MUSCATINE — The Marshalltown bowling teams took to the road on Saturday for the Louisa-Muscatine Baker Invite, with the Bobcat boys claiming fourth place and the girls scoring ninth.

The MHS boys entered the weekend ranked atop the field in Baker game average, but a late slip-up prevented the Bobcats from capturing the tournament title. A 142 game in the 14th of 16 rounds stunted Marshalltown’s quest for the crown.

“We didn’t finish,” MHS head coach Nate Clark posted on the team’s Facebook page. “We fell apart late and dropped to fourth overall in a very competitive field. At this level, tournaments are decided at the end — not by where you stand halfway through.”

Marshalltown was in second place with the last four games to go, but missed its chance to make the climb.

Bettendorf claimed the top spot on the podium with a 3,433 total, followed by Keokuk (3,409), Louisa-Muscatine (3,321) and Marshalltown (3,312). North Scott (3,299) and Davenport North (3,255) weren’t far behind in the 15-team event.

“You don’t get beat by one shot — you get beat by a handful of routine shots that aren’t executed,” Clark wrote. “This isn’t about effort. It’s about discipline, focus, and closing when it matters most. Rankings don’t win tournaments. Positions during the day don’t matter if you don’t finish.

“We’ll own it, learn from it, and get better. But the expectation moving forward is clear: finish the job.”

The Bobcat girls entered the weekend ranked 13th out of 15 teams in attendance, but they nearly reached the middle of the pack with a ninth-place finish.

Marshalltown totaled 2,401 to finish ahead of six squads. Louisa-Muscatine claimed the crown with a 3,142 total, followed by Clinton (3,081) and North Scott (2,733).

“I would have to say today was an excellent test for the girls’ team,” MHS head coach Dustin Peterson wrote. “This season, Bakers has been a struggle for us. Last Saturday we got the ball rolling in a positive direction. Today we continued that and then some.”

Marshalltown’s 150.1 Baker average was 25 pins higher than its season average.

“Love that the girls build each other up and truly believe in themselves,” Peterson added. “Hope we are able to keep this momentum into Monday at the conference meet.”

The Bobcat girls take to the Iowa Alliance Conference tournament on Monday at 10 a.m. at Cadillax XBC in Waterloo, and they host the regional tournament on Feb. 2 at Wayward Social.

The MHS boys are off until Feb. 9, when they take their turn in Waterloo at the Alliance meet, and the boys’ state-qualifying meet is Feb. 16 at a site yet to be determined.