The Pike Liberal Arts golf team ended their season Tuesday at the Troy Country Club placing 10th in the AISA Golf State Tournament.

The team shot a combined score of 782 for the tournament, and head coach Gene Allen said the team had done tremendously better in the second round of play.

“We played a lot better,” Allen said. “I think all of them improved by five or six strokes, so that was a good thing. I know (Monday) was the first time some of them had played in a state tournament so they were kind of tight, but I was really proud of them.”

Susie Stell, a regular sharp shooter for the PLAS golf team, placed first overall for the girls shooting a two-day combined score of 170. Stell said she had faired well Monday, but really pushed herself to do better in the second round.

“I felt I played a lot better the second round because I could putt better,” Stell said. “I wanted to be able to beat some of the boys from their tees too, and hopefully I can beat the boys next year. I just want to be able to say that I beat the boys from their own tees.”

Senior Cameron Crowe said he was sad to have finished his season and high school career.

“It’s a somber feeling, I suppose,” Crowe said. “It’s sad but I’m happy to move onto the next chapter of my life. I shot a 99 today, and that’s probably around what I typically do..”

Crowe said his putting had gotten much better since the start of the season, and without Allen he wouldn’t be half the golfer, or person, he is now.

“Coach Allen coaches me in all three sports, so it’s going to be weird next year not having him there to give me guidance so that’s going to be hard,” Crowe said. “But, Coach Allen is the best coach out there. I’m going to miss playing with Ryan (Johnson). Ryan and I have been together for the two last years … we’ve become pretty good friends out on the golf course.”

Johnson, another of PLAS’ standout golfers, recently signed a scholarship to play with Faulkner State.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” Johnson said. “I had good comeback from the first round to the second round, and I’m just happy I was able to play it on my senior year.”

Johnson shot a two-day total of 156 and managed to tie for eighth place in the tournament despite being 20th on Monday.

And, with the season through, Allen said he was proud of the strides each of the players had made and the effort they put forth..

“We had a lot of first year players, so the more and more they played the better they got,” Allen said. “They came out here and practiced a lot. We just got better and better as the year went long. Hopefully, it’s going to carry over to next year. It’s going to be tough filling Ryan’s shoes and losing Cameron is going to be tough, but, hopefully, we’ll be able to get a little bit better.”