STREAKS GIRLS WHITE-HOT RUN CONTINUES IN QUALIFYING
& baker semis, COMES UP JUST SHORT IN FINALS
ou can't call it a roller coaster, because the day was one long, amazing climb with just a small dip at the end.
Fresh off an incredibly satisfying tournament win at the Central Jersey Winter Classic on Saturday, it wouldn't have been too surprising for the Streaks girls to come out a little flat for yet another long day, huge field tournament. But bowling again next to their brand new arch-rivals at Brick Memorial, that wasn't going to happen.
The captains got the Streaks off to a good start, as Junior Katie Winch and Senior Jenna Henderson each shot 212 in game 1. Senior Jessica Yerance was very good as well, firing 199, and the girls opened with 965, putting them comfortably into qualifying position (the top 4 teams of about 30 made the Baker rounds).
No slowing down in game #2, as Katie (208) and Jenna (211) were joined by Freshman Kelcie Mannon (234), and the Streaks' 968 kept it rolling. A small dropoff happened in game 3, but Kelcie's 212 (her series would end up at 805) helped limit the damage, the team shot 926 and were easily in the top 4 headed into the final game.
That's when the upperclassmen took over again. Jessica shot her 3rd game of 189+ on the day (194), Senior Elizabeth Hudock fired her best (196), and Jenna rolled a strong 239 to finish at 855 for the four-game set. But the big story was Katie Winch, who blasted the pocket 11 times and posted a career-high 277 game and a team-leading 872 set. When the dust settled, the Streaks had carded a massive 1093 game, a season-high, and a 3952 four-game set, which was good enough to lead the entire event and earn the Streaks the #1 seed.
The momentum carried over into the semifinals against Pennsylvania power Truman. The five girls took turns throwing great shots and finished game 1 at 223, with a 51-pin lead. Early in game 2, after a couple of Warren Hills opens, Truman got hot and strung together six straight strikes. But the Streaks girls didn't blink, firing a four-bagger of their own winning the match by 32 pins.
Moving to a new pair for the finals against Pennsbury (another top flight PA team; they beat Brick Memorial in the other semifinal), it was immediately apparent that the shot was going to be more difficult and scores would be a bit lower. The Streaks survived game 1 with a 179 and an 18 pin lead, but ran out of magic in game 2. Pennsbury, to their credit, took full advantage and made a bunch of clutch shots to take the finals by a razor-thin 8-pin margin.
Nobody liked the way it ended, but step back and look at the weekend this team had. Winning NJ's biggest tournament and taking second (but first in qualifying and first among Jersey teams) in another huge event, beating the #1 team in the state on the lanes twice in a row, and coming home with a lot of hard-won hardware. This is a special group having a special season.
Back at it on Tuesday at Hunterdon Central (West Hunterdon Lanes), Thursday vs. Franklin at Oakwood, and then a glorious weekend off before the final Skyland match and a pair of tournaments next week.
WAY. TO. GO. STREAKS.
Fresh off an incredibly satisfying tournament win at the Central Jersey Winter Classic on Saturday, it wouldn't have been too surprising for the Streaks girls to come out a little flat for yet another long day, huge field tournament. But bowling again next to their brand new arch-rivals at Brick Memorial, that wasn't going to happen.
The captains got the Streaks off to a good start, as Junior Katie Winch and Senior Jenna Henderson each shot 212 in game 1. Senior Jessica Yerance was very good as well, firing 199, and the girls opened with 965, putting them comfortably into qualifying position (the top 4 teams of about 30 made the Baker rounds).
No slowing down in game #2, as Katie (208) and Jenna (211) were joined by Freshman Kelcie Mannon (234), and the Streaks' 968 kept it rolling. A small dropoff happened in game 3, but Kelcie's 212 (her series would end up at 805) helped limit the damage, the team shot 926 and were easily in the top 4 headed into the final game.
That's when the upperclassmen took over again. Jessica shot her 3rd game of 189+ on the day (194), Senior Elizabeth Hudock fired her best (196), and Jenna rolled a strong 239 to finish at 855 for the four-game set. But the big story was Katie Winch, who blasted the pocket 11 times and posted a career-high 277 game and a team-leading 872 set. When the dust settled, the Streaks had carded a massive 1093 game, a season-high, and a 3952 four-game set, which was good enough to lead the entire event and earn the Streaks the #1 seed.
The momentum carried over into the semifinals against Pennsylvania power Truman. The five girls took turns throwing great shots and finished game 1 at 223, with a 51-pin lead. Early in game 2, after a couple of Warren Hills opens, Truman got hot and strung together six straight strikes. But the Streaks girls didn't blink, firing a four-bagger of their own winning the match by 32 pins.
Moving to a new pair for the finals against Pennsbury (another top flight PA team; they beat Brick Memorial in the other semifinal), it was immediately apparent that the shot was going to be more difficult and scores would be a bit lower. The Streaks survived game 1 with a 179 and an 18 pin lead, but ran out of magic in game 2. Pennsbury, to their credit, took full advantage and made a bunch of clutch shots to take the finals by a razor-thin 8-pin margin.
Nobody liked the way it ended, but step back and look at the weekend this team had. Winning NJ's biggest tournament and taking second (but first in qualifying and first among Jersey teams) in another huge event, beating the #1 team in the state on the lanes twice in a row, and coming home with a lot of hard-won hardware. This is a special group having a special season.
Back at it on Tuesday at Hunterdon Central (West Hunterdon Lanes), Thursday vs. Franklin at Oakwood, and then a glorious weekend off before the final Skyland match and a pair of tournaments next week.
WAY. TO. GO. STREAKS.
name | game 1 | game 2 | game 3 | game 4 | total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Katie Winch | 212 | 208 | 175 | 277 | 872 |
Jessica Yerance | 199 | 158 | 189 | 194 | 740 |
Kelcie Mannon | 172 | 234 | 212 | 187 | 805 |
Elizabeth Hudock | 170 | 157 | 157 | 196 | 680 |
Jenna Henderson | 212 | 211 | 193 | 239 | 855 |
Net total | 965 | 968 | 926 | 1093 | 3952 |