COLLINSVILLE — While Alton’s Eryka Graham battled back and forth with Triad’s Lainey Snow for top individual honors at Saturday’s IHSA Girls Bowling Regional, the team race was a dogfight between the Redbirds and host Collinsville Saturday at Camelot Bowl.

Graham came out on top in her race, while her Alton team came up 26 pins shy of the team championship. Those results mattered only for bragging rights, since Collinsville, Alton, Highland Triad’s teams will advance to next week’s sectional tournament in Carterville.

“We got through, but I think our girls put a little pressure on themselves to win the team championship,” Alton coach Jeff Woszczynski said. “They wanted to win the regional, but now they know it’s not the end of the world.

“I think overall, they responded well.”

Collinsville won the team title with 5,671 pins, followed by Alton with 5,645, Highland 5,346 and Triad 4,917. The top four teams at each regional advance to the sectional level. The top 10 individual bowlers not on advancing teams also advance.

Collinsville started out fast with a 1,021 the first game to Alton’s 866, which was till good for second place at that point.

The Redbirds responded with a 1,015 second game, to the Kahoks’ 896 and the race was on. At the midway point after three games, Collinsville held a four-in lead of 2,906 to 2,902, setting up the afternoon rally.

In the second session, Collinsville had scores of 986, 849 and 930. The Redbirds had scores of 917, 925 and 921.

“Now, our girls know what it’s like to be in a close one like this,” Woszczynski said. “We figured it would be between Collinsville and us. They are such a balanced team, with them it’s a pick ‘em every time, you never know who’s going to lead them.”

Jersey, with 4,802 pins, finished in fifth place in the team standings, just behind Triad in the race for the final sectional team berth. The Panthers were followed by Civic Memorial with 4,479, Southwestern 4,323, Granite City 4,085, Edwardsville 3,895, East Alton-Wood River with 3,787, Roxana 3,334 and Metro East Lutheran 3,257.

“I was proud of our girls’ efforts today,” Jersey coach Chris Skinner said. “We’re disappointed we didn’t get out as a team, but there were too many missed opportunities in the morning session.”

Besides the Alton team members, nine other Telegraph-area bowlers bowled sectional-qualifying scoresl, including Ashley Westbrook of CM, Emily Stemmler of Jersey, Alyssa Norell of Southwestern, Jersey’s Lindsay Vanost, Bethany Stocks of Jersey, Shelby Yarborough of East Alton-Wood River, Haylee Hallows and Alexis Tucker of Southwestern and Brittany Dickerson of CM.

“All our girls return next season,” Jersey’s Skinner said. ” Now we’ll work this week to get ready for the sectional.”

Graham rallied with a 212 in the final game of the tournament, outdueling Snow 212-183 to win the individual title by 17 pins, 1,302 to 1,285.

Graham, last season’s Telegraph Bowler of the Year, started each session a bit slowly in her battled for the individual crown. she bowled a 160 the first game of the morning session and had a 188 in the fourth game, which was the first of the afternoon session.

“Eryka has started slowly before,” Woszczynski said. “Today, she wanted to win the regional. She’s always done well at regionals, but had never won one and she was thinking about that, I think. She responded well and did a good job.”

Other than those two games, Graham had scores of 277 and 245 in the morning and a 220 in the other afternoon game.

Alton’s Ashley Heistand was fourth overall with a 1,182. CM’s Westbrook was sixth with a 1,169, Stemmler of Jersey 10th with a 1,112, Alton’s Claire Gorman 12th with 1,099, Southwestern’s Norell 15th with 1,047, Chloe Greenberg of Alton 16th with 1,032, Jersey’s Vanost 17th with 1,012, Stocks of Jersey 20th with 959, EA-WR’s Shelby Yarborough 21st 959, Hallows of Southwestern with 909, Tucker of Southwestern with 884 and CM’s Dickerson with 879 pins.

Reach Pete Hayes at 463-2500 or Twitter @HayeserPete