Morton's Toth handling the postseason pressure

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Don't underestimate Kelsy Toth of Morton.

Her game on the bowling lanes may not be flashy, but when the game is on the line, she thrives in crunch time.

"I love pressure," the sophomore said after winning the regional singles title on Thursday at Camelot Bowl in Portage. "When I'm under pressure I bowl my butt off."

She specifically thought back to sectionals when she beat Highland's Kayla Riffle. On Thursday she defeated Lake Central's Katie Sexton. Both are among the region's best, but so is Toth, and her status seems to be rising weekly.

"She's been lights out when she's been presented with clutch situations," Morton coach Jeff Sygit said.

So how did Toth become such a pressure bowler after an average freshman season?

"Bowling summer league (at Plaza Lanes) really helped," she said, referring to a youth-adult league in which she bowled with her dad, Greg, who turned 58 years old on Wednesday. Kelsy wished him a happy birthday after winning the regional.

And to think, Toth admitted that she "didn't expect to get this far." Now her goal is to help improve her teammates, as well as garner more support for the second-year program.

"It's hard being the only player with a lot of experience on the team," she said. "(The team) is going to get together in the summer and practice."

Maybe Toth's success can inspire other kids at Morton who want to go out for a sport. All they have to do is look around her neck today.

"I'm wearing this medal all day," she said with a huge smile.

And maybe Toth's success can coerce Morton athletic director Roydon Richards to put a little more support behind it.

"He has a lot more faith in the program," she said, defending the AD. "He said he's very proud of me."

South Bend semistate

WHEN: Saturday -- 8 a.m. team event, 1 p.m. singles event

WHERE: Chippewa Bowl, 225 W. Chippewa Ave. in South Bend

BOYS team qualifiers: KV, Highland, Boone Grove, East Noble, Snider, Northrop, Huntington North, Dwenger, Rochester, Goshen, Clay

BOYS LOCAL SINGLES: Griffith: Kyle Lidster, Ryan McCoy; Lake Central: Brett Wagner, Zach Maciejewski, Kevin Rush; Munster: Ethan Hansen; KV: Derek Smenyak; Crown Point: Fred Benich, Eric Locher; Boone Grove: Jimmy Kraushaar, Lynn Strohl

GIRLS Team qualifiers: Lake Central, Merrillville, LaPorte, Griffith, Snider, DeKalb, Huntington North, Northrop, Elkhart Memorial, Penn, Rochester, Mishawaka

GIRLS LOCAL SINGLES: Morton: Kelsy Toth; Lake Central: Katie Sexton, Kelli Marx, Leanne Witulski; KV: Carly Grover; Hobart: Megan Goss; Michigan City: Kristah Parmley; Lake Station: Megan Tenorio; Highland: Kayla Riffle; Portage Jackie Moyers

OUTLOOK: It could be tough for local boys teams to advance to their first team state finals, but all three are tested on tough lanes, so don't be surprised if one or two have a reason to celebrate. On the girls side, it will be nip and tuck with Snider and Huntington North providing a huge challenge for local girls teams, including Lake Central. In singles, the talented region bowlers on both sides should be no match for the Peru and Fort Wayne regional advancers.

NEXT: Top four teams and top nine individuals advance to the state finals on Feb. 21 in Anderson.

Contact Steve Gorches at 648-3141, sgorches@post-trib.com or visit his blog at blogs.post-trib.com/gorches.