Hillsboro High School scholars’ bowl team earned a spot at the state tournament by placing third out of 15 teams in regionals Thursday at Thomas Moore Prep in Hays.

Team members Sam Bookless, Daniel Gray, Jonathan King, Briana Loewen, and Evan Wienck compiled a 5-2 record in pool play, recording wins against Council Grove, 60-40; Norton, 80-50; Smith Center, 30-20; Hoisington, 60-20; and Marion, 50-30. The two losses were to Ellsworth, 50-40; and Thomas Moore Prep, 60-40.

In championship pool play the team had a 2-3 record with wins against Riley County, 40-30; and Rock Creek, 50-20. Losses were to Thomas Moore Prep, 70-10; Marion, 40-30; and Southeast of Saline, 60-50.

There was a three-way tie for third between HHS, Southeast of Saline, and Rock Creek. The tie couldn’t be broken by head-to-head competition as the three teams each finished 1-1 against one another. The next tiebreaker was margin of victory, which HHS won with a margin of victory of 20, compared to 0 for Rock Creek, and -20 for Southeast of Saline.

“The team had a great day with all five team members buzzing in and getting correct answers at key times,” coach Stuart Holmes said. “All three seniors had outstanding days with Sam getting the winning question in overtime against Riley County.

“Jonathan got 11 out of 12 foreign language questions correct, as well as other categories to make a big impact, and Briana was especially amazing getting a large number of questions correct, with several being key answers where she buzzed in early,” Holmes continued.

“The team did a great job of staying focused and positive, as we had a number of very close matches — some that went our way and some that didn’t,” he said.

The state tournament will be Saturday in Cimarron, beginning at noon.