The SHS Black Bears earned 5th place at the 2A State Scholars Bowl tournament in Moundridge on Saturday. They finished 4-1 in preliminary pool play and advanced to the finals where they finished 2-3 to tie for fourth place with Hutchinson Trinity Catholic but ended up in fifth place since Trinity beat Sterling head-to-head.
During preliminary rounds, Sterling defeated teams from Sacred Heart, Conway Springs, Lyndon, and Howard-West Elk but lost to Moundridge.
During finals, Sterling won rounds against Sacred Heart and Thomas More Prep Hays and lost to Trinity, Wichita Independent, and Moundridge.
2A state winners included: 1st place Salina Sacred Heart; 2nd place Wichita Independent; and 3rd place Moundridge.
Sterling beat Salina Sacred Heart twice, handing the 2A state champions their only losses of the day. “Our final round of the day was against Sacred Heart,” explained coach Amy Brownlee. “We were down 30-50 with three questions remaining but had an amazing comeback.” Junior Fallon Brown answered two fine arts questions correctly to tie the score, and junior Mason Lockhart clinched the win on the final current events question. “It was an exciting way to end the season,” Brownlee added.
Top scorers for the Black Bears: Mason Lockhart, 230 points; Fallon Brown, 50 points; Kevin Ploutz, 40 points. Lindsey Beltz and Lanae Welty were also part of the state competition team along with alternate Isaac Sant.
