1.jpgEdkins

The state meet qualifiers from the Sandhills Athletic Conference boys bowling championship meet, from left to right: Hunter Edkins, Scotland; Jacob Britt, Lumberton; Reece Taylor, Lumberton; Jared Pittman, Lumberton; Travis Mauney, Lumberton; Chandler Inman, Jack Britt; Samuel Locklear, Hoke; and Ethan Lowery, Scotland.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_IMG_1467-1.jpgThe state meet qualifiers from the Sandhills Athletic Conference boys bowling championship meet, from left to right: Hunter Edkins, Scotland; Jacob Britt, Lumberton; Reece Taylor, Lumberton; Jared Pittman, Lumberton; Travis Mauney, Lumberton; Chandler Inman, Jack Britt; Samuel Locklear, Hoke; and Ethan Lowery, Scotland.

Scotland’s Hunter Edkins competes at the Sandhills Athletic Conference individual championship on Thursday. Edkins finished as the runner-up behind Lumberton’s Reece Taylor.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_IMG_1477-1.jpgScotland’s Hunter Edkins competes at the Sandhills Athletic Conference individual championship on Thursday. Edkins finished as the runner-up behind Lumberton’s Reece Taylor. Brandon Tester | The Laurinburg Exchange
Edkins, Lowery qualify at SAC meet

By Brandon Tester

Sports editor

Brandon Tester can be reached at [email protected] or 910-506-3170. Follow him on Twitter @BrandonTester.