The Bobcat girls did just that, beating the Polar Bears 2,267-1,911 at Wayward Social on the back of some strong individual performances.

Kylee Witt had a season-high two-game series of 368 to pace MHS (2-1), while Ashly Wiegand also had her season-best with a 319 to finish third and Sydney Dannen just missed her season-high with a 324 to come in second on the team.

Marshalltown head coach DJ Wilder said he is thrilled with how his girls bowled to get their best team score of the young season.

“They are in a good spot, I am happy with where they are at and how they are coming along and progressing,” he said.

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON - Marshalltown bowler Emily Diggins gives a kick as her ball makes contact with the pins during the Bobcats’ win over Des Moines North at Wayward Social on Tuesday night in Marshalltown.

Jordan May nearly was a third Bobcat in the 300s, as she finished with a 294. Emily Diggins was the fifth counting score with a 270 and Ashlyn Rutledge rounded out the scores with a 226.

Wilder said so far all the girls have shown potential to throw good scores, they just need to build confidence in their games.

“The thing I am seeing with the girls is that they get down on themselves, but to me that means they care,” he said. “They have to understand how to manage that better and when they do that they will come right along, but it’s all about consistency and staying consistent and doing the things that it takes to be successful time after time, not just once in a while.”

The Bobcats struggled in their first Baker game to a 111, and even though they had a 362-point cushion after the individual series the Polar Bears were threatening to come back after rolling a 196 in their first Baker game.

Marshalltown buckled down and performed better in the next four Bakers, however, with a 147, 130, 164 and 137, all of which were either higher or the same as what Des Moines North threw.

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON

Wilder said on Monday against Newton the girls got caught in the Baker games partially due to the match dragging on for over four hours, but on Tuesday against the Polar Bears his team did much better keeping the energy up and praising each other for their good shots.

“They feed off of one another, the situation tonight was a lot better, a lot faster paced,” he said. “Last night they just kind of got tired, after being together for four hours you get tired and that’s what they faced last night.”

Now that the girls have two wins under their belts, Wilder said he can see the confidence building in their eyes and their games, they just need to continue working on what he lays out for them in practice and they will continue to develop.

“All I want them to do is get better every day,” he said. “I think you can see it, they are starting to see it and once they really fit into it the sky is the limit for them.”

The Bobcat girls will be back on the lanes on Tuesday with a home match against Dowling Catholic, starting at 3:45 p.m. at Wayward Social.