LIVERPOOL – Forget the actual Super Bowl – at least on this Sunday, it was Baldwinsville who provided a group of super bowlers.
The girls bowling Bees dominated the Section III Division I and Class A tournament at Liverpool’s Flamingo Bowl, staking itself to a big early lead and never getting caught, eventually topping runner-up Liverpool by 352 pins.
As a result, B’ville will represent the section at the March 12-13 New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships at another local venue, Strike-N-Spare Lanes.
B’ville’s undefeated regular season brought Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division honors, but it saved some of its best work for the particular pressure of a six-game sectional tournament.
It only proved close in the opening game, the Bees shooting 934 and Fulton close behind at 932. Then, in the second game, B’ville began to stretch out, posting 950 as the Red Raiders fell back to 826 and Rome Free Academy ascended to the second spot.
Then came the third game, B’ville closing the morning session with a 1,054 that was 200 pins better than RFA. It included a 270 game from Maddy Hass with 10 strikes as she followed up a 227 and had the best individual series of 676.
Julia Speich shot 576 in the morning, with Jenna Speich opening with a 215 in her 571 set. Amelia Ponto’s third-game 214 put her at 564 at the midway points as Lauren Gulich’s third-game 214 highlighted a 564 set.
Now with a 313-pin lead on RFA going to the afternoon session, B’ville stretched out that margin with a team score of 920. Fulton reclaimed second place, but was now 358 pins behind. Ponto and Julia Spiech led with matching games of 203.
B’ville had an 888 in the fifth game, with Ponto’s 214 setting the pace. Rival Liverpool, with a 1,043, zoomed past others to reach second place, but still trailed the Bees by 332 pins with one game left.
Instead of cooling down, B’ville, with a total of 904, finished at 5,650 and stretched out its winning margin on Liverpool, who closed with an 884 and was at 5,298 overall.
With afternoon games of 173, 180 and 186, Hass finished fourth among individuals at 1,195 as Christian Brothers Academy’s Elianna Occhino took the top spot with 1,285.
Ponto’s strong afternoon left her at 1,147 and in seventh place. Julia Speich closed with a 200 and was ninth with 1,144. Jenna Speich finished 15th with a pinfall of 1,111 as Gulich, finishing with a 186, got 19th place with 1,053.
