Juniors strike big, earn gold medals
The boys and girls WPIBL individual bowling titles were captured by two juniors whose routes to the title were about as far apart as a 7-10 split.
Burrell’s Lydia Flanagan completed the progress she had made the past two years, when she advanced to the quarterfinals of the stepladder tournament as a freshman and the semifinals as a sophomore. This time, she made it all the way to the finals where she defeated Elizabeth Forward’s Kaylee Christeson, 175-159.
“It felt really good to win it,” said Flanagan. “Last year and the year before I was in head- to- head matches.”
The boys title was claimed by Thomas Jefferson’s Nick Johnson who, like Flanagan, had been to the WPIBL tournament before. However, he made a huge jump to first place after finishing 57th last year.
“My mindset going in was to make the top six and the playoff finals,” said Johnson. “Once I qualified in second, all the pressure was off. I think that really helped me in the finals.”
Johnson edged Freeport’s Mark Livingston in the final, 195-191. Livingston was the top bowler throughout the season, as he rolled his way to a league-best 226.2 average. Johnson was 20th with a 200.3 average.
Both Flanagan and Johnson made adjustments to their game throughout the past year that paid off at their respective tournaments, which took place at AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes.
Flanagan’s game got stronger by increasing the weight of her ball from 14 to 15 pounds. This allowed her to hit the pocket harder and knock down more pins.She had the top girls average during the season at 224.57, well beyond that of the second-best average of 206.7 held by Plum’s Mareana Pilyih.
“Even though it’s 1 pound, it does make a difference,” said Flanagan. “I had to speed up my feet a little to throw it harder, but it felt pretty natural.”
Johnson, a two-handed bowler, worked on simplifying his release.
“I needed to be able to repeat shots,” said Johnson, who began to bowl seriously in eighth grade after stumbling upon a YouTube video. “The biggest thing in bowling is you want to be able to repeat shots and do it the same every time.”
The COVID- 19 pandemic had an impact on the season, as was the case with other winter sports. During competition, it wasn’t so different. There were just extra lanes of space between the opposing teams and masks were worn when not bowling. The biggest hurdle was the shutdown that halted competition and closed bowling alleys.
However, that time away did have an advantage as it allowed for rest and a mental reset.
“Over the break, I really came to terms with myself and said I want to win this,” Johnson said.
Johnson and Flanagan qualified for the regional tournament that takes place March 12 at North Versailles Bowling Center. Both the boys and girls brackets feature 74 bowlers.
Team championships
North Allegheny remained unbeaten while collecting the first boys team bowling championship in team history by defeating a familiar foe in the finals Feb. 17 at North Versailles Bowling Center.
The Tigers defeated Butler in the three-game final, 167-148. It was the third time the teams met this season, with North Allegheny sweeping all three matches. Butler has not lost to any other team it has faced.
Dylan Scheidler, Andrew Cook, Jeb Jorden, Joey Lydon, Marc Sostmann, Gavin Rush and Noah Sostmann each contributed to the title-winning effort. The Tigers slipped by Hempfield in the third game of the semifinals, 164-163, to make it to the final.
Scheidler had the second-best average during the season at 223.
The girls title was claimed by Greensburg Salem for the second consecutive season. The Golden Lions also defeated Butler in the finals Feb. 18 at Sims Lanes. Greensburg Salem dropped the second of the three-game series before finishing off the third, 188-147, to take the title.The Golden Lions defeated Penn-Trafford in the semifinals. Greensburg Salem finished second to the Warriors in the Southeast standings this season.
Next up for qualifying teams is the regional tournament that begins March 13 at North Versailles Bowling Center.