As it went to Flamingo Bowl for last Sunday’s Section III championships, the Baldwinsville girls bowling team was determined to earn a berth in next month’s state tournament, also taking place close to home at Strike-N-Spare Lanes.
Though it couldn’t quite pull off that feat, the Bees still used a strong, steady afternoon session to rise to third place in the Division I (large school) standings, nearly catching runner-up Cicero-North Syracuse as Amelia Ponto recorded a 10th-place individual finish.
In the morning, B’ville’s opening 829 put them just four pins behind favored Rome Free Academy as C-NS, shooting a 911, claimed the early lead.
Then the second game turned the match, B’ville scoring 817 as RFA, with a 941, took a lead it would never relinquish. A rough 785 game left the Bees at 2,431 as the morning concluded, sitting in fourth place.
During the afternoon, B’ville did not do anything spectacular, but game totals of 829, 812 and 832 helped them rise past Liverpool and finish at 4,904, beating out the Warriors (4,867) for that third spot.
RFA spread out its margin and, with 5,213, easily topped C-NS (4,969) for the team sectional title, leaving the Bees to try and gain some individual honors.
Of them, Ponto did best, shooting every game between 163 and 188, her overall total of 1,068 putting her in 10th place. Vernon-Verona-Sherrill’s Mackenzie O’Herien had both the top series (1,320) and high game of 253.
Hannah Pinard finished 24th, peaking with a 180 in the second game and ending up with a pinfall of 986. Maddy Hass was 31st, with a 183 high game and 964 set, as Brooke Flask finished 36th with a 955 series and 178 high game.
Julia Speich rolled five games of 787, including an opening game of 182, as Jenna Speich added a 144. B’ville’s boys bowling team goes to Utica’s Pin-O-Rama for its sectional tournament this Sunday afternoon.
