Highland boys win sectional title

Font Size

Email

Bookmark

Black Text

White Text

HIGHLAND -- All it took was one meeting.

One team meeting about five weeks ago to turn things around for the Highland boys bowling team.

"It was about conference," Highland coach Claude Jackson said about that meeting when it looked like the Trojans were in disarray and ready to collapse.

"I told them we had to beat Hobart, then beat Griffith (to tie for first) and then win the (tiebreaker) rolloff. They all came together with some camaraderie, team spirit and a common goal."

Not only did they finish the season as Jackson hoped, but it carried over into Saturday's Duneland Sectional as the Trojans earned the top seed after qualifying and defeated rival Griffith 461-419 in the championship match.

It all came down to listening to their coach.

"They finally came around to their coach's way of thinking in filling frames," Jackson said with a smile. "They made their spares."

There were some well-placed strikes tossed in the fold as well. Like 11 of them in the same game in the five-game Baker (five bowlers rolling two frames each) portion of qualifying.

That barrage came in the fourth Baker game for a 280 to secure the top spot for Highland, but it wasn't even the highest score in that game.

Two lanes away Griffith was saving its season with the first 10 strikes on its way to 289. That moved the Panthers from third, 61 pins behind Morton, to second, 34 pins ahead of the Governors with a sigh of relief.

The girls event wasn't quite so dramatic with Lake Station proving its regular-season conference title was no fluke, and Griffith stealing some of the Eagles' glory in the last frame.

After going 9-1 in the regular season, Lake Station came out of the gate with a 932 game on the strength of anchor bowler Andrea Corey's 234. Then they were consistent in the Baker games with a 199 and 191.

The disappointing finish -- Corey left a pocket 8-10 split in the 10th frame on a good ball -- doesn't take away from a season that will last at least one more week.

"I'm just happy for the girls," Lake Station coach Wayne Briggs said. "This is the furthest we've been. It's all new to the girls, but they've handled it well."

The Eagles effort on Saturday even impressed Griffith assistant coach Rick Woloszyn.

"I've got to give them kudos," he said. "They spared all day and their anchor kept it in the pocket all day. I'm just so impressed."

The Panthers' bowler that impressed Woloszyn and head coach Colleen Lidster was freshman Elizabeth Kras, who was moved up in the lineup.

"We moved her back to leadoff from anchor and she looked more comfortable," Lidster said.

In singles, the Lake Station girls cleaned up with four advancing to the regional. Stephanie Briggs led the way with a 673 series to qualify for the finals first. She was beaten in the championship by Kelsy Toth of Morton 182-165.

The boys runner-up team also had reason to be happy in the singles event with Griffith junior Ryan McCoy earning the top seed with a 720 series, then defeating Highland's DJ Carpenter 212-203 in the final.